The Non-Merging Couple- B2 0402+379's Binary super-massive Black-hole

Informations: 

Most recently, Astronomer's have discovered the binary Black Hole (BBH) in the fossil galaxy named "B2 0402+379". They found that this two giants have total mass of 28 billions times  of our nearest star 'SUN'. The distance between these two super-massive black-holes is 24 light years and this is the closest distance that two super-massive circling each other ever found! They're in their endless duel for 3 billion years without merging and colliding but this is unexpected to the astronomer's cause they should collide and merge.


What is Black Hole Binary?:  

A Black hole binary is a system consisting of two black holes in close orbit around each other. How does super-massive binary blackhole system formed? Let's crack this:


Formation of Supermassive binary blackholes (SMBH's): 
Super-massive black holes can make binary system by the following:


                    Fig-01: Black hole Binary




GALAXY MERGERSWhen two galaxies having their own super-massive black hole collides each other they form a supermassive binary blackhole system.




Fig-02: Collision of galaxies

Mechanisms for colliding or merging of the pair:   

After forming black hole binary system by galaxy mergers they collide and merge together after some mechanisms. One of the mechanisms is 'Dynamical friction'. In astronomy, dynamical friction defined as the gravitational pull by surroundings/celestial objects that slows down the kinetic energy of a giant body. In the same way, black holes also fade away their energy by this gravitational pull.

Dynamical friction steals orbital energy from the blackhole pair that causes bring them together and collide. The another mechanism is 'Gravitational Wave Radiation'. Gravitational waves radiation causes significant loss of orbital energy and momentum of the blackhole pair that brings them (The pair of blackholes) together (Decreases separation). 

                            Fig-03: Collision of two blackholes

Why they're in endless duel?: 

A physics professor at Stanford University, said, "Since this pair is so heavy it required lots of stars and gas to get the job done. But the binary has scoured the central galaxy of such matter, leaving it stalled."


He mainly indicates the mechanism called 'Dynamical Friction' by which the orbital of the binary decays its energy and come closer or decreases the separation of the blackholes pair and finally merge. To add them together we need to pass stellar objects like stars in order to decrease their orbital energy or momentum. 


As they're so massive they creates  the 'Final Parsec Problem' at more than 1 parsec separation (Around 7.36 parsec) but normally this challenge occures at when the binary decreases the separation into a parsec(around 3.26 Light Years). 





References:

1. Turner, B. (2024) Astronomers find heaviest black hole pair in the universe, and they’ve been trapped in an endless duel for 3 billion years, LiveScience. Available at: https://www.livescience.com/space/black-holes/astronomers-find-heaviest-black-hole-pair-in-the-universe-and-theyve-been-trapped-in-an-endless-duel-for-3-billion-years (Accessed: 03 April 2024).

2. Galaxy merger (2024) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxy_merger (Accessed: 03 April 2024).

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