James Webb Space Telescope Feed Post

Arxiv: Consistency of JWST Black Hole Observations with NANOGrav Gravitational Wave Measurements Published: 3/28/2024 7:58:01 PM Updated: 5/5/2024 9:03:25 PM

Paper abstract: JWST observations have opened a new chapter in studies of supermassive blackholes (SMBHs), stimulating discussion of two puzzles: the abundance of SMBHs inthe early Universe and the fraction of dual AGNs. In this paper we argue thatthe answers to these puzzles may be linked to an interpretation of the data onthe nHz gravitational wave (GWs) discovered by NANOGrav and other Pulsar TimingArrays (PTAs) in terms of SMBH binaries losing energy by interactions withtheir environments as well as by GW emission. According to this interpretation,the SMBHs in low-z AGNs are the tip of the iceberg of the local SMBHpopulation, which are mainly in inactive galaxies. This interpretation wouldfavour the observability of GW signals from BH binaries in LISA and deciHz GWdetectors.