In astrophysics, extreme mass ratio inspiral (EMRI) systems, which consist of a central supermassive black hole and a stellar-mass compact object (SCO), are typically embedded in galactic dark matter (DM) halos. This dark matter environment inevitably affects the orbital dynamics of the SCO and the gravitational wave (GW) signals emitted by the system. In this work, we select two typical dark matter halo profiles -- the Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) and Beta models -- to systematically investigate their specific impacts on the long-term orbital evolution of the SCO. By incorporating three dissipative mechanisms -- dynamical friction, accretion, and gravitational radiation reaction -- our results demonstrate that, compared to a pure vacuum medium, the presence of a dark matter halo significantly alters the trajectories of precessing orbits, the dynamical evolution of orbital parameters, and the waveforms and phases of the emitted gravitational waves. Due to the strong accretion effect within the NFW model, the energy flux exhibits a distinctive "cusp" feature, marking a reversal from net energy loss to gain at a specific semi-latus rectum, which is a phenomenon absent in the Beta model. Although short-term observations may not be sufficient to distinguish between the NFW and Beta models, their differences become evident over long-term orbital evolution. The gravitational waveforms computed using the NFW and Beta models exhibit a phase shift, which could be detectable in high-density DM environments. This phase shift becomes even more pronounced for higher eccentric orbits and longer observation times. These results offer a theoretical framework for probing environmental effects on EMRIs across different dark matter models using future space-based gravitational wave observatories.
One of the main targets of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is the detection of extreme mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs) and extremely large mass-ratio inspirals (X-MRIs). Their orbits are expected to be highly eccentric and relativistic when entering the LISA band. Under these circumstances, the inspiral time-scale given by Peters' formula loses precision and the shift of the last-stable orbit (LSO) caused by the massive black hole spin could influence the event rates estimate. We re-derive EMRIs and X-MRIs event rates by implementing two different versions of a Kerr loss-cone angle …
An extreme mass ratio inspiral consists of two parts: adiabatic inspiral and plunge. The plunge trajectory from the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) is special (somewhat independent of initial conditions). We write an expression for its solution in closed-form and for the emitted waveform. In particular we extract an expression for the associated black-hole ringdown amplitudes, and evaluate them numerically.
The inspirals of stellar-mass mass compact objects into massive black holes in the centres of galaxies are one of the most important sources of gravitational radiation for space-based detectors like LISA or eLISA. These extreme-mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs) will enable an ambitious research program with implications for astrophysics, cosmology, and fundamental physics. This article is a summary of the talks delivered at the plenary session on EMRIs at the 10th International LISA Symposium. It contains research updates on the following topics: astrophysics of EMRIs; EMRI science potential; and E…
We consider extreme mass ratio inspirals during which an electrically charged compact object with mass $m_p$ and the charge to mass ratio $q$ inspirals around a Schwarzschild black hole of mass $M$. Using the Teukolsky and generalized Sasaki-Nakamura formalisms for the gravitational and electromagnetic perturbations around a Schwarzschild black hole, we numerically calculate the energy flux of both gravitational and electromagnetic waves induced by a charged particle moving in circular orbits. With one year observation of these extreme mass ratio inspirals, we show that space-based gravitation…
An extreme mass ratio inspiral takes place when a compact stellar object is inspiraling into a supermassive black hole due to gravitational radiation reaction. Gravitational waves (GWs) from this system can be calculated using the Teukolsky equation (TE). In our case, we compute the asymptotic GW fluxes of a spinning body orbiting a Kerr black hole by solving numerically the TE both in time and frequency domain. Our ultimate goal is to produce GW templates for space-based detectors such as LISA.
We describe the hyperboloidal compactification for Teukolsky equations in Kerr spacetime. We include null infinity on the numerical grid by attaching a hyperboloidal layer to a compact domain surrounding the rotating black hole and the orbit of an inspiralling point particle. This technique allows us to study, for the first time, gravitational waveforms from large- and extreme-mass-ratio inspirals in Kerr spacetime extracted at null infinity. Tests and comparisons of our results with previous calculations establish the accuracy and efficiency of the hyperboloidal layer method.
