MOMO V. Effelsberg, Swift and Fermi study of the blazar and supermassive binary black hole candidate OJ 287 in a period of high activity

Abstract

We report results from our ongoing project MOMO (Multiwavelength Observations and Modelling of OJ 287). In this latest publication of a sequence, we combine our Swift UVOT--XRT and Effelsberg radio data (2.6-44 GHz) between 2019 and 2022.04 with public SMA data and gamma-ray data from the Fermi satellite. The observational epoch covers OJ 287 in a high state of activity from radio to X-rays. The epoch also covers two major events predicted by the binary supermassive black hole (SMBH) model of OJ 287. Spectral and timing analyses clearly establish: a new UV-optical minimum state in 2021 December at an epoch where the secondary SMBH is predicted to cross the disk surrounding the primary SMBH; an overall low level of gamma-ray activity in comparison to pre-2017 epochs; the presence of a remarkable, long-lasting UV--optical flare event of intermediate amplitude in 2020--2021; a high level of activity in the radio band with multiple flares; and particularly a bright, ongoing radio flare peaking in 2021 November that may be associated with a gamma-ray flare, the strongest in 6 years. Several explanations for the UV--optical minimum state are explored, including the possibility that a secondary SMBH launches a temporary jet, but the observations are best explained by variability associated with the main jet.

arXiv comment16 pages, 11 figures. Published in MNRAS (submitted in January, accepted in March)

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Cited by in corpus (7)

• Absence of the predicted 2022 October outburst of OJ 287 and implications for binary SMBH scenarios
• MOMO VI: Multifrequency radio variability of the blazar OJ 287 from 2015-2022, absence of predicted 2021 precursor-flare activity, and a new binary interpretation of the 2016/2017 outburst
• Refining the 2022 OJ 287 impact flare arrival epoch
• 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
• Multiwavelength astrophysics of the blazar OJ 287 and the project MOMO
• Simultaneous Optical to X-ray Spectra of OJ 287: Insights into X-ray spectral changes and particle spectra