Black hole induced spins from hyperbolic encounters in dense clusters

The black holes that have been detected via gravitational waves (GW) can have either astrophysical or primordial origin. Some GW events show significant spin for one of the components and have been assumed to be astrophysical, since primordial black holes are generated with very low spins. However, it is worth studying if they can increase their spin throughout the evolution of the universe. Possible mechanisms that have already been explored are via multiple black hole mergers and gas accretion. We propose here a new mechanism that can occur in dense clusters of black holes: the spin up of primordial black holes when they are involved in close hyperbolic encounters. We explore this effect numerically with the Einstein Toolkit for different initial conditions, including variable mass ratios. For equal masses, there is a maximum spin that can be induced on the black holes, chi = a/m <= 0.2. We find however that for large mass ratios one can attain spins up to chi similar or equal to 0.7, where the highest spin is induced on the most massive black hole. For small induced spins we provide simple analytical expressions that depend on the relative velocity and impact parameter. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.

Automated summary

Black holes detected via gravitational waves could originate from astrophysical or primordial sources. While primordial black holes are generated with low spins, it is possible for them to increase their spin throughout the evolution of the universe. In addition to known mechanisms, close encounters in dense black hole clusters could also lead to increased spins.