Abstract
If, as argued by some, the cores of most galaxies contain supermassive black holes, galaxy-galaxy collisions could lead to their coalescence and a consequent emission of gravitational radiation. For holes with masses , the amplitude of this radiation should be sufficiently large (metric perturbation ∼-) as to be detectable at the present horizon distance light years using current technology. It is shown here that there is solid evidence indicating that galaxy collisions could have been sufficiently frequent at early times (redshifts ) to lead to a rate of potentially observable events as short as one every ∼1-100 yr.
- Received 3 October 1991
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.45.1013
©1992 American Physical Society