Gravitational self-lensing in populations of massive black hole binaries
Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › fagfællebedømt
Standard
Gravitational self-lensing in populations of massive black hole binaries. / Kelley, Luke Zoltan; D'Orazio, Daniel J.; Di Stefano, Rosanne.
I: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Bind 508, Nr. 2, 02.10.2021, s. 2524-2536.Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › fagfællebedømt
Harvard
APA
Vancouver
Author
Bibtex
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
T1 - Gravitational self-lensing in populations of massive black hole binaries
AU - Kelley, Luke Zoltan
AU - D'Orazio, Daniel J.
AU - Di Stefano, Rosanne
PY - 2021/10/2
Y1 - 2021/10/2
N2 - The community may be on the verge of detecting low-frequency gravitational waves from massive black hole binaries (MBHBs), but no examples of binary active galactic nuclei (AGN) have been confirmed. Because MBHBs are intrinsically rare, the most promising detection methods utilize photometric data from all-sky surveys. Gravitational self-lensing has recently been proposed as a method of detecting AGN in close separation binaries. In this study, we calculate the detectability of lensing signatures in realistic populations of simulated MBHBs. Within our model assumptions, we find that VRO's LSST should be able to detect tens to hundreds of self-lