Measuring the properties of active galactic nuclei disks with gravitational waves

Abstract: Active galactic nuclei (AGN) are promising environments for the assembly of merging binary black hole (BBH) systems. Interest in AGNs as nurseries for merging BBH is rising following the detection of gravitational waves from a BBH system from the purported pair-instability mass gap, most notably, GW190521. Active galactic nuclei have also been invoked to explain the formation of the high-mass-ratio system, GW190814. We draw on simulations of BBH systems in AGN to propose a phenomenological model for the distribution of black hole spins of merging binaries in AGN disks. The model incorporates distinct features that make the AGN channel potentially distinguishable from other channels, such as assembly in the field and in globular clusters. The model parameters can be mapped heuristically to the age and density of AGN disks. We estimate the extent to which different populations of mergers in AGNs can be distinguished. If most merging black holes are assembled in AGNs, future gravitational-wave observations may provide insights into the dynamics of AGN disks.