Polarimetric insights into a potential binary supermassive black hole system in Mrk 231

TL;DR

This study suggests that Mrk 231 may host a binary supermassive black hole system, with polarimetric data supporting the model and predicting a distinctive far-UV polarized flux peak as a potential signature.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel binary SMBH model for Mrk 231 that successfully reproduces observed flux and polarization, supported by radiative transfer calculations.

Findings

Binary SMBH model fits observed data well

Predicted a second polarized flux peak in far-UV

Estimated masses and separation of SMBHs

Abstract

Markarian 231 (Mrk 231) is one of the brightest ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) known to date. It displays a unique optical-UV spectrum, characterized by a strong and perplexing attenuation in the near-UV, associated with a sudden polarization peak. Building on previous spectro-photometric modeling, we investigated the hypothesis that the core of Mrk 231 may host a binary SMBH system. In this scenario, the accretion disk of the primary, more massive SMBH is responsible for the optical-UV spectrum. The disk of the secondary, less massive SMBH, would be expected to essentially emit in the far UV. We applied this model to archival photometric and polarimetric data of Mrk 231 and tried to obtain the best fit possible. To support our findings, we performed radiative transfer calculations to determine the spatial disposition of each main component constituting Mrk 231. We find that a binary SMBH model can reproduce both the observed flux and polarization of Mrk 231 remarkably well. We infer that the core potentially hosts a binary SMBH system, with a primary SMBH of about 1.6x10^8 solar masses and a secondary of about 1.1x10^7 solar masses , separated by a semimajor axis of 146 AU.The secondary SMBH drives a degree of polarization of 3 % between 0.1 and 0.2 {\mu}m, with a corresponding polarization position angle of about 134{\deg} , which is consistent with scattering within an accretion disk. The primary SMBH and the structure around it are responsible for a degree of polarization of 23 % between 0.3 and 0.4 {\mu}m with a corresponding polarization position angle of about 96{\deg} , that is possibly attributed to scattering within the quasar's wind. Finally, our model predicts the existence of a second peak in polarized flux in the far-ultraviolet, a telltale signature that could definitively prove the presence of a binary SMBH.