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Abstract High spatial and spectral resolution observations are essential for identifying subarcsecond dual and lensed quasars and confirming their redshifts. We present Gemini/Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph and Hubble Space Telescope/STIS optical spectra for 27 dual quasar candidates selected based on their variability-induced astrometric noise or double detections in Gaia (the Varstrometry for Off-nucleus and Dual sub-Kpc AGN (VODKA) project). From this follow-up, we spectroscopically identify 11 star superpositions and seven dual/lensed quasars. Among the remaining targets, two are likely dual/lensed quasars based on additional radio imaging, while the rest are quasars with unknown companions. Without prior photometric or spectroscopic selection, we find the star contamination rate to be 41%–67%, while the dual/lensed quasar fraction is ≳26% in the follow-up VODKA sample. However, when combined with existing unresolved spectra and spatially resolved two-band color cuts, the dual/lensed quasar fraction can be increased to ≳67%. Our study highlights the need for high-quality spectral data, including a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 20, spatial resolution that is at least twice finer than the source separation, and a spectral resolution ofR ≳ 1000, in order to separate close sources, exclude stellar superpositions, and reliably identify dual quasars. 

Abstract Dual active galactic nuclei (AGNs), a phase in some galaxy mergers during which both central supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are active, are expected to be a key observable stage leading up to SMBH mergers. Constraining the population of dual AGNs in both the nearby and high-zUniverse has proven to be elusive until very recently. We present a multiwavelength follow-up campaign to confirm the nature of a sample of 20 candidate dual AGNs at cosmic noon (z ∼ 2) from the VODKA sample. Through a combination of Hubble Space Telescope and Very Large Array imaging, we refute the possibility of gravitational lensing in all but one target. We find evidence of dual AGNs in three systems, while seven exhibit a single AGN in galaxy pairs, through either strong radio emission or ancillary emission-line data. The remaining systems are confirmed as either quasar−star superpositions (seven) or nonlensed pairs (two) that require further investigations to establish AGN activity. Among the systems with radio detections, we find a variety of radio spectral slopes and UV/optical colors suggesting that our sample contains a range of AGN properties, from obscured radio-quiet objects to those with powerful synchrotron-emitting jets. This study presents one of the largest dedicated multiwavelength follow-up campaigns to date searching for dual AGNs at high redshift. We confirm several of the highest-zsystems at small physical separations, thus representing some of the most evolved dual-AGN systems at the epoch of peak quasar activity known to date. 

Abstract The search for dual supermassive black holes (SMBHs) is of immense interest in modern astrophysics. Galaxy mergers may fuel and produce SMBH pairs. Actively accreting SMBH pairs are observed as dual quasars, which are vital probes of SMBH growth. Dual quasars at cosmic noon are not well characterized. Gaia observations have enabled a novel technique to identify dual quasars at kiloparsec scales based on the small jitters of the light centroid as the two quasars vary stochastically. We present the first detailed study of az= 2.17, 0 $\stackrel{\text{″}}{.}$46, 3.8 kpc separation dual quasar, J0749+2255, using JWST/NIRSpec integral field unit spectroscopy. Identified by Gaia, J0749+2255 is one of the most distant small-separation dual quasars known. We detect the faint ionized gas of the host galaxy, traced by the narrow Hαemission. Line ratios indicate ionization from the two quasars and from intense star formation. Spectral analysis of the two quasars suggests that they have similar black hole properties, hinting at the possible synchronized accretion activity or lensed quasar images. Surprisingly, the ionized gas kinematics suggest a rotating disk rather than the disturbed system expected in a major gas-rich galaxy merger. Numerical simulations show that this is a plausible outcome of a major gas-rich galaxy merger several tens of Myr before coalescence. Whether J0749+2255 reflects an interesting phase of dual quasar evolution or is a lensed quasar remains unclear. Thus, this study underscores the challenges in definitively distinguishing between dual and lensed quasars, with observations supporting either scenario. 

Abstract We report the discovery of SDSS J022932.28+713002.7, a nascent extremely low-mass (ELM) white dwarf (WD) orbiting a massive (>1M_⊙at 2σconfidence) companion with a period of 36 hr. We use a combination of spectroscopy, including data from the ongoing fifth-generation Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-V), and photometry to measure the stellar parameters of the primary pre-ELM WD. The lightcurve of the primary WD exhibits ellipsoidal variation, which we combine with radial velocity data andPHOEBEbinary simulations to estimate the mass of the invisible companion. We find that the primary WD has massM₁= ${0.18}_{-0.02}^{+0.02}$M_⊙and the unseen secondary has massM₂= ${1.19}_{-0.14}^{+0.21}$M_⊙. The mass of the companion suggests that it is most likely a near-Chandrasekhar-mass WD or a neutron star. It is likely that the system recently went through a Roche lobe overflow from the visible primary onto the invisible secondary. The dynamical configuration of the binary is consistent with the theoretical evolutionary tracks for such objects, and the primary is currently in its contraction phase. The measured orbital period puts this system on a stable evolutionary path which, within a few gigayears, will lead to a contracted ELM WD orbiting a massive compact companion. 

Abstract We report Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Camera 3 deep IR (F160W) imaging of SDSS J1608+2716. This system, located at a redshift of z = 2.575, was recently reported as a triple-quasar candidate with subarcsecond separations (∼0.″25) based on selection from Gaia astrometry and follow-up Keck adaptive optics–assisted integral field unit spectroscopy. Our new HST deep IR imaging reveals the presence of a fourth point-like component located ∼0.″9 away from the triple system. Additionally, we detect an edge-on disk galaxy located in between the four point sources. The entire system exhibits a characteristic cusp structure in the context of strong gravitational lensing, and the observed image configuration can be successfully reproduced using a lens model based on a singular isothermal ellipsoid mass profile. These findings indicate that this system is a quadruply lensed quasar. Our results highlight the challenges associated with identifying dual/multiple quasars on ∼kiloparsec scales at high redshifts and emphasize the crucial role of deep, high-resolution IR imaging in robustly confirming such systems. 

