Abstract

We report the first results from evolutions of generic black-hole binaries, i.e. a binary containing unequal mass black holes with misaligned spins. Our configuration, which has a mass ratio of 2 : 1, consists of an initially non-spinning hole orbiting a larger, rapidly spinning hole (specific spin a/m = 0.885), with the spin direction oriented −45◦ with respect to the orbital plane. We track the inspiral and merger for ∼ 2 orbits and find that the remnant receives a substantial kick of 454 kms−1, more than twice as large as the maximum kick from non-spinning binaries. The remnant spin direction is flipped by 103◦ with respect to the initial spin direction of the larger hole. We performed a second run with anti-aligned spins, a/m = ±0.5 lying in the orbital plane that produces a kick of ∼ 1830 kms−1 off the orbital plane. This value scales to nearly 4000 kms−1 for maximally spinning holes. Such a large recoil velocity opens the possibility that a merged binary can be ejected even from the nucleus of a massive host galaxy.

Publication Date

3-5-2007

Comments

This is the pre-print of an article published by the American Astronomical Society. The final, published version is available here: https://doi.org/10.1086/516712

© 2007 The American Astronomical Society.

Also archived in: arXiv:gr-qc/0701164 v3 Mar 2 2007

Note: imported from RIT’s Digital Media Library running on DSpace to RIT Scholar Works in February 2014.

Document Type

Article

Department, Program, or Center

School of Physics and Astronomy (COS)

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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