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Abstract In our previous study, we identified a shift in the synchrotron peak frequency of the blazar B2 1308+326 from 1012.9to 1014.8Hz during a flare, suggesting it could be a changing-look blazar (CLB). In this work, we investigate the changing-look behaviour of B2 1308+326 by analysing a newly acquired optical spectrum and comparing it with an archival spectrum. We find that between the two epochs, the continuum flux increased by a factor of ~4.4, while the Mgiiemission line flux decreased by a factor of 1.4 ± 0.2. Additionally, the equivalent width of the Mgiiline reduced from ~20 to ~3 Å, indicating an apparent shift from a flat-spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ) class to a BL Lacertae (BL Lac) class. Despite this apparent change, the ratio of accretion disk luminosity to Eddington luminosity remains >10−2during both epochs, indicating efficient accretion persists in B2 1308+326. The measured black hole mass remains consistent with an average M⊙. Our findings suggest that B2 1308+326 is not a genuine CLB but rather an intrinsic FSRQ that emerges as a BL Lac during high-flux states due to enhanced nonthermal emission.more » « lessFree, publicly-accessible full text available December 31, 2025
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Abstract An accretion disk formed around a supermassive black hole after it disrupts a star is expected to be initially misaligned with respect to the equatorial plane of the black hole. This misalignment induces relativistic torques (the Lense–Thirring effect) on the disk, causing the disk to precess at early times, whereas at late times the disk aligns with the black hole and precession terminates1,2. Here we report, using high-cadence X-ray monitoring observations of a tidal disruption event (TDE), the discovery of strong, quasi-periodic X-ray flux and temperature modulations. These X-ray modulations are separated by roughly 15 days and persist for about 130 days during the early phase of the TDE. Lense–Thirring precession of the accretion flow can produce this X-ray variability, but other physical mechanisms, such as the radiation-pressure instability3,4, cannot be ruled out. Assuming typical TDE parameters, that is, a solar-like star with the resulting disk extending at most to the so-called circularization radius, and that the disk precesses as a rigid body, we constrain the disrupting dimensionless spin parameter of the black hole to be 0.05 ≲ ∣a∣ ≲ 0.5.more » « less
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Abstract In this third paper of the series reporting on the reverberation mapping campaign of active galactic nuclei with asymmetric H β emission-line profiles, we present results for 15 Palomar–Green quasars using spectra obtained between the end of 2016–2021 May. This campaign combines long time spans with relatively high cadence. For eight objects, both the time lags obtained from the entire light curves and the measurements from individual observing seasons are provided. Reverberation mapping of nine of our targets has been attempted for the first time, while the results for six others can be compared with previous campaigns. We measure the H β time lags over periods of years and estimate their black hole masses. The long duration of the campaign enables us to investigate their broad-line region (BLR) geometry and kinematics for different years by using velocity-resolved lags, which demonstrate signatures of diverse BLR geometry and kinematics. The BLR geometry and kinematics of individual objects are discussed. In this sample, the BLR kinematics of Keplerian/virialized motion and inflow is more common than that of outflow.more » « less
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