Taming the Plunge: A Circularization Trap of Supermassive Black Hole Binaries

[EN] We investigate the orbital eccentricity evolution of supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs; 10(4)-10(7) M-circle dot) within galactic environments. Merger timescales depend on eccentricity when gravitational-wave (GW) emission dominates. We analyze the dynamics in triaxial merger remnants an...

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Autores: Amaro-Seoane, Pau|||0000-0003-3993-3249, Mastrobuono Battisti, Alessandra, Omarov, Chingis, Yurin, Denis, Makukov, Maxim, Kuvatova, Dana, Omarova, Gulnara, Gluchshenko, Anton
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2026
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)
Repositorio:RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:riunet______::f28fcaeee3e577e71251943c799d4198
Acceso en línea:https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/233500
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Supermassive black hole binaries
Orbital eccentricity evolution
Nuclear disk dynamics
Gravitational wave emission
Binary disk interaction
Merger timescales
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spelling Taming the Plunge: A Circularization Trap of Supermassive Black Hole BinariesAmaro-Seoane, Pau|||0000-0003-3993-3249Mastrobuono Battisti, AlessandraOmarov, ChingisYurin, DenisMakukov, MaximKuvatova, DanaOmarova, GulnaraGluchshenko, AntonSupermassive black hole binariesOrbital eccentricity evolutionNuclear disk dynamicsGravitational wave emissionBinary disk interactionMerger timescales[EN] We investigate the orbital eccentricity evolution of supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs; 10(4)-10(7) M-circle dot) within galactic environments. Merger timescales depend on eccentricity when gravitational-wave (GW) emission dominates. We analyze the dynamics in triaxial merger remnants and subsequent interactions with geometrically thick nuclear disks. Gravitational torques in triaxial potentials extract angular momentum (T-J << T-E), resulting in binary formation with high initial eccentricities (e > 0.95). We analyze the binary-disk interaction using a 3D analytical framework incorporating the Airy formalism and present a self-consistent derivation demonstrating that the 3D suppression of high-order torques leads to distinct scalings with disk thickness (h), with migration rates tau(-1)(a)proportional to h(-3) and eccentricity damping rates tau(-1)(e)proportional to h(-5) , which establish a timescale hierarchy, tau(e)/tau(a) proportional to h(2). For typical parameters, eccentricity damping is significantly faster than orbital decay (tau(e) approximate to 0.04 tau(a)). We further develop a wavelet-based formalism to quantify the impact of disk inhomogeneities arising from accretion feedback and turbulence. We derive the stochastic torque variance in the wavelet domain and employ a Fokker-Planck analysis to determine the equilibrium eccentricity distribution. While stochastic fluctuations counteract deterministic damping, the strong damping imposed by the thick disk geometry ensures the equilibrium eccentricity remains small unless the fluctuations are highly nonlinear. Hence, highly eccentric born SMBHBs are rapidly circularized. This "circularization trap" forces binaries to approach the GW-dominated regime on nearly circular orbits, prolonging the total merger timescale. This introduces a cosmological delay (0.3-2.5 Gyr) governed by stellar relaxation.This research has been supported within the framework of the grant project No. AP23487846 "Studying the connection between the mechanism of large structures formation of the Universe and the process of spiral arms formation in disk galaxies," and Project No. BR24992759 "Development of the concept for the first Kazakhstani orbital cislunar telescope-Phase I," both financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.American Astronomical SocietyDepartamento de Matemática AplicadaEscuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Aeroespacial y Diseño IndustrialInstituto Universitario de Matemática MultidisciplinarMinistry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of KazakhstanRepositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politècnica de València Riunet20262026-02-10journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501VoRhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/233500reponame:RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valénciainstname:Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)InglésengMinistry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan AP23487846Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan BR24992759open accesshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2Reconocimiento (by)http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:dnet:riunet______::f28fcaeee3e577e71251943c799d41982026-06-13T07:49:27Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Taming the Plunge: A Circularization Trap of Supermassive Black Hole Binaries
title Taming the Plunge: A Circularization Trap of Supermassive Black Hole Binaries
spellingShingle Taming the Plunge: A Circularization Trap of Supermassive Black Hole Binaries