We study Extreme Mass Ratio Inspirals (EMRIs), during which a small body spirals into a supermassive black hole, in gravity theories with additional scalar fields. We first argue that no-hair theorems and the properties of known theories that manage to circumvent them introduce a drastic simplification to the problem: the effects of the scalar on supermassive black holes, if any, are mostly negligible for EMRIs in vast classes of theories. We then exploit this simplification to model the inspiral perturbatively and we demonstrate that the scalar charge of the small body leaves a significant im…
Extreme-Mass-Ratio Inspirals Embedded in Dark Matter Halo: Existence of Homoclinic Orbit and Horizon-Induced Chaos
University of Science and Technology of China（中国科学技术大学）；CAS Key Laboratory for Researches in Galaxies and Cosmology, School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Science and Technology of China（中国科学院星系与宇宙学重点实验室，中国科学技术大学天文与空间科学学院）；Shanghai University（上海大学）；Sogang University（西江大学）；Center for Quantum Spacetime, Sogang University（西江大学量子时空中心）
The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, LISA, will detect gravitational wave signals from Extreme Mass Ratio Inspirals, where a stellar mass compact object orbits a supermassive black hole and eventually plunges into it. Here we report on LISA's capability to detect whether the smaller compact object in an Extreme Mass Ratio Inspiral is endowed with a scalar field, and to measure its scalar charge -- a dimensionless quantity that acts as a measure of how much scalar field the object carries. By direct comparison of signals, we show that LISA will be able to detect and measure the scalar charge…
We present the first models of extreme-mass-ratio inspirals within the effective-one-body (EOB) formalism, focusing on quasi-circular orbits into non-rotating black holes. We show that the phase difference and (Newtonian normalized) amplitude difference between analytical EOB and numerical Teukolsky-based gravitational waveforms can be reduced to less than 10^(-1) rad and less than 2 x 10^(-3), respectively, after a 2-year evolution. The inclusion of post-Newtonian self-force terms in the EOB approach leads to a phase disagreement of roughly 6-27 rad after a 2-year evolution. Such inclusion co…
The post-Newtonian approximation is useful to discuss gravitational waveforms for binary inspirals. In this note, for retrograde circular orbits in the equatorial plane, we discuss the region of validity of the post-Newtonian approximation by using the gravitational energy flux derived numerically and analytically in the black hole perturbation approach. It is found that the edge of the allowable region behaves quite intricately, including prograde orbits even if we treat higher post-Newtonian orders.
We study binary systems in which a stellar mass compact object spirals into a massive black hole, known as extreme mass ratio inspirals, in scenarios with a new fundamental scalar field. Earlier work has shown that, in most interesting such scenarios and to leading order in the mass ratio, the massive black holes can be adequately approximated by the Kerr metric and the imprint of the scalar field on the waveform is fully controlled by the scalar charge of the stellar mass object. Here we use this drastic simplification in the inspiral modelling and consider eccentric equatorial orbits. We stu…
The extreme-mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs) of stellar mass compact objects into massive black holes in the centres of galaxies are an important source of low-frequency gravitational waves for space-based detectors. We discuss the prospects for detecting these sources with the evolved Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (eLISA), recently proposed as an ESA mission candidate under the name NGO. We show that NGO could observe a few tens of EMRIs over its two year mission lifetime at redshifts z < 0.5 and describe how the event rate changes under possible alternative specifications of the eLISA desig…
The bumblebee gravity model, with a vector field nonminimally coupled to gravity, is a natural extension of the Einstein-Maxwell theory. In this theory, a black hole can carry a vector hair, making the metric deviate from the Schwarzschild metric. To investigate the detectability of the vector hair, we consider an Extreme Mass Ratio Inspiral (EMRI) system, where a stellar-mass black hole inspiraling into a supermassive black hole. We find that, with a one-year observation of an EMRI by a space-based gravitational-wave detector, we can probe the vector charge as small as $Q\sim 10^{-3}$ in the …
Relativistic Corrections to the Formation Rate of Extreme Mass-Ratio Inspirals
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS)（中国科学院大学）；Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, UCAS（杭州高等研究院，中国科学院大学）；International Center for Theoretical Physics Asia-Pacific（亚太理论物理国际中心）
In this article we consider prospects for detecting extreme mass ratio inspirals (EMRIs) using gravitational wave (GW) observations by a future space borne interferometric observatory eLISA. We start with a description of EMRI formation channels. Different formation scenarios lead to variations in the expected event rate and predict different distributions of the orbital parameters when the GW signal enters the eLISA sensitivity band. Then we will briefly overview the available theoretical models describing the GW signal from EMRIs and describe proposed methods for their detection.
