Probing Formation Channels of Extreme Mass-Ratio Inspirals

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Sun, Houyi, Li, Ya-Ping, Pan, Zhen, Yang, Huan
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Sun, Houyi
Li, Ya-Ping
Pan, Zhen
Yang, Huan
author_facet Sun, Houyi
Li, Ya-Ping
Pan, Zhen
Yang, Huan
contents The population study of stellar-mass black hole (sBH) binaries with ground-based gravitational wave detection has achieved tremendous success in recent years. Future observation of extreme mass-ratio inspirals will similarly require proper population analysis that identify the formation channels, measuring the branch ratio(s) and characterizing major properties within each major channel. In this work, we propose that the measurement of eccentricity, inclination, and component mass provides critical information to distinguish different formation channels and probe detailed formation mechanisms. Focusing on the dry and wet extreme mass-ratio inspirals, we establish the theoretical expectation of these observables in each formation channel. We also discuss how their distributions can be used to probe lifetime and turbulence level of active galactic nuclei disks, accretion patterns of supermassive black holes and population properties of sBHs within nuclear star clusters.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_00469
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Probing Formation Channels of Extreme Mass-Ratio Inspirals
Sun, Houyi
Li, Ya-Ping
Pan, Zhen
Yang, Huan
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
The population study of stellar-mass black hole (sBH) binaries with ground-based gravitational wave detection has achieved tremendous success in recent years. Future observation of extreme mass-ratio inspirals will similarly require proper population analysis that identify the formation channels, measuring the branch ratio(s) and characterizing major properties within each major channel. In this work, we propose that the measurement of eccentricity, inclination, and component mass provides critical information to distinguish different formation channels and probe detailed formation mechanisms. Focusing on the dry and wet extreme mass-ratio inspirals, we establish the theoretical expectation of these observables in each formation channel. We also discuss how their distributions can be used to probe lifetime and turbulence level of active galactic nuclei disks, accretion patterns of supermassive black holes and population properties of sBHs within nuclear star clusters.
title Probing Formation Channels of Extreme Mass-Ratio Inspirals
topic General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.00469