Supermassive black hole growth from stellar binary encounters
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The growth of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) remains a central problem in astrophysics, with current observations providing only limited constraints on the underlying mechanisms. One possible growth channel is stellar accretion via the Hill’s mechanism, wherein a SMBH tidally breaks up a passing binary star, capturing and eventually accreting a member of the binary. We adopt a framework based on kinematics to predict capture rates from parameters that include the central number density of stars, the stellar velocity dispersion, the binary fraction, and black hole mass. We then estimate the growth of SMBHs across a range of galactic environments. In a data set of 91 galaxies of various types and masses, we identify two candidates with SMBHs for which stellar accretion may be a driver of growth. Closer to home, a recent analysis of observed hypervelocity stars from the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) implicates binary star interactions with a massive black hole. Every hypervelocity star produced in this way leaves a bound partner that may be accreted, providing an active growth channel for the LMC’s black hole.
Source: The Open Journal of Astrophysics
DOI: 10.33232/001c.157589
Authors: Aubrey L Jones, Benjamin C Bromley
Institution: ORCID
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4416177188
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: