On the Formation of an Eccentric Nuclear Disk following the Gravitational Recoil Kick of a Supermassive Black Hole

The anisotropic emission of gravitational waves during the merger of two supermassive black holes can result in a recoil kick of the merged remnant. We show here that eccentric nuclear disks—stellar disks of eccentric, apse-aligned orbits—can directly form as a result. An initially circular disk of stars will align orthogonal to the black hole kick direction with a distinctive "tick-mark" eccentricity distribution and a spiral pattern in mean anomaly.