Evidence of a Past Merger of the Galactic Center Black Hole

The origin of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) residing in the centers of most galaxies remains a mystery. Various growth models, such as accretion and hierarchical mergers, have been proposed to explain the existence and cosmological evolution of these SMBHs, but no direct observational evidence is available to test these models. The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) offered direct imaging of nearby SMBHs, in particular, the one at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy named Sgr A*. Measurements suggest that the Sgr A* BH spins rapidly with significant spin axis misalignment relative to the angular momentum of the Galactic plane. Through investigating various SMBH growth models, here we show that the spin properties of Sgr A* provides strong 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 15-45 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 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.