Resolving the inner accretion flow towards the central supermassive black hole in SDSS J1339+1310

Shalyapin, V. N.; Goicoechea, L. J.; Morgan, Christopher W.; Cornachione, Matthew A.; Sergeyev, A.

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202038770

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 55 publications

(47 reference statements)

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“…Lensed quasars in particular offer the unique probe of time-delay cosmography, because of their intrinsic source variability (Liao et al 2019;Millon et al 2020a,b;Harvey 2020;Wong et al 2020;Shajib et al 2020). Furthermore, microlensing by stars in the lensing galaxy can be used to study quasar structure (Sluse et al 2015;Hutsemékers et al 2020;Cornachione et al 2020;Shalyapin et al 2021), and the initial mass function and primordial black holes (Mediavilla et al 2017;Jiménez-Vicente & Mediavilla 2019;Esteban-Gutiérrez et al 2020;Hawkins 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

J1721+8842: a gravitationally lensed binary quasar with a proximate damped Lyman-α absorber

Lemon

Millon²,

Sluse³

et al. 2022

A&A

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High-redshift binary quasars provide key insights into mergers and quasar activity, and are useful tools for probing the spatial kinematics and chemistry of galaxies along the line of sight. However, only three sub-10-kpc binaries have been confirmed above z = 1. Gravitational lensing would provide a way to easily resolve such binaries, study them in higher resolution, and provide more sightlines, though the required alignment with a massive foreground galaxy is rare. Through image deconvolution of StanCam Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) monitoring data, we reveal two further point sources in the known, z ≈ 2.38, quadruply lensed quasar (quad) J1721+8842. An ALFOSC/NOT long-slit spectrum shows that the brighter of these two sources is a quasar with z = 2.369 ± 0.007 based on the C III] line, while the C III] redshift of the quad is z = 2.364 ± 0.003. Lens modelling using point-source positions rules out a single source model, favouring an isothermal lens mass profile with two quasar sources separated by ∼6.0 kpc (0.73″) in projection. Given the resolving ability from lensing and current lensed quasar statistics, this discovery suggests a large population of undiscovered, unlensed sub-10-kpc binaries. We also analyse spectra of two images of the quad, showing narrow Lyα emission within the trough of a proximate damped Lyman-α absorber (PDLA). An apparent mismatch between the continuum and narrow line flux ratios provides a new potential tool for simultaneously studying microlensing and the quasar host galaxy. Signs of the PDLA are also seen in the second source, but a deeper spectrum is still required to confirm this. Thanks to the multiple lines of sight from lensing and two quasar sources, this system offers simultaneous subparsec- and kiloparsec-scale probes of a PDLA.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

J1721+8842: a gravitationally lensed binary quasar with a proximate damped Lyman-α absorber

Lemon

Millon²,

Sluse³

et al. 2022

A&A

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Lensed quasars in particular offer the unique probe of time-delay cosmography, due to their intrinsic source variability (Liao et al 2019;Millon et al 2020a,b;Harvey 2020;Wong et al 2020;Shajib et al 2020). Furthermore, microlensing by stars in the lensing galaxy can be used to study quasar structure (Sluse et al 2015;Hutsemékers et al 2020;Cornachione et al 2020;Shalyapin et al 2021), and the Initial Mass Function and primordial black holes (Mediavilla et al 2017;Jiménez-Vicente & Mediavilla 2019;Esteban-Gutiérrez et al 2020;Hawkins 2020). Given the bright quasar source and multiple lines of sight, characterising the metallicity, geometry, and structure of intervening material provides strong observational constraints on the anisotropy and densities of elements in galaxies out to high redshift (Smette et al 1992;Okoshi et al 2019;Cashman et al 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

J1721$+$8842: a gravitationally lensed binary quasar with a proximate damped Lyman-$α$ absorber

