Detecting subparsec super-massive binary black holes: Long termmonitoring perspective

TL;DR

This paper investigates the potential to detect sub-parsec supermassive binary black holes in active galactic nuclei through long-term spectral monitoring, analyzing variability patterns influenced by binary dynamics.

Contribution

It presents a detailed model of SMBBH systems with accretion disks and simulates spectral variability, highlighting how long-term monitoring can reveal binary signatures.

Findings

Broad line profiles depend on mass ratio and total mass

Mean broad line profile and rms can indicate SMBBH presence

Detection is affected by signal-to-noise ratio

Abstract

Here we consider the perspective to detect sub-pc super-massive binary black-hole (SMBBH) systems using long-term photometric and spectroscopic monitoring campaigns of active galactic nuclei. This work explores the nature of long-term spectral variability caused by the dynamical effects of SMBBH systems. We describe in great detail a model of SMBBH system which considers that both black holes have their accretion disc and additional line emitting region(s). We simulate the H$\beta$ spectral band (continuum+broad H$\beta$ line) for different mass ratios of components and different total masses of the SMBBH systems ($10^6-10^8\mathrm{M\odot}$). We analyze the set of continuum and broad line light curves for several full orbits of SMBBHs with different parameters, to test the possibility to extract the periodicity of the system. We consider different levels of the signal-to-noise ratio, which is added to the simulated spectra. Our analysis showed that the continuum and broad line profiles emitted from an SMBBH system are strongly dependent, not only on the mass ratio of the components but also on the total mass of the system. We found that the mean broad line profile and its rms could indicate the presence of an SMBBH. However, some effects caused by the dynamics of a binary system could be hidden due to a low signal-to-noise ratio. Finally, we can conclude that the long-term AGN monitoring campaigns could be beneficial for the detection of SMBBH candidates.