Speaker
Description
Almost all massive galaxies host a supermassive black hole (SMBH) at their centres. As galaxies dynamically interact with each other, so too will their SMBHs: the loss of orbital energy that results in two SMBHs merging culminates in a final burst of gravitational waves (GWs) that are the focus of experiments such as pulsar timing arrays and the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). To investigate the behaviour of SMBHs before and after GW-driven coalescence, we use the Ketju code to accurately simulate the dynamics of merging massive galaxies hosting SMBHs. Focus is given to the sensitivity of SMBH dynamics to numerical phase space discretisation, and the impact of GW-driven recoiling SMBHs on their host galaxies. An understanding of both aspects is essential as we move into the GW multi-messenger era of astronomy for SMBHs.