GdR Gravitational Waves WG joint meeting: Source populations and Multi-messenger Astronomy

Session

Massive Black Hole binaries

17 nov. 2026, 09:00

Amphithéatre (IAP)

Présidents de session

Massive Black Hole binaries

• Marion Pillas (IAP)
• Aurélien Chalumeau (LPC2E/OSUC)
• Irina Dvorkin (Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris)

32. Invited talk: Eccentric supermassive black hole binaries and non-stationarities induced in the PTA gravitational wave background

Sara Manzini (APC - Université Paris Cité)

17/11/2026 09:00

The nanohertz gravitational wave background (GWB) observed by Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTAs) is usually modelled as a stationary, spatially correlated red noise process. Eccentric supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs), however, emit gravitational wave bursts at periastron passage, which can make the background non-stationary. Using a time-dependent model of the common red noise (CRN) power...

10. Contributed talk: PTA band GWB anisotropies and their cross correlation with galaxies

Martin Pijnenburg

17/11/2026 09:30

The compelling evidence for the presence of nHz gravitational waves (GWs) in pulsar timing data calls for a refinement of what can and cannot be expected beyond vanilla scenarios. Under the hypothesis of an astrophysical origin for the GWs, we discuss possible imprints left in the signal by the fact the Universe is inherently clustered, with anisotropic large scale structure.
At the...

12. Contributed talk: Investigating the sensitivity of the MPTA and extended datasets to alternative gravitational wave polarisations using simulations

Jaikhomba Singha (University of Cape Town)

17/11/2026 09:50

We explore the sensitivity to alternative gravitational wave polarisations in current and future pulsar timing array (PTA) datasets. We focus on the Scalar-Transverse (ST) mode, which is not present in a purely quadrupolar (Traceless-Transverse or TT) gravitational wave background as predicted by General Relativity. Our analysis is based on the MeerKAT Pulsar Timing Array dataset, which...

13. Contributed talk: Searching for Bursts with Linear Gravitational-Wave Memory in the MPTA 4.5-Year Data Release

Dr Prerna Rana (LPC2E, Orleans, France)

17/11/2026 10:10

Close hyperbolic encounters of supermassive black holes produce Gravitational Waves (GWs) having bursts with linear memory (BWM) signature, which appears close to a ramp-like function in pulsar timing residuals. Pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) are therefore well suited to detect such events or to constrain their occurrence out to gigaparsec distances. In this talk, we present initial results from...

5. Contributed talk: Probing zombie binaries: A new window on supermassive black hole binary mergers

Hippolyte Quelquejay-Leclere (Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca)

17/11/2026 11:00

By monitoring the times of arrival of radio pulses from millisecond pulsars, pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) serve as unique gravitational wave (GW) laboratories in the nanohertz band. To date, the primary astrophysical sources of GWs targeted in this frequency range have been inspiraling supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs) on circular and eccentric orbits. In this work, we demonstrate that,...

9. Contributed talk: From MUSE Close Pairs of Galaxies to LISA: Observational Constraints on Massive Black Hole Coalescences

Loic BOCHRAWNA (Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP))

17/11/2026 11:20

In the hierarchical framework of structure formation, galaxy mergers are key drivers of galaxy evolution and can lead to the formation of massive black hole binaries, whose coalescences are among the primary gravitational-wave sources expected for the future space-based detector LISA.
Predictions for massive black hole merger rates generally rely on cosmological simulations, which can...

50. Massive Black Hole binaries: discussion

Astrid Lamberts (Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur), Aurélien Chalumeau (LPC2E/OSUC), Floriane Cangemi (UPC/APC), Irina Dvorkin (Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris), Dr Marion Pillas (IAP), Olivier GODET (IRAP)

17/11/2026 11:40

Document for discussion: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tQwanxZER_n09s1hsgsqPMMCPNp3W3lROZroBByXV4c/edit?usp=sharing