Acceleration of spatial motions of stars by close-binary supermassive black holes in galactic nuclei

The conditions for the acceleration of the spatial motions of stars by close-binary supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in galactic nuclei are analyzed in order to derive the velocity distribution for stars ejected from galaxies by such black holes. A close binary system consisting of two SMBHs in circular orbits was subject to a spherically symmetrical "barrage" of solar-mass stars with various initial velocities. The SMBHs were treated as point objects with Newtonian gravitational fields. Models with binary component-mass ratios of 1, 0.1, 0.01, and 0.001 were studied. The results demonstrate the possibility of accelerating neutron stars, stellar-mass black holes, and degenerate dwarfs to velocities comparable to the relative orbital velocities of the binary-SMBH components. In the stage when the binary components are merging due to the action of gravitational-wave radiation, this velocity can approach the speed of light. The most massive binary black-holes (M greater than or similar to 10(9) M circle dot) can also accelerate main-sequence stars with solar or subsolar masses to such velocities. (c) 2005 Pleiades Publishing, Inc.