Electromagnetic signatures of black hole clusters in the center of super-Eddington galaxies

Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) at the centers of active galaxies are fed by accretion disks that radiate from the infrared or optical to the X-ray bands. Several types of objects can orbit SMBHs, including massive stars, neutron stars, clouds from the broad- and narrow-line regions, and X-ray binaries. Isolated black holes with a stellar origin (BHs of ∼10 M ⊙ ) should also be present in large numbers within the central parsec of the galaxies. These BHs are expected to form a cluster around the SMBH as a result of the enhanced star formation rate in the inner galactic region and the BH migration caused by gravitational dynamical friction. However, except for occasional microlensing effects on background stars or gravitational waves from binary BH mergers, the presence of a BH population is hard to verify. In this paper, we explore the possibility of detecting electromagnetic signatures of a central cluster of BHs when the accretion rate onto the central SMBH is greater than the Eddington rate. In these supercritical systems, the accretion disk launches powerful winds that interact with the objects orbiting the SMBH. Isolated BHs can capture matter from this dense wind, leading to the formation of small accretion disks around them. If jets are produced in these single microquasars, they could be sites of particle acceleration to relativistic energies. These particles in turn are expected to cool by various radiative processes. Therefore, the wind of the SMBH might illuminate the BHs through the production of both thermal and nonthermal radiation.

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Publication Details

Journal
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Published
2024-09-06
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202451903
Citations
4
Primary Topic
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.33

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article

Electromagnetic signatures of black hole clusters in the center of super-Eddington galaxies

Gustavo E. Romero, Leandro Abaroa
4 citations
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
1.33
article

Electromagnetic signatures of black hole clusters in the center of super-Eddington galaxies

Gustavo E. Romero, Leandro Abaroa
article en
4 citations

Abstract

Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) at the centers of active galaxies are fed by accretion disks that radiate from the infrared or optical to the X-ray bands. Several types of objects can orbit SMBHs, including massive stars, neutron stars, clouds from the broad- and narrow-line regions, and X-ray binaries. Isolated black holes with a stellar origin (BHs of ∼10 M ⊙ ) should also be present in large numbers within the central parsec of the galaxies. These BHs are expected to form a cluster around the SMBH as a result of the enhanced star formation rate in the inner galactic region and the BH migration caused by gravitational dynamical friction. However, except for occasional microlensing effects on background stars or gravitational waves from binary BH mergers, the presence of a BH population is hard to verify. In this paper, we explore the possibility of detecting electromagnetic signatures of a central cluster of BHs when the accretion rate onto the central SMBH is greater than the Eddington rate. In these supercritical systems, the accretion disk launches powerful winds that interact with the objects orbiting the SMBH. Isolated BHs can capture matter from this dense wind, leading to the formation of small accretion disks around them. If jets are produced in these single microquasars, they could be sites of particle acceleration to relativistic energies. These particles in turn are expected to cool by various radiative processes. Therefore, the wind of the SMBH might illuminate the BHs through the production of both thermal and nonthermal radiation.

Astronomy and AstrophysicsVol. 691
Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía (AR), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (AR)
European Commission, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, European Regional Development Fund, Agencia Estatal de Investigación
Openalex Percentile: Top 20%
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
1.33
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