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Abstract The exploration of dark sector interactions via gravitational waves (GWs) from binary inspirals has been a subject of recent interest. We study dark forces using extreme mass ratio inspirals (EMRIs), pointing out two issues of interest. Firstly, the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) of the EMRI, which sets the characteristic length scale of the system and hence the dark force range to which it exhibits enhanced sensitivity, probes force mediator masses that complement those studied with supermassive black hole (SMBH) or neutron star binaries. The LISA mission (the proposedμAres detector) will probe mediators with massesmV∼ 10-16 eV (mV∼ 10-18 eV), corresponding to ISCOs of 106M⊙(108M⊙) central SMBHs. Secondly, while the sensitivity to dark couplings is typically limited by the uncertainty in the binary component masses, independent mass measurements of the central SMBH through reverberation mapping campaigns or the motion of dynamical tracers enable one to break this degeneracy. Our results therefore highlight the necessity for coordinated studies, loosely referred to as “multimessenger”, between futureμHz- mHz GW observatories and ongoing and forthcoming SMBH mass measurement campaigns, including OzDES-RM, SDSS-RM, and SDSS-V Black Hole Mapper.
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Intensive Swift and LCO Monitoring of PG 1302–102: Active Galactic Nucleus Disk Reverberation Mapping of a Supermassive Black Hole Binary Candidate
Abstract We present an intensive multiwavelength monitoring campaign of the quasar PG 1302−102 with Swift and the Las Cumbres Observatory network telescopes. Atz∼ 0.3, it tests the limits of the reverberation mapping (RM) technique in probing the accretion disk around a supermassive black hole (SMBH) and extends the parameter space to high masses and high accretion rates. This is also the first time the RM technique has been applied to test disk structures predicted in the SMBH binary model that has been suggested for this source. PG 1302−102 was observed at a ∼daily cadence for ∼9 months in 14 bands spanning from X-ray to UV and optical wavelengths, and it shows moderate to significant levels of variability correlated between wavelengths. We measure the interband time lags, which are consistent with aτ∝λ4/3relation as expected from standard disk reprocessing, albeit with large uncertainties. The disk size implied by the lag spectrum is consistent with the expected disk size for its black hole mass within uncertainties. While the source resembles other reverberation-mapped active galactic nuclei in many respects, and we do not find evidence supporting the prevalent hypothesis that it hosts an SMBH binary, we demonstrate the feasibility of studying SMBH binaries from this novel angle and suggest possibilities for the LSST Deep Drilling Fields.
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- PAR ID:
- 10507478
- Publisher / Repository:
- American Astronomical Society
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The Astrophysical Journal
- Volume:
- 964
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 0004-637X
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 167
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Context.Accretion disk winds launched close to supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are a viable mechanism providing feedback between the SMBH and the host galaxy. Aims.We aim to characterize the X-ray properties of the inner accretion disk wind of the nearby active galactic nucleus PG 1126-041 and to study its connection with the UV-absorbing wind. Methods.We performed a spectroscopic analysis of eightXMM-Newtonobservations of PG 1126-041 taken between 2004 and 2015, using both phenomenological models and the most advanced accretion disk wind models available. For half of the data set, we were able to compare the X-ray analysis results with the results of quasi-simultaneous, high-resolution, spectroscopic UV observations taken with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on board theHubbleSpace Telescope. Results.The X-ray spectra of PG 1126-041 are complex and absorbed by ionized material, which is highly variable on multiple timescales, sometimes as short as 11 days. Accretion disk wind models can account for most of the X-ray spectral complexity of PG 1126-041, with the addition of massive clumps, represented by a partially covering absorber. Variations in column density (NH ∼ 5 − 20 × 1022cm−2) of the partially covering absorber drive the observed X-ray spectral variability of PG 1126-041. The absorption from the X-ray partially covering gas and from the blueshifted C IVtroughs appear to vary in a coordinated way. Conclusions.The line of sight toward PG 1126-041 offers a privileged view through a highly dynamic nuclear wind originating on inner accretion disk scales, making the source a very promising candidate for future detailed studies of the physics of accretion disk winds around SMBHs.more » « less
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad23e2
