The NANOGrav 15-year Data Set: Constraints on Supermassive Black Hole Binaries from the Gravitational Wave Background

Gabriella Agazie; Akash Anumarlapudi; Anne M Archibald; Paul T Baker; Bence Bécsy; Laura Blecha; Alexander Bonilla; Adam Brazier; Paul R Brook; Sarah Burke-Spolaor; Rand Burnette; Robin Case; J. Andrew Casey-Clyde; Maria Charisi; Shami Chatterjee; Katerina Chatziioannou; Belinda D Cheeseboro; Siyuan Chen; Tyler Cohen; James M Cordes; Neil J Cornish; Fronefield Crawford; H. Thankful Cromartie; Kathryn Crowter; Curt J Cutler; Daniel J D'Orazio; Megan E DeCesar; Dallas DeGan; Paul B Demorest; Heling Deng; Timothy Dolch; Brendan Drachler; Elizabeth C Ferrara; William Fiore; Emmanuel Fonseca; Gabriel E Freedman; Emiko Gardiner; Nate Garver-Daniels; Peter A Gentile; Kyle A Gersbach; Joseph Glaser; Deborah C Good; Kayhan Gültekin; Jeffrey S Hazboun; Sophie Hourihane; Kristina Islo; Ross J Jennings; Aaron Johnson; Megan L Jones; Andrew R Kaiser; David L Kaplan; Luke Zoltan Kelley; Matthew Kerr; Joey S Key; Nima Laal; Michael T Lam; William G Lamb; T. Joseph W Lazio; Natalia Lewandowska; Tyson B Littenberg; Tingting Liu; Jing Luo; Ryan S Lynch; Chung-Pei Ma; Dustin R Madison; Alexander McEwen; James W McKee; Maura A McLaughlin; Natasha McMann; Bradley W Meyers; Patrick M Meyers; Chiara M. F Mingarelli; Andrea Mitridate; Priyamvada Natarajan; Cherry Ng; David J Nice; Stella Koch Ocker; Ken D Olum; Timothy T Pennucci; Benetge B. P Perera; Polina Petrov; Nihan S Pol; Henri A Radovan; Scott M Ransom; Paul S Ray; Joseph D Romano; Jessie C Runnoe; Shashwat C Sardesai; Ann Schmiedekamp; Carl Schmiedekamp; Kai Schmitz; Levi Schult; Brent J Shapiro-Albert; Xavier Siemens; Joseph Simon; Magdalena S Siwek; Ingrid H Stairs; Daniel R Stinebring; Kevin Stovall; Jerry P Sun; Abhimanyu Susobhanan; Joseph K Swiggum; Jacob Taylor; Stephen R Taylor; Jacob E Turner; Caner Unal; Michele Vallisneri; Sarah J Vigeland; Jeremy M Wachter; Haley M Wahl; Qiaohong Wang; Caitlin A Witt; David Wright; Olivia Young

doi:10.48550/arxiv.2306.16220

Preprint

The NANOGrav 15-year Data Set: Constraints on Supermassive Black Hole Binaries from the Gravitational Wave Background

Gabriella Agazie, Akash Anumarlapudi, Anne M Archibald, Paul T Baker, Bence Bécsy, Laura Blecha, Alexander Bonilla, Adam Brazier, Paul R Brook, Sarah Burke-Spolaor, …

28/06/2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2306.16220

Abstract

The NANOGrav 15-year data set shows evidence for the presence of a low-frequency gravitational-wave background (GWB). While many physical processes can source such low-frequency gravitational waves, here we analyze the signal as coming from a population of supermassive black hole (SMBH) binaries distributed throughout the Universe. We show that astrophysically motivated models of SMBH binary populations are able to reproduce both the amplitude and shape of the observed low-frequency gravitational-wave spectrum. While multiple model variations are able to reproduce the GWB spectrum at our current measurement precision, our results highlight the importance of accurately modeling binary evolution for producing realistic GWB spectra. Additionally, while reasonable parameters are able to reproduce the 15-year observations, the implied GWB amplitude necessitates either a large number of parameters to be at the edges of expected values, or a small number of parameters to be notably different from standard expectations. While we are not yet able to definitively establish the origin of the inferred GWB signal, the consistency of the signal with astrophysical expectations offers a tantalizing prospect for confirming that SMBH binaries are able to form, reach sub-parsec separations, and eventually coalesce. As the significance grows over time, higher-order features of the GWB spectrum will definitively determine the nature of the GWB and allow for novel constraints on SMBH populations.

