Supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs) are the natural consequence of galaxy mergers and should form frequently in galactic nuclei. Especially at sub-parsec separations, where the binary evolution is slow, SMBHBs should be fairly abundant. However, the observational evidence remains elusive.
In this thesis, we focus on periodic variability of quasars as a potential signature of compact SMBHBs. First, we present a systematic search for periodic variability in the photometric database of the Palomar Transient Factory. Our search in a large sample of ~35,000 quasars returned 50 candidates, 33 of which remain significant after the reanalysis of extended light curves including data from the Catalina Real-Time Transient Survey and the intermediate PTF. Our candidates have periods of a few hundred days.
Next, we focus on independent signatures that could verify the binary nature of the candidates. We present a case study of quasar PKS 1302-102, the first candidate that emerged from the large time-domain surveys. We search for multiple periodic components in the variability with a characteristic frequency pattern predicted by hydrodynamical simulations of circumbinary disks. We do not find compelling evidence for a secondary period.
Additionally, in compact SMBHBs, relativistic Doppler boost should be significant and may dominate the variability. This model was suggested as a smoking-gun signature for quasar PKS 1302-102, since it is not expected in quasars with a single BH and it offers a robust prediction, which can be tested with multi-wavelength data. With a control sample of non-periodic quasars, we test whether this signature is distinct from the intrinsic multi-wavelength variability of quasars. We concluded that the Doppler boost does not provide a sharp test for SMBHBs.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:columbia.edu/oai:academiccommons.columbia.edu:10.7916/D88S52C3 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Charisi, Maria |
| Source Sets | Columbia University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Theses |
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