Observational Evidence of a Centi-parsec Supermassive Black Hole Binary Existing in the Nearby Galaxy M81
Studying a centi-parsec supermassive black hole binary (SMBHB) would allow us to explore a new parameter space in active galactic nuclei, and these objects are also potential sources of gravitational waves. We report evidence that an SMBHB with an orbital period of ∼30 yr may be resident in the near...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2023-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad063d |
| _version_ | 1797448362722590720 |
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| author | Wu Jiang Zhiqiang Shen Ivan Martí-Vidal Zhen Yan Lei Huang Roman Gold Ya-Ping Li Fuguo Xie Noriyuki Kawaguchi |
| author_facet | Wu Jiang Zhiqiang Shen Ivan Martí-Vidal Zhen Yan Lei Huang Roman Gold Ya-Ping Li Fuguo Xie Noriyuki Kawaguchi |
| author_sort | Wu Jiang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Studying a centi-parsec supermassive black hole binary (SMBHB) would allow us to explore a new parameter space in active galactic nuclei, and these objects are also potential sources of gravitational waves. We report evidence that an SMBHB with an orbital period of ∼30 yr may be resident in the nearby galactic nucleus M81. This orbital period and the known mass of M81 imply an orbital separation of ∼0.02 pc. The jet emanating from the primary black hole showed a short period of jet wobbling at ∼16.7 yr, superposing a long-term precession at a timescale of several hundred years. Periodic radio and X-ray outbursts were also found two times per orbital period, which could be explained by a double-peaked mass accretion rate variation per binary orbit. If confirmed, M81 would be one of the closest SMBHB candidates, providing a rare opportunity to study the final parsec problem . |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T14:09:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dada47267beb47d1b7af4036c86aa980 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T14:09:14Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
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| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-dada47267beb47d1b7af4036c86aa9802023-11-29T16:11:02ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572023-01-0195911110.3847/1538-4357/ad063dObservational Evidence of a Centi-parsec Supermassive Black Hole Binary Existing in the Nearby Galaxy M81Wu Jiang0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7369-3539Zhiqiang Shen1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3540-8746Ivan Martí-Vidal2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3708-9611Zhen Yan3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5385-9586Lei Huang4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1923-227XRoman Gold5https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2492-1966Ya-Ping Li6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7329-9344Fuguo Xie7https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9969-2091Noriyuki Kawaguchi8https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7776-3159Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Shanghai 200030, People's Republic of China ; jiangwu@shao.ac.cn, zshen@shao.ac.cn; Key Laboratory of Radio Astronomy and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , A20 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of ChinaShanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Shanghai 200030, People's Republic of China ; jiangwu@shao.ac.cn, zshen@shao.ac.cn; Key Laboratory of Radio Astronomy and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , A20 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of ChinaDepartamento de Astronomía y Astrofísica, Universitat de València , C/Dr. Moliner 50, Agustín Escardino, E-46100 Burjassot, Spain; Observatori Astronòmic, Universitat de València , C/Cat. Agustín Escardino 2, E-16980 Paterna, SpainShanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Shanghai 200030, People's Republic of China ; jiangwu@shao.ac.cn, zshen@shao.ac.cnShanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Shanghai 200030, People's Republic of China ; jiangwu@shao.ac.cn, zshen@shao.ac.cnCP3-Origins, University of Southern Denmark , Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, DenmarkShanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Shanghai 200030, People's Republic of China ; jiangwu@shao.ac.cn, zshen@shao.ac.cnShanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Shanghai 200030, People's Republic of China ; jiangwu@shao.ac.cn, zshen@shao.ac.cnNational Astronomical Observatory of Japan , 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, JapanStudying a centi-parsec supermassive black hole binary (SMBHB) would allow us to explore a new parameter space in active galactic nuclei, and these objects are also potential sources of gravitational waves. We report evidence that an SMBHB with an orbital period of ∼30 yr may be resident in the nearby galactic nucleus M81. This orbital period and the known mass of M81 imply an orbital separation of ∼0.02 pc. The jet emanating from the primary black hole showed a short period of jet wobbling at ∼16.7 yr, superposing a long-term precession at a timescale of several hundred years. Periodic radio and X-ray outbursts were also found two times per orbital period, which could be explained by a double-peaked mass accretion rate variation per binary orbit. If confirmed, M81 would be one of the closest SMBHB candidates, providing a rare opportunity to study the final parsec problem .https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad063dVery long baseline interferometrySupermassive black holes |
| spellingShingle | Wu Jiang Zhiqiang Shen Ivan Martí-Vidal Zhen Yan Lei Huang Roman Gold Ya-Ping Li Fuguo Xie Noriyuki Kawaguchi Observational Evidence of a Centi-parsec Supermassive Black Hole Binary Existing in the Nearby Galaxy M81 The Astrophysical Journal Very long baseline interferometry Supermassive black holes |
| title | Observational Evidence of a Centi-parsec Supermassive Black Hole Binary Existing in the Nearby Galaxy M81 |
| title_full | Observational Evidence of a Centi-parsec Supermassive Black Hole Binary Existing in the Nearby Galaxy M81 |
| title_fullStr | Observational Evidence of a Centi-parsec Supermassive Black Hole Binary Existing in the Nearby Galaxy M81 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Observational Evidence of a Centi-parsec Supermassive Black Hole Binary Existing in the Nearby Galaxy M81 |
| title_short | Observational Evidence of a Centi-parsec Supermassive Black Hole Binary Existing in the Nearby Galaxy M81 |
| title_sort | observational evidence of a centi parsec supermassive black hole binary existing in the nearby galaxy m81 |
| topic | Very long baseline interferometry Supermassive black holes |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad063d |
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