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Title: The NANOGrav 15-year Data Set: Constraints on Supermassive Black Hole Binaries from the Gravitational Wave Background
Creators - without role: Gabriella Agazie - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Akash Anumarlapudi - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Anne M Archibald - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Paul T Baker - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Bence Bécsy - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Laura Blecha - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Alexander Bonilla - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Adam Brazier - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Paul R Brook - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Sarah Burke-Spolaor - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Rand Burnette - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Robin Case - The NANOGrav Collaboration
J. Andrew Casey-Clyde - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Maria Charisi - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Shami Chatterjee - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Katerina Chatziioannou - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Belinda D Cheeseboro - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Siyuan Chen - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Tyler Cohen - The NANOGrav Collaboration
James M Cordes - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Neil J Cornish - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Fronefield Crawford - The NANOGrav Collaboration
H. Thankful Cromartie - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Kathryn Crowter - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Curt J Cutler - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Daniel J D'Orazio - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Megan E DeCesar - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Dallas DeGan - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Paul B Demorest - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Heling Deng - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Timothy Dolch - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Brendan Drachler - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Elizabeth C Ferrara - The NANOGrav Collaboration
William Fiore - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Emmanuel Fonseca - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Gabriel E Freedman - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Emiko Gardiner - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Nate Garver-Daniels - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Peter A Gentile - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Kyle A Gersbach - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Joseph Glaser - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Deborah C Good - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Kayhan Gültekin - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Jeffrey S Hazboun - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Sophie Hourihane - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Kristina Islo - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Ross J Jennings - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Aaron Johnson - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Megan L Jones - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Andrew R Kaiser - The NANOGrav Collaboration
David L Kaplan - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Luke Zoltan Kelley - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Matthew Kerr - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Joey S Key - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Nima Laal - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Michael T Lam - The NANOGrav Collaboration
William G Lamb - The NANOGrav Collaboration
T. Joseph W Lazio - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Natalia Lewandowska - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Tyson B Littenberg - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Tingting Liu - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Jing Luo - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Ryan S Lynch - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Chung-Pei Ma - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Dustin R Madison - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Alexander McEwen - The NANOGrav Collaboration
James W McKee - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Maura A McLaughlin - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Natasha McMann - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Bradley W Meyers - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Patrick M Meyers - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Chiara M. F Mingarelli - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Andrea Mitridate - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Priyamvada Natarajan - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Cherry Ng - The NANOGrav Collaboration
David J Nice - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Stella Koch Ocker - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Ken D Olum - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Timothy T Pennucci - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Benetge B. P Perera - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Polina Petrov - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Nihan S Pol - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Henri A Radovan - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Scott M Ransom - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Paul S Ray - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Joseph D Romano - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Jessie C Runnoe - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Shashwat C Sardesai - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Ann Schmiedekamp - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Carl Schmiedekamp - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Kai Schmitz - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Levi Schult - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Brent J Shapiro-Albert - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Xavier Siemens - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Joseph Simon - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Magdalena S Siwek - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Ingrid H Stairs - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Daniel R Stinebring - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Kevin Stovall - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Jerry P Sun - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Abhimanyu Susobhanan - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Joseph K Swiggum - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Jacob Taylor - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Stephen R Taylor - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Jacob E Turner - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Caner Unal - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Michele Vallisneri - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Sarah J Vigeland - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Jeremy M Wachter - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Haley M Wahl - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Qiaohong Wang - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Caitlin A Witt - The NANOGrav Collaboration
David Wright - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Olivia Young - The NANOGrav Collaboration
Identifiers: 991019443989107081
Academic Unit: Physics
Language: English
Resource Type: Preprint