Detecting Wandering Intermediate-Mass Black Holes with AXIS in the Milky Way and Local Massive Galaxies

Abstract

This white paper explores the detectability of intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) wandering in the Milky Way (MW) and massive local galaxies, with a particular emphasis on the role of AXIS. IMBHs, ranging within 10³⁻⁶ M⊙, are commonly found at the centers of dwarf galaxies and may exist, yet undiscovered, in the MW. By using model spectra for advection-dominated accretion flows (ADAFs), we calculated the expected fluxes emitted by a population of wandering IMBHs with a mass of 10⁵ M⊙ in various MW environments and extrapolated our results to massive local galaxies. Around 40% of the potential population of wandering IMBHs in the MW can be detected in an AXIS deep field. We proposed criteria to aid in selecting IMBH candidates using already available optical surveys. We also showed that IMBHs wandering in > 200 galaxies within 10 Mpc can be easily detected with AXIS when passing within dense galactic environments (e.g., molecular clouds and cold neutral medium). In summary, we highlighted the potential X-ray detectability of wandering IMBHs in local galaxies and provided insights for guiding future surveys. Detecting wandering IMBHs is crucial for understanding their demographics, evolution, and the merging history of galaxies.