Spitzer Observations of the Predicted Eddington Flare from Blazar OJ 287

Abstract

Binary black hole (BH) central engine description for the unique blazar OJ 287 predicted that the next secondary BH impact-induced bremsstrahlung flare should peak on 2019 July 31. This prediction was based on detailed general relativistic modeling of the secondary BH trajectory around the primary BH and its accretion disk. The expected flare was termed the Eddington flare to commemorate the centennial celebrations of now-famous solar eclipse observations to test general relativity by Sir Arthur Eddington. We analyze the multi-epoch Spitzer observations of the expected flare between 2019 July 31 and 2019 September 6, as well as baseline observations during 2019 February-March. Observed Spitzer flux density variations during the predicted outburst time display a strong similarity with the observed optical pericenter flare from OJ 287 during 2007 September. The predicted flare appears comparable to the 2007 flare after subtracting the expected higher base-level Spitzer flux densities at 3.55 and 4.49 $\mu$m compared to the optical R-band. Comparing the 2019 and 2007 outburst lightcurves and the previously calculated predictions, we find that the Eddington flare arrived within 4 hours of the predicted time. Our Spitzer observations are well consistent with the presence of a nano-Hertz gravitational wave emitting spinning massive binary BH that inspirals along a general relativistic eccentric orbit in OJ 287. These multi-epoch Spitzer observations provide a parametric constraint on the celebrated BH no-hair theorem.

8 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, to appear in ApJL

References in corpus (4)

• A massive binary black-hole system in OJ287 and a test of general relativity
• Discovery of a close-separation binary quasar at the heart of a z~0.2 merging galaxy and its implications for low-frequency gravitational waves
• Relativistic orbits around spinning supermassive black holes. Secular evolution to 4.5 post-Newtonian order
• Multi-wavelength temporal and spectral variability of the blazar OJ 287 during and after the December 2015 flare: a major accretion disc contribution

Cited by in corpus (28)

• Electromagnetic Counterparts to Massive Black Hole Mergers
• Explaining temporal variations in the jet position angle of the blazar OJ 287 using its binary black hole central engine model
• The effect of differential accretion on the Gravitational Wave Background and the present day MBH Binary population
• X-ray spectral components of the blazar and binary black hole candidate OJ 287 (2005-2020)
• Unravelling the Innermost Jet Structure of OJ 287 with the First GMVA+ALMA Observations
• Nanohertz Gravitational Wave Astronomy during the SKA Era: An InPTA perspective
• Refining the 2022 OJ 287 impact flare arrival epoch
• MOMO IV: The complete Swift X-ray and UV/optical light curve and characteristic variability of the blazar OJ 287 during the last two decades
• Multi-wavelength Analysis and Modeling of OJ 287 During 2017-2020
• Long Term Multi-band Near Infra-Red Variability of the Blazar OJ 287 during 2007--2021
• The X-ray outburst of PG 1553+113: A precession effect of two jets in the supermassive black hole binary system
• A possible tidal disruption event candidate in the black hole binary system of OJ 287
• Dissonance in harmony: The UV/optical periodic outbursts of ASASSN-14ko exhibit repeated bumps and rebrightenings
• Spectral States of OJ 287 blazar from Multi-wavelength Observations with $AstroSat$
• Quasi-simultaneous Optical Flux and Polarization Variability of the Binary Super Massive Black Hole Blazar OJ 287 from 2015 to 2023: Detection of an Anticorrelation in Flux and Polarization Variability
• MOMO V. Effelsberg, Swift and Fermi study of the blazar and supermassive binary black hole candidate OJ 287 in a period of high activity
• Chandra Observations of Abell 2261 Brightest Cluster Galaxy, a Candidate Host to a Recoiling Black Hole
• OJ~287: a new BH mass estimate of the secondary
• Orbit Tomography of Binary Supermassive Black Holes with Very Long Baseline Interferometry
• Dark Matter Constraints from the Eccentric Supermassive Black Hole Binary OJ 287
• X-ray Flux and Spectral Variability of the Blazar OJ 287 with Suzaku
• On the need of an ultramassive black hole in OJ 287
• Observational Implications of OJ 287's Predicted 2022 Disk Impact in the Black Hole Binary Model
• Clues on the nature of the quasi-periodic optical outbursts of the blazar OJ 287
• Diffractive lensing of nano-Hertz gravitational waves emitted from supermassive binary black holes by intervening galaxies
• Exploration of the origin of 2020 X-ray outburst in OJ 287
• Multiwavelength astrophysics of the blazar OJ 287 and the project MOMO
• Dirty waveforms: multiband harmonic content of gas-embedded gravitational wave sources