Amaro-Seoane, Pau|||0000-0003-3993-3249
Supermassive black hole binaries
Orbital eccentricity evolution
Nuclear disk dynamics
Gravitational wave emission
Binary disk interaction
Merger timescales
title_short Taming the Plunge: A Circularization Trap of Supermassive Black Hole Binaries
title_full Taming the Plunge: A Circularization Trap of Supermassive Black Hole Binaries
title_fullStr Taming the Plunge: A Circularization Trap of Supermassive Black Hole Binaries
title_full_unstemmed Taming the Plunge: A Circularization Trap of Supermassive Black Hole Binaries
title_sort Taming the Plunge: A Circularization Trap of Supermassive Black Hole Binaries
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Amaro-Seoane, Pau|||0000-0003-3993-3249
Mastrobuono Battisti, Alessandra
Omarov, Chingis
Yurin, Denis
Makukov, Maxim
Kuvatova, Dana
Omarova, Gulnara
Gluchshenko, Anton
author Amaro-Seoane, Pau|||0000-0003-3993-3249
author_facet Amaro-Seoane, Pau|||0000-0003-3993-3249
Mastrobuono Battisti, Alessandra
Omarov, Chingis
Yurin, Denis
Makukov, Maxim
Kuvatova, Dana
Omarova, Gulnara
Gluchshenko, Anton
author_role author
author2 Mastrobuono Battisti, Alessandra
Omarov, Chingis
Yurin, Denis
Makukov, Maxim
Kuvatova, Dana
Omarova, Gulnara
Gluchshenko, Anton
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Departamento de Matemática Aplicada
Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Aeroespacial y Diseño Industrial
Instituto Universitario de Matemática Multidisciplinar
Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politècnica de València Riunet
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Supermassive black hole binaries
Orbital eccentricity evolution
Nuclear disk dynamics
Gravitational wave emission
Binary disk interaction
Merger timescales
topic Supermassive black hole binaries
Orbital eccentricity evolution
Nuclear disk dynamics
Gravitational wave emission
Binary disk interaction
Merger timescales
description [EN] We investigate the orbital eccentricity evolution of supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs; 10(4)-10(7) M-circle dot) within galactic environments. Merger timescales depend on eccentricity when gravitational-wave (GW) emission dominates. We analyze the dynamics in triaxial merger remnants and subsequent interactions with geometrically thick nuclear disks. Gravitational torques in triaxial potentials extract angular momentum (T-J << T-E), resulting in binary formation with high initial eccentricities (e > 0.95). We analyze the binary-disk interaction using a 3D analytical framework incorporating the Airy formalism and present a self-consistent derivation demonstrating that the 3D suppression of high-order torques leads to distinct scalings with disk thickness (h), with migration rates tau(-1)(a)proportional to h(-3) and eccentricity damping rates tau(-1)(e)proportional to h(-5) , which establish a timescale hierarchy, tau(e)/tau(a) proportional to h(2). For typical parameters, eccentricity damping is significantly faster than orbital decay (tau(e) approximate to 0.04 tau(a)). We further develop a wavelet-based formalism to quantify the impact of disk inhomogeneities arising from accretion feedback and turbulence. We derive the stochastic torque variance in the wavelet domain and employ a Fokker-Planck analysis to determine the equilibrium eccentricity distribution. While stochastic fluctuations counteract deterministic damping, the strong damping imposed by the thick disk geometry ensures the equilibrium eccentricity remains small unless the fluctuations are highly nonlinear. Hence, highly eccentric born SMBHBs are rapidly circularized. This "circularization trap" forces binaries to approach the GW-dominated regime on nearly circular orbits, prolonging the total merger timescale. This introduces a cosmological delay (0.3-2.5 Gyr) governed by stellar relaxation.
publishDate 2026
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2026
2026-02-10
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv journal article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
VoR
http://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
dc.type.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/233500
url https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/233500
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
eng
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan AP23487846
Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan BR24992759
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Reconocimiento (by)
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.rights.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Reconocimiento (by)
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv American Astronomical Society
publisher.none.fl_str_mv American Astronomical Society
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia
instname:Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)
instname_str Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)
reponame_str RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia
collection RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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score 15,812429

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