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Creators/Authors contains: "Majumdar, Shreya"

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  1. Abstract Subparsec binary supermassive black holes (BSBHs) should be common from galaxy mergers, yet direct evidence has been elusive. We present Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/WFC3IR F160W imaging for a sample of eight candidate subparsec BSBHs at redshiftsz ∼ 0.1–0.5, as well as cross-comparison with a sample of ordinary quasars with archival HST/WFC3 IR F160W images. These eight candidate subparsec BSBHs were identified from multiepoch spectroscopic surveys of quasars (including both typical quasars and those with single-peaked velocity-offset broad lines), whose broad Hβlines are significantly offset (by ≳ a few hundred kilometers per second) from the systemic redshifts. We directly test the prediction that the host galaxies of BSBHs would have a higher fraction of disturbed morphologies and younger stellar bulges from recent interactions than those of control quasars. After careful subtraction of the central quasar light, our candidate BSBH hosts show a statistically undifferentiated distribution of host asymmetry, indicative of a similar fraction of recent mergers. While a significantly larger sample is needed to place this result on a much firmer statistical ground, it opens questions as to the timescale differences between galaxy merger and BSBH formation, or the efficacy of the radial-velocity-shift-based selection of subparsec BSBH candidates. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available August 8, 2026