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

dc.contributor.authorPacucci, Fabio
dc.contributor.authorSeepaul, Bryan
dc.contributor.authorNi, Yueying
dc.contributor.authorCappelluti, Nico
dc.contributor.authorFoord, Adi
dc.date.accessioned2023-12-04T15:23:40Z
dc.date.available2023-12-04T15:23:40Z
dc.date.issued2023-11-14
dc.description.abstractThis 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.
dc.description.sponsorshipF.P. acknowledges support from a Clay Fellowship administered by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. This work was also supported by the Black Hole Initiative at Harvard University, which is funded by grants from the John Templeton Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The authors kindly acknowledge the AXIS team for their outstanding scientific and technical work over the past year. This work results from several months of discussion in the AXIS-AGN SWG.
dc.description.urihttps://arxiv.org/abs/2311.08448
dc.format.extent7 pages
dc.genrejournal articles
dc.genrepreprints
dc.genrewhite papers
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2311.08448
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/31008
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.relation.isAvailableAtThe University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Physics Department Collection
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Faculty Collection
dc.rightsThis item is likely protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Unless on a Creative Commons license, for uses protected by Copyright Law, contact the copyright holder or the author.
dc.titleDetecting Wandering Intermediate-Mass Black Holes with AXIS in the Milky Way and Local Massive Galaxies
dc.typeText
dcterms.creatorhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1616-1701

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