In the Galaxy, extremely large mass-ratio inspirals(X-MRIs) composed of brown dwarfs and the massive black hole at the Galactic Center are expected to be promising gravitational wave sources for space-borne detectors. In this work, we simulate the gravitational wave signals from twenty X-MRI systems by an axisymmetric Konoplya-Rezzolla-Zhidenko metric with varied parameters. We find that the mass, spin, and deviation parameters of the Kerr black hole could be determined accurately ( $\sim 10^{-5} - 10^{-6}$ ) with only one X-MRI event with a high signal-to-noise ratio. The measurement of the a…
The inspirals of stellar-mass compact objects into supermassive black holes are some of the most important sources for LISA. Detection techniques based on fully coherent matched filtering have been shown to be computationally intractable. We describe an efficient and robust detection method that utilizes the time-frequency evolution of such systems. We show that a typical extreme mass ratio inspiral (EMRI) source could possibly be detected at distances of up to ~2 Gpc, which would mean ~10s of EMRI sources can be detected per year using this technique. We discuss the feasibility of using this …
The observation of the inspiral and merger of compact binaries by the LIGO/Virgo collaboration ushered in a new era in the study of strong-field gravity. We review current and future tests of strong gravity and of the Kerr paradigm with gravitational-wave interferometers, both within a theory-agnostic framework (the parametrized post-Einsteinian formalism) and in the context of specific modified theories of gravity (scalar-tensor, Einstein-dilaton-Gauss-Bonnet, dynamical Chern-Simons, Lorentz-violating, and extra dimensional theories). In this contribution we focus on (i) the information carri…
Extreme mass ratio inspirals, in which a stellar-mass object merges with a supermassive black hole, are prime sources for space-based gravitational wave detectors because they will facilitate tests of strong gravity and probe the spacetime around rotating compact objects. In the last few years of such inspirals, the total phase is in the millions of radians and details of the waveforms are sensitive to small perturbations. We show that one potentially detectable perturbation is the presence of a second supermassive black hole within a few tenths of a parsec. The acceleration produced by the pe…
It is not currently clear how important it will be to include conservative self-force (SF) corrections in the models for extreme-mass-ratio inspiral (EMRI) waveforms that will be used to detect such signals in LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) data. These proceedings will address this issue for circular-equatorial inspirals using an approximate EMRI model that includes conservative corrections at leading post-Newtonian order. We will present estimates of the magnitude of the parameter estimation errors that would result from omitting conservative corrections, and compare these to the e…
Compact remnants on orbits with peri-apses close to the Schwarzschild radius of a massive black hole (MBH) lose orbital energy by emitting gravitational waves (GWs) and spiral in. Scattering with other stars allows successful inspiral of such extreme mass ratio inspiral sources (EMRIs) only within small distances, a < few \times 0.01 pc from the MBH. The event rate of EMRIs is therefore dominated by the stellar dynamics and content in the inner few \times 0.01 pc. I discuss the relevant dynamical aspects and resulting estimated event rates of EMRIs. Subjects considered include the loss-cone tr…
The "flux-balance formulae" that determine the averaged evolution of energy, azimuthal angular momentum, and Carter constant in terms of the averaged asymptotic gravitational-wave fluxes for inspirals of small bodies into Kerr black holes were first derived about 15 years ago. However, this derivation is restricted to the case that the background Kerr geodesics are non-resonant (i.e., the radial and angular motions are always incommensurate), and excludes the resonant case that can be important for the radiative dynamics of extreme mass-ratio inspirals. We give here a new derivation of the flu…
