Recoiling supermassive black hole in changing-look AGN Mrk 1018

Abstract

The spectral type of Mrk 1018 changed from Type 1.9 to 1 and returned back to 1.9 over a period of 40 years. We have investigated physical mechanisms responsible for the spectral change in Mrk 1018 by analyzing archival spectral and imaging data. Two kinematically distinct broad-line components, blueshifted and redshifted components, are found from spectral decomposition. The velocity offset curve of the broad-line as a function of time shows a characteristic pattern. An oscillating recoiled supermassive black hole (rSMBH) scenario is proposed to explain the observed velocity offset in broad emission lines. A Bayesian Markov-Chain Monte Carlo simulation is performed to derive the best fit orbital parameters, we find that the rSMBH has a highly eccentric orbit with a period of $\sim$29 years. The AGN activity traced by variation of broad H$\beta$ emission line is found to increase and decrease rapidly at the start and end of the cycle, and peaked twice at the start and near the end of the cycle. Extinction at the start and end of the cycle (when its spectral type is Type 1.9) is found to increase due to increased covering factor. Perturbations of the accretion disk caused by pericentric passage can reasonably explain the AGN activity and spectral change in Mrk 1018. Currently, the spectral type of Mrk 1018 is Type 1.9, and we do not know if it will repeat a similar pattern of spectral change in the future, but if it does, then spectral type will turn to Type 1 around mid 2020's.

ApJ accepted

References in corpus (6)

• AGN Type-casting: Mrk 590 No Longer Fits the Role
• Observable Signatures of a Black Hole Ejected by Gravitational Radiation Recoil in a Galaxy Merger
• The Close AGN Reference Survey (CARS) - Mrk 1018 returns to the shadows after 30 years as a Seyfert 1
• The Close AGN Reference Survey (CARS) - What is causing Mrk1018's return to the shadows after 30 years?
• Retaining Black Holes with Very Large Recoil Velocities
• Spectral optical monitoring of the double peaked emission line AGN Arp 102B: II. Variability of the broad line properties

Cited by in corpus (24)

• Extreme AGN variability: evidence of magnetically elevated accretion?
• Understanding extreme quasar optical variability with CRTS: II. Changing-state quasars
• Science objectives of the Einstein Probe mission
• Long-term optical spectral monitoring of a changing-look AGN NGC 3516 I: Continuum and broad-line flux variability
• The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping Project: Accretion and Broad Emission Line Physics from a Hypervariable Quasar
• AT 2019avd: A novel addition to the diverse population of nuclear transients
• Reverberation Mapping of Changing-look Active Galactic Nucleus NGC 3516
• Velocity-resolved Reverberation Mapping of Changing-look AGN NGC 2617
• X-ray binary accretion states in Active Galactic Nuclei? Sensing the accretion disc of supermassive black holes with mid-infrared nebular lines
• Long-term and multi-wavelength evolution of a changing-look AGN Mrk 1018
• Gemini Imaging of the Host Galaxies of Changing-Look Quasars
• A 6.4yr optical quasi-periodic oscillations in SDSS J075217.84+193542.2: a new candidate for central binary black hole system
• Spectropolarimetry of the changing-look active galactic nucleus Mrk 1018
• The outburst of the changing-look AGN IRAS23226-3843 in 2019
• Long-term optical spectral monitoring of a changing-look active galactic nucleus NGC 3516 -- II. Broad-line profile variability
• Variable mass accretion and failed wind explain changing look phenomena in NGC 1365
• Still alive and kicking: A significant outburst in changing-look AGN Mrk 1018
• Coevolution of broad emission lines and X-ray spectrum in changing-look AGNs
• Changing-Look Inspirals: Trends and Switches in AGN Disk Emission as Signposts for Merging Black Hole Binaries
• AGN types and unification model
• Tracking the state transitions in changing-look active galactic nuclei through their polarized-light echoes
• Broadband spectral and temporal study of Ton 599 during the brightest January 2023 flare
• A VLBI Proper Motion Analysis of the Recoiling Supermassive Black Hole Candidate Mrk 1018
• Astrophysical and relativistic modeling of the recoiling black-hole candidate in quasar 3C 186