Detection of Gravitational Wave Emission by Supermassive Black Hole Binaries Through Tidal Disruption Flares

Understand

Galaxy mergers produce supermassive black hole binaries, which emit gravitational waves prior to their coalescence.

• We perform three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations to study the tidal disruption of stars by such a binary in the final centuries of its life.
• We find that the gas stream of the stellar debris moves chaotically in the binary potential and forms accretion disks around both black holes.
• The accretion light curve is modulated over the binary orbital period owing to relativistic beaming.