One of the key astrophysical sources for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) are the inspirals of stellar-origin compact objects into massive black holes in the centres of galaxies. These extreme-mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs) have great potential for astrophysics, cosmology and fundamental physics. In this paper we describe the likely numbers and properties of EMRI events that LISA will observe. We present the first results computed for the 2.5 Gm interferometer that was the new baseline mission submitted in January 2017 in response to the ESA L3 mission call. In addition, we attempt …
How to calculate the gravitational waves (GWs) of Extreme-mass-ratio-inspirals (EMRIs) in a highly accurate and efficient way still keeps a challenge. In this paper, we present a so-called fully recalibrated waveforms for EMRIs with high accuracy. Based on the numerical data by solving the Teukolsky equations, we recalibrate all mass-ratio independent coefficients of the factorized waveforms which are used in the effective-one-body (EOB) models. Due to these new coefficients, the precision of waveforms is improved enormously, and is much higher than the original forms and at the same time high…
Intermediate/Extreme mass ratio inspiral (I/EMRI) system provides a good tool to test the nature of gravity in strong field. Based on the method of osculating orbits, we compute the orbital evolutions of I/EMRIs on quasi-elliptic orbits in both Einstein's general relativity and Brans-Dicke theory. The extra monopolar and dipolar channels in Brans-Dicke theory accelerate the orbital decay, so it is important to consider the effects of monopolar and dipolar emissions on the waveform. With the help of accurate orbital motion, we generate waveform templates which include both monopolar and dipolar…
Recurrence analysis is a well settled method allowing to discern chaos from order, and determinism from noise. We apply this tool to study time series representing geodesic and inspiraling motion of a test particle in a deformed Kerr spacetime, when deterministic chaos and different levels of stochastic noise are present. In particular, we suggest a recurrence-based criterion to reveal whether the time series comes from a deterministic source and find a noise-level threshold of its applicability.
Assessing signal cross talk between extreme-mass-ratio inspirals and Galactic binaries in LISA data
Argelander Institut für Astronomie, Universität Bonn（波恩大学阿根兰德天文研究所）；Astroparticule et Cosmologie, CNRS, Université Paris Cité（巴黎 Cité 大学国家科学研究中心天体粒子与宇宙学）
The Kerr geometry admits the Carter symmetry, which ensures that the geodesic equations are integrable. It is shown that gravitational waveforms associated with extreme-mass-ratio inspirals involving a non-integrable compact object display `glitch' phenomena, where the frequencies of gravitational waves increase abruptly, when the orbit crosses certain spacetime regions known as Birkhoff islands. The presence or absence of these features in data from upcoming space-borne detectors will therefore allow not only for tests of general relativity, but also of fundamental spacetime symmetries.
In this review article I attempt to summarise past and present-ongoing-work on the problem of the inspiral of a small body in the gravitational field of a much more massive Kerr black hole. Such extreme mass ratio systems, expected to occur in galactic nuclei, will constitute prime sources of gravitational radiation for the future LISA gravitational radiation detector. The article's main goal is to provide a survey of basic celestial mechanics in Kerr spacetime and calculations of gravitational waveforms and backreaction on the small body's orbital motion, based on the traditional `flux-balanc…
We study the effects of a thin gaseous accretion disk on the inspiral of a stellar--mass black hole into a supermassive black hole. We construct a phenomenological angular momentum transport equation that reproduces known disk effects. Disk torques modify the gravitational wave phase evolution to detectable levels with LISA for reasonable disk parameters. The Fourier transform of disk-modified waveforms acquires a correction with a different frequency trend than post-Newtonian vacuum terms. Such inspirals could be used to detect accretion disks with LISA and to probe their physical parameters.
