Evidence of a Past Merger of the Galactic Center Black Hole

Abstract

The origin of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) residing in the centers of most galaxies remains a mystery. The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) provided direct imaging of the SMBH Sgr A* at the Milky Way's center, indicating it likely spins rapidly with its spin axis significantly misaligned relative to the Galactic plane's angular momentum. Through investigating various SMBH growth models, here we show that the inferred spin properties of Sgr A* provide evidence of a past SMBH merger. Inspired by the merger between the Milky Way and Gaia-Enceladus, which has a 4:1 mass ratio as inferred from Gaia data, we have discovered that a 4:1 major merger of SMBH with a binary angular momentum inclination angle of 145-180 degrees with respect to the line of sight (LOS), can successfully replicate the measured spin properties of Sgr A*. This merger event in our galaxy provides potential observational support for the theory of hierarchical BH mergers in the formation and growth of SMBHs. The inferred merger rate, consistent with theoretical predictions, suggests a promising detection rate of SMBH mergers for space-borne gravitational wave detectors expected to operate in 2030s.