Study offers possible solution to a gravitational wave mystery
Phys.org••science
Key Points:
- Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder have proposed a new explanation for the unexpectedly large gravitational wave background detected by experiments like NANOGrav, linking it to the growth patterns of supermassive black holes during galaxy mergers.
- Their study found that smaller supermassive black holes gain significant mass by preferentially accreting gas during mergers, which increases the gravitational waves produced when these black holes collide.
- This "preferential accretion" means smaller black holes contribute more to the gravitational wave background than previously thought, resolving discrepancies between earlier predictions and observed data.
- The research involved developing detailed equations to model galaxy mergers and adjusting growth rates of black holes, which brought theoretical estimates in line with experimental measurements.
- Although this advances understanding of gravitational