Lemon,

Millon,

Sluse

et al. 2021

Preprint

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High-redshift binary quasars provide key insights into mergers and quasar activity, and are useful tools for probing the spatial kinematics and chemistry of galaxies along the line-of-sight. However, only three sub-10-kpc binaries have been confirmed above z = 1. Gravitational lensing would provide a way to easily resolve such binaries, study them in higher resolution, and provide more sightlines, though the required alignment with a massive foreground galaxy is rare. Through image deconvolution of StanCam Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) monitoring data, we reveal two further point sources in the known, z ≈ 2.38, quadruply lensed quasar (quad), J1721+8842. An ALFOSC/NOT long-slit spectrum shows that the brighter of these two sources is a quasar with z = 2.369 ± 0.007 based on the C iii] line, while the C iii] redshift of the quad is z = 2.364 ± 0.003. Lens modelling using point source positions rules out a single source model, favouring an isothermal lens mass profile with two quasar sources separated by ∼ 6.0 kpc (0.73 ) in projection. Given the resolving ability from lensing and current lensed quasar statistics, this discovery suggests a large population of undiscovered, unlensed sub-10-kpc binaries. We also analyse spectra of two images of the quad, showing narrow Lyα emission within the trough of a proximate damped Lyman-α absorber (PDLA). An apparent mismatch between the continuum and narrow line flux ratios provides a new potential tool for simultaneously studying microlensing and the quasar host galaxy. Signs of the PDLA are also seen in the second source, however a deeper spectrum is still required to confirm this. Thanks to the multiple lines-of-sight from lensing and two quasar sources, this system offers simultaneous sub-parsec and kpc-scale probes of a PDLA.

show abstract

Variations of light curves and broad emission lines for periodic QSOs from co-rotating supermassive binary black holes in elliptical orbits

Ge,

Lu,

Yan

et al. 2024

A&A

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Periodic Quasi-Stellar Objects (QSOs) are considered as candidates of supermassive binary black hole (BBH) systems in galactic centers. The periodicity of their light curves can be interpreted as being due to the Doppler boosting caused by the rotation of the two black holes (BHs). Further confirmation of these candidates may require different lines of observational evidence. Assuming the Doopler boosting scenario, in this paper we investigate the (coherent) variations of broad emission lines (BELs) and continuum light curves for active BBH systems surrounded by a circumbinary broad-line region (cBLR) and focus on their dependence on the eccentric orbital configuration. We calculated the variation of continuum light according to the motion of BBHs on elliptical orbits, with simplified orbital orientation for demonstration, the Doppler enhanced or weakened photoionization of each BLR cloud by the central BBH sources and its variation by assuming a shifted Gamma -distribution of BLR clouds for a simple BLR geometry, and finally obtain the coherent variation of the continuum and the BELs. We find that the amplitude and variation pattern of the continuum light curves and the evolution of the BEL profiles both sensitively depend on the eccentric orbital configuration of BBH systems, especially when the eccentricity is high. If only the secondary BH is active, the variation amplitudes of continuum light curves and BELs both increase with increasing BBH inclination angles and orbital eccentricities, but decrease with increasing BBH mass ratio. If both BHs are active, the asymmetry in the ionization of BLR clouds at different areas caused by the Doppler boosting effect of the secondary BH is weakened due to that of the primary BH at the opposite direction, which leads to systematically smaller variation amplitudes of both continuum light curves and BELs compared with those in the cases where only secondary the BH is activated. The coherent variations of the BEL profiles with the continuum light for those periodic QSOs provide an important way to confirm the existence of BBHs in their center. Future joint analysis of the light curves and multi-epoch observed BEL profiles for periodic QSOs may lead to the identification of a number of BBH systems.

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Resolving the inner accretion flow towards the central supermassive black hole in SDSS J1339+1310

Cited by 5 publications

References 55 publications

J1721+8842: a gravitationally lensed binary quasar with a proximate damped Lyman-α absorber

J1721+8842: a gravitationally lensed binary quasar with a proximate damped Lyman-α absorber

J1721$+$8842: a gravitationally lensed binary quasar with a proximate damped Lyman-$α$ absorber

Variations of light curves and broad emission lines for periodic QSOs from co-rotating supermassive binary black holes in elliptical orbits

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