Supermassive binary black holes among cosmic gamma-ray sources

Abstract

Supermassive binary black holes (SBBHs) are a natural outcome of galaxy mergers. Here we show that low-frequency ($f\le 10^{-6}$ Hz) quasi-periodic variability observed from cosmic blazar sources can provide substantial inductive support for the presence of close ($d \lppr 0.1$ pc) SBBHs at their centers. It is argued on physical grounds that such close binary systems are likely to give rise to different (although not independent) periodicities in the radio, optical and X-ray/TeV regime, and, hence that detection of appropriate period ratios significantly corroborates the SBBH interpretation. This is illustrated for a binary model where optical longterm periodicity is related to accretion disk interactions, radio periodicity to Newtonian jet precession, and periodicities in the high energy bands to the orbital motion of the jet. We use the observed periodicities to constrain the properties for a sample of SBBH candidates including OJ 287 and AO 0235+16, and discuss the results within the context of jet activity and binary evolution.

4 pages, based on presentation at "The multimessenger approach to unidentified gamma-ray sources", Barcelona/Spain, July 2006; accepted for publication in Astrophysics and Space Science; references updated

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• How frequent are close supermassive binary black holes in powerful jet sources?
• A search for cyclical sources of gamma-ray emission on the period range from days to years in the Fermi-LAT sky
• Pulsar Timing Constraints on the Fermi Massive Black-Hole Binary Blazar Population
• Evaluating Quasi-Periodic Variations in the $\gamma$-ray Lightcurves of Fermi-LAT Blazars
• Possible Quasi-Periodic modulation in the z = 1.1 $\gamma$-ray blazar PKS 0426-380
• Gaussian Process Modeling $Fermi$-LAT $\gamma$-ray Blazar Variability: A Sample of Blazars with $\gamma$-ray Quasi-periodicities
• Short-term VHE variability in blazars: PKS 2155-304
• Periodic Gamma-ray Modulation of the blazar PG 1553+113 Confirmed by Fermi-LAT and Multi-wavelength Observations
• Quasi-periodic oscillation detected in $\gamma$-rays in blazar PKS 0346-27
• Multiwavelength variability of the blazar AO 0235+164
• Multiwavelength periodicity study of Markarian 501