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The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Observations of supermassive black hole binary candidates

Adam D. HincksDavid A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of TorontoXiaoyi MaDepartment of Astronomy, School of Physics, Peking UniversityP. MrózAstronomical Observatory, University of WarsawSigurd NæssInstitute of Theoretical AstrophysicsS. KiehlmannInstitute of Astrophysics, Foundation for Research & Technology-HellasR. D. BlandfordKavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Department of Physics, Stanford UniversityJ. Richard BondCanadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, University of TorontoMark J. DevlinDepartment of Physics & Astronomy, University of PennsylvaniaJo DunkleyDepartment of Astrophysical Sciences, Peyton Hall, Princeton UniversityA. FosterJoseph Henry Laboratories of Physics, Jadwin Hall, Princeton UniversityM. J. GrahamDivision of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of TechnologyYilun GuanCarlos Hervías-CaimapoInstituto de Astrofísica & Centro de Astro-Ingeniería, Facultad de Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de ChileJ. C. HoodDepartment of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of ChicagoArthur KosowskyDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of PittsburghAretaios LalakosTAPIR, Mailcode 350-17, California Institute of TechnologyElias R. MostTAPIR, Mailcode 350-17, California Institute of TechnologyMichael D. NiemackDepartment of Astronomy, Cornell UniversityJohn Orlowski-SchererDepartment of Physics & Astronomy, University of PennsylvaniaLyman PageJoseph Henry Laboratories of Physics, Jadwin Hall, Princeton UniversityBruce PartridgeDepartment of Physics & Astronomy, Haverford CollegeA. C. S. ReadheadOwens Valley Radio Observatory, California Institute of TechnologyCristobál SifónInstituto de Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de ValparaísoSuzanne T. StaggsJoseph Henry Laboratories of Physics, Jadwin Hall, Princeton UniversityAndrew G. SullivanKavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Department of Physics, Stanford UniversityCristian VargasMitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics & Astronomy and Department of Physics & Astronomy, Texas A&M University

Astronomy and Astrophysicsjournal2025en

ABI

Аннотация

Large sinusoidal variations in the radio light curves of the blazars PKS J0805–0111 and PKS 2131–021 have recently been discovered with an 18-year monitoring programme at the Owens Valley Radio Observatory, making these systems strong supermassive black hole binary (SMBHB) candidates. The sinusoidal variations in PKS 2131–021 dominate its light curves from 2.7 GHz to optical frequencies. We report sinusoidal variations observed in both objects with the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) at 95, 147, and 225 GHz consistent with the radio light curves. The ACT 95 GHz light curve of PKS 2131–021 agrees well with the contemporaneous 91.5 GHz ALMA light curve and is comparable in quality, while the ACT light curves of PKS J0805–0111, for which there are no ALMA or other millimetre light curves, show that PKS 2131–021 is not an isolated case, and that this class of AGN exhibits the following properties: (a) the sinusoidal pattern dominates over a broad range of frequencies; (b) the amplitude of the sine wave compared to its mean value is monochromatic (i.e. nearly constant across frequencies); (c) the phase of the sinusoid phase changes monotonically as a function of frequency; (d) the sinusoidal variations are intermittent. We describe a physical model for SMBHB systems, the modified Kinetic Orbital model, that explains all four of these phenomena. The monitoring of ∼8000 blazars by the Simons Observatory over the next decade should provide a large number of SMBHB candidates that will shed light on the nature of the nanohertz gravitational-wave background.

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Мавзулар

Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research

Идентификаторлар

DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202555047

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