Abstract Dual and off-nucleus active supermassive black holes are expected to be common in the hierarchical structure formation paradigm, but their identification at parsec scales remains a challenge due to strict angular resolution requirements. We conducted a systematic study using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) to examine 23 radio-bright candidate dual and off-nucleus quasars. The targets are selected by a novel astrometric technique (varstrometry) from Gaia, aiming to identify dual or off-nucleus quasars at (sub)kiloparsec scales. Among these quasars, eight exhibit either multiple radio components or significant (>3σ) positional offsets between the VLBA and Gaia positions. The radio emission from the three candidates, which exhibit multiple radio components, is likely to originate from small-scale jets based on their morphology. Among the remaining five candidates with significant VLBA-Gaia offsets, three are identified as potential dual quasars at parsec scales, one is likely attributed to small-scale jets, and the origin of the last candidate remains unclear. We explore alternative explanations for the observed VLBA-Gaia offsets. We find no evidence for optical jets at kiloparsec scales, nor any contamination to Gaia astrometric noise from the host galaxy; misaligned coordinate systems are unlikely to account for our offsets. Our study highlights the promise of the varstrometry technique in discovering candidate dual or off-nucleus quasars and emphasizes the need for further confirmation and investigation to validate and understand these intriguing candidates. 

Abstract Dual quasars at small physical separations are an important precursor phase of galaxy mergers, ultimately leading to the coalescence of the two supermassive black holes. Starting from a sample of dual and/or lensed quasar candidates discovered using astrometric jitter in Gaia data, we present a pilot case study of one of the most promising yet puzzling candidate dual quasars at cosmic noon (z∼ 1.8). Using multiwavelength imaging and spectroscopy from X-ray to radio, we test whether the SDSS J0823+2418 system is two individual quasars in a bound pair at separation ∼0.″64, or instead a single quasar being gravitationally lensed by a foreground galaxy. We find consistent flux ratios (∼1.25−1.45) between the two sources in optical, near-IR (NIR), UV, and radio, and thus similar spectral energy distributions, suggesting a strong-lensing scenario. However, differences in the radio spectral index, as well as changing X-ray fluxes, hint at either a dual quasar with otherwise nearly identical properties or perhaps lensing-based time lag of ∼3 days paired with intrinsic variability. We find with lens mass modeling that the relative NIR positions and magnitudes of the two quasars and a marginally detected central galaxy are consistent with strong lensing. Archival Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectra likewise suggest a foreground absorber via Mgiiabsorption lines. We conclude that SDSS J0823+2418 is likely a lensed quasar, and therefore that the VODKA sample contains a population of these lensed systems (perhaps as high as 50%) as well as dual quasars. 

Abstract Dual supermassive black holes (SMBHs) at ∼kiloparsec scales are the progenitor population of SMBH mergers and play an important role in understanding the pairing and dynamical evolution of massive black holes in galaxy mergers. Because of the stringent resolution requirement and the apparent rareness of these small-separation pairs, there are scarce observational constraints on this population, with few confirmed dual SMBHs at <10 kpc separations atz> 1. Here we present results from a pilot search for kiloparsec-scale dual quasars selected with Gaia Data release 2 (DR2) astrometry and followed up with Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Camera 3 dual-band (F475W and F814W) snapshot imaging. Our targets are quasars primarily selected with the varstrometry technique, i.e., light centroid jitter caused by asynchronous variability from both members in an unresolved quasar pair, supplemented by subarcsecond pairs already resolved by Gaia DR2. We find an overall high fraction of HST-resolved pairs among the varstrometry-selected quasars (unresolved in Gaia DR2), ∼30%–50%, increasing toward high redshift (∼60%–80% atz> 1.5). We discuss the nature of the 45 resolved subarcsecond pairs based on HST and supplementary data. A substantial fraction (∼40%) of these pairs are likely physical quasar pairs or gravitationally lensed quasars. We also discover a triple quasar candidate and a quadruply lensed quasar, which is among the smallest-separation quadruple lenses. These results provide important guidelines to improve varstrometry selection and follow-up confirmation of ~kiloparsec-scale dual SMBHs at high redshift. 

ABSTRACT Due to the different environments in the Milky Way’s disc and halo, comparing wide binaries in the disc and halo is key to understanding wide binary formation and evolution. By using Gaia Early Data Release 3, we search for resolved wide binary companions in the H3 survey, a spectroscopic survey that has compiled ∼150 000 spectra for thick-disc and halo stars to date. We identify 800 high-confidence (a contamination rate of 4 per cent) wide binaries and two resolved triples, with binary separations mostly between 103 and 105 au and a lowest [Fe/H] of −2.7. Based on their Galactic kinematics, 33 of them are halo wide binaries, and most of those are associated with the accreted Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus galaxy. The wide binary fraction in the thick disc decreases toward the low metallicity end, consistent with the previous findings for the thin disc. Our key finding is that the halo wide binary fraction is consistent with the thick-disc stars at a fixed [Fe/H]. There is no significant dependence of the wide binary fraction on the α-captured abundance. Therefore, the wide binary fraction is mainly determined by the iron abundance, not their disc or halo origin nor the α-captured abundance. Our results suggest that the formation environments play a major role for the wide binary fraction, instead of other processes like radial migration that only apply to disc stars.