Future space-based laser interferometry experiments such as LISA are expected to detect $\cal O$(100--1000) stellar-mass compact objects (e.g., black holes, neutron stars) falling into massive black holes in the centers of galaxies, the so-called extreme-mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs). If dark matter forms a "spike" due to the growth of the massive black hole, it will induce a gravitational drag on the inspiraling object, changing its orbit and gravitational-wave signal. We show that detection of even a single dark matter spike from the EMRIs will severely constrain several popular dark matter c…
We introduce a new time-domain method for computing the self-force acting on a scalar particle in a Schwarzschild geometry. The principal feature of our method consists in the division of the spatial domain into several subdomains and locating the particle at the interface betweem two them. In this way, we avoid the need of resolving a small length scale associated with the presence of a particle in the computational domain and, at the same time, we avoid numerical problems due to the low differentiability of solutions of equations with point-like singular behaviour.
Probing fundamental physics with Extreme Mass Ratio Inspirals: a full Bayesian inference for scalar charge
Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)（马克斯·普朗克引力物理研究所（阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦研究所））；School of Mathematical Sciences & School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham（诺丁汉大学数学科学学院与物理与天文学学院）；Nottingham Centre of Gravity, University of Nottingham（诺丁汉大学重力研究中心）；Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI)（格兰萨索科学研究所）；INFN, Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso（意大利国家核物理研究所，格兰萨索国家实验室）；School of Mathematics and Statistics, University College Dublin（都柏林大学学院数学与统计学院）；Niels Bohr International Academy, Niels Bohr Institute（尼尔斯·玻尔国际学院，尼尔斯·玻尔研究所）；Department of Physics, National University of Singapore（新加坡国立大学物理系）；Department of Mathematics, National University of Singapore（新加坡国立大学数学系）；Laboratoire des 2 Infinis – Toulouse (L2IT-IN2P3), Universitè de Toulouse, CNRS（图卢兹双无穷实验室（L2IT-IN2P3），图卢兹大学，法国国家科学研究中心）
We describe a new class of resonances for extreme mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs): tidal resonances, induced by the tidal field of nearby stars or stellar-mass black holes. A tidal resonance can be viewed as a general relativistic extension of the Kozai-Lidov resonances in Newtonian systems, and is distinct from the transient resonance already known for EMRI systems. Tidal resonances will generically occur for EMRIs. By probing their influence on the phase of an EMRI waveform, we can learn about the tidal environmental of the EMRI system, albeit at the cost of a more complicated waveform model. O…
A compact object with a mass $\mathcal{O}(1 \sim 1000) M_{\odot}$, such as a black hole of stellar or primordial origin or a neutron star, and a much lighter exotic compact object with a subsolar mass could form a non-standard mini extreme mass ratio inspiral (EMRI) and emit gravitational waves within the frequency band of ground-based gravitational-wave detectors. These systems are extremely interesting because detecting them would definitively point to new physics. We study the capability of using LIGO/Virgo to search for mini-EMRIs and find that a large class of exotic compact objects can b…
In its final year of inspiral, a stellar mass ($1 - 10 M_\odot$) body orbits a massive ($10^5 - 10^7 M_\odot$) compact object about $10^5$ times, spiralling from several Schwarzschild radii to the last stable orbit. These orbits are deep in the massive object's strong field, so the gravitational waves that they produce probe the strong field nature of the object's spacetime. Measuring these waves can, in principle, be used to ``map'' this spacetime, allowing observers to test whether the object is a black hole or something more exotic. Such measurements will require a good theoretical understa…
Extreme mass ratio inspirals (EMRIs) show a strong separation of timescales, with the time characterizing inspiral, $T_{\rm i}$, much longer than any time $T_{\rm o}$ characterizing orbital motions. The ratio of these timescales (which is essentially an EMRI's mass ratio) can be regarded as a parameter that controls a perturbative expansion. Here we describe the value and limitations of an "adiabatic" description of these binaries, which uses only the leading terms arising from such a two-timescale expansion. An adiabatic approach breaks down when orbits evolve through resonances, with importa…
