Multimessenger Signatures of Massive Black Holes in Dwarf Galaxies

Abstract

Recent discoveries of massive black holes (MBHs) in dwarf galaxies suggest\nthat they may have a more common presence than once thought. Systematic\nsearches are revealing more candidates, but this process could be accelerated\nby predictions from simulations. We perform a study of several high-resolution,\ncosmological, zoom-in simulations focusing on dwarf galaxies that host massive\nblack holes at z = 0, with the aim of determining when the black holes are most\nobservable. Larger dwarf galaxies are more likely to host MBHs than those of\nlower mass. About 50% of the MBHs in dwarfs are not centrally located, but\nrather are wandering within a few kpc of the galaxy center. The accretion\nluminosities of MBHs in dwarfs are low throughout cosmic time, rendering them\nextremely difficult to detect. However, the merger history of these MBHs is\noptimal for gravitational wave detection by LISA.\n