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We perform a suite of high-resolution smoothed particle hydrodynamicssimulations to investigate the orbital decay and mass evolution of massiveblack hole (MBH) pairs down to scales of ~30 pc during minor mergers of diskgalaxies. Our simulation set includes star formation and accretion onto theMBHs, as well as feedback from both processes. We consider 1:10 merger eventsstarting at z~3, with MBH masses in the sensitivity window of the LaserInterferometer Space Antenna, and we follow the coupling between the mergerdynamics and the evolution of the MBH mass ratio until the satellite galaxy istidally disrupted. While the more massive MBH accretes in most cases as if thegalaxy were in isolation, the satellite MBH may undergo distinct episodes ofenhanced accretion, owing to strong tidal torques acting on its host galaxy andto orbital circularization inside the disk of the primary galaxy. As aconsequence, the initial 1:10 mass ratio of the MBHs changes by the time thesatellite is disrupted. Depending on the initial fraction of cold gas in thegalactic disks and the geometry of the encounter, the mass ratios of the MBHpairs at the time of satellite disruption can stay unchanged or become as largeas 1:2. Remarkably, the efficiency of MBH orbital decay correlates with thefinal mass ratio of the pair itself: MBH pairs that increase significantlytheir mass ratio are also expected to inspiral more promptly down tonuclear-scale separations. These findings indicate that the mass ratios of MBHpairs in galactic nuclei do not necessarily trace the mass ratios of theirmerging host galaxies, but are determined by the complex interplay between gasaccretion and merger dynamics.

Growing Massive Black Hole Pairs in Minor Mergers of Disk Galaxies