TY - JOUR
T1 - SDSS J0159+0105
T2 - A RADIO-QUIET QUASAR with A CENTI-PARSEC SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE BINARY CANDIDATE
AU - Zheng, Zhen Ya
AU - Butler, Nathaniel R.
AU - Shen, Yue
AU - Jiang, Linhua
AU - Wang, Jun Xian
AU - Chen, Xian
AU - Cuadra, Jorge
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
PY - 2016/8/10
Y1 - 2016/8/10
N2 - We report a candidate centi-parsec supermassive black hole binary (SMBHB) in the radio-quiet quasar SDSS J0159+0105 at z = 0.217. With a modified Lomb-Scargle code (GLSdeDRW) and auto-correlation analysis, we detect two significant (at P > 99%) periodic signals at ∼741 day and ∼1500 day from the 8.1 yr Catalina V-band light curve of this quasar. The period ratio, which is close to 1:2, is typical of a black hole binary system with a mass ratio of 0.05 < q < 0.8 according to recent numerical simulations. SDSS J0159+0105 has two SDSS spectroscopic observations separated by ∼10 yr. There is a significant change in the broad Hβ profile between the two epochs, which can be explained by a single broad-line region (BLR) around the binary system illuminated by the aforementioned mini-disks, or a stream of gas flowing from the circumbinary disk to one of the SMBHs. From the single BLR assumption and the orbital period t orb ∼ 1500 day, we estimate the total virial masses of M SMBHB ∼ 1.3x108 M o, the average distances of BLR of ∼0.04 pc (∼50 lt-day, with ±0.3 dex uncertainty), and an SMBHB separation of d = (0.01 pc) (T rest/3.3 yr)2/3 ∼ 0.013 pc (15 lt-day). Based on analytical work, the postulated circumbinary disk has an inner radius of 2d = 0.026 pc (30 lt-day). SDSS J0159+0105 also displays unusual spectral energy distribution. The unique properties of SDSS J0159+0105 are consistent with it being a centi-parsec SMBHB.
AB - We report a candidate centi-parsec supermassive black hole binary (SMBHB) in the radio-quiet quasar SDSS J0159+0105 at z = 0.217. With a modified Lomb-Scargle code (GLSdeDRW) and auto-correlation analysis, we detect two significant (at P > 99%) periodic signals at ∼741 day and ∼1500 day from the 8.1 yr Catalina V-band light curve of this quasar. The period ratio, which is close to 1:2, is typical of a black hole binary system with a mass ratio of 0.05 < q < 0.8 according to recent numerical simulations. SDSS J0159+0105 has two SDSS spectroscopic observations separated by ∼10 yr. There is a significant change in the broad Hβ profile between the two epochs, which can be explained by a single broad-line region (BLR) around the binary system illuminated by the aforementioned mini-disks, or a stream of gas flowing from the circumbinary disk to one of the SMBHs. From the single BLR assumption and the orbital period t orb ∼ 1500 day, we estimate the total virial masses of M SMBHB ∼ 1.3x108 M o, the average distances of BLR of ∼0.04 pc (∼50 lt-day, with ±0.3 dex uncertainty), and an SMBHB separation of d = (0.01 pc) (T rest/3.3 yr)2/3 ∼ 0.013 pc (15 lt-day). Based on analytical work, the postulated circumbinary disk has an inner radius of 2d = 0.026 pc (30 lt-day). SDSS J0159+0105 also displays unusual spectral energy distribution. The unique properties of SDSS J0159+0105 are consistent with it being a centi-parsec SMBHB.
KW - binaries: close
KW - quasars: individual (SDSS J0159+0105)
KW - quasars: supermassive black holes
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84982103025&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3847/0004-637X/827/1/56
DO - 10.3847/0004-637X/827/1/56
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84982103025
SN - 0004-637X
VL - 827
JO - Astrophysical Journal
JF - Astrophysical Journal
IS - 1
M1 - 56
ER -