SDSS J154751.94+025550 with double-peaked broad H\beta but single-peaked broad H\alpha: a candidate for central binary black hole system?

TL;DR

This paper reports on an AGN with unique broad emission line profiles, suggesting the presence of a binary black hole system supported by spectral analysis and periodic light curve data.

Contribution

It introduces the first detailed discussion of different broad Balmer line profiles as indicators of a central binary black hole in an AGN.

Findings

Different line profiles explained by two distinct BLRs in a BBH system.

Long-term light curve shows a periodicity consistent with a BBH.

Estimated 0.125% of broad line AGN may host such BBH systems.

Abstract

In this manuscript, an interesting blue Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) SDSS J154751.94+025550 (=SDSS J1547) is reported with very different line profiles of broad Balmer emission lines: double-peaked broad H$\beta$ but single-peaked broad H$\alpha$. SDSS J1547 is the first AGN with detailed discussions on very different line profiles of the broad Balmer emission lines, besides the simply mentioned different broad lines in the candidate for a binary black hole (BBH) system in SDSS J0159+0105. The very different line profiles of the broad Balmer emission lines can be well explained by different physical conditions to two central BLRs in a central BBH system in SDSS J1547. Furthermore, the long-term light curve from CSS can be well described by a sinusoidal function with a periodicity about 2159days, providing further evidence to support the expected central BBH system in SDSS J1547. Therefore, it is interesting to treat different line profiles of broad Balmer emission lines as intrinsic indicators of central BBH systems in broad line AGN. Under assumptions of BBH systems, 0.125\% of broad line AGN can be expected to have very different line profiles of broad Balmer emission lines. Future study on more broad line AGN with very different line profiles of broad Balmer emission lines could provide further clues on the different line profiles of broad Balmer emission lines as indicator of BBH systems.