Speaker
Mrs
Sarah Burke Spolaor
(Swinburne University)
Description
We present a study that uses very long baseline interferometry to search for binary supermassive black holes at galaxy centres. Such searches are important in experimentally addressing the possibility that supermassive binaries may ``stall'', and never coalesce after the merger of their host galaxies; this would have dramatic (and likely detrimental) consequences for predicted gravitational wave signals and hierarchical galaxy formation alike. We have identified only one binary in a large sample of ~3000, suggesting observational evidence against stalling and putting a limit on the post-merger inspiral time of a supermassive black hole. Conclusive measurements of this kind will require observations of a great number of galaxies with long baselines, moderate sensitivity, and thorough u,v coverage. This science is therefore ideally fit for the SKA if it includes very-long-baseline capabilities; as such we detail the necessary components for a future study with the SKA.
Primary author
Mrs
Sarah Burke Spolaor
(Swinburne University)
