A possible close supermassive black-hole binary in a quasar with optical periodicity
Abstract
A search of a data set of light curves for 247,000 known, spectroscopically confirmed quasars with a temporal baseline of about 9 years reveals a strong, smooth periodic signal in the optical variability of quasar PG 1302−102 with a mean observed period of 1,884 ± 88 days, indicating a possible supermassive black-hole binary.
- Publication:
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Nature
- Pub Date:
- February 2015
- DOI:
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1501.01375
- Bibcode:
- 2015Natur.518...74G
- Keywords:
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- Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
- E-Print:
- 19 pages, 6 figures. Published online by Nature on 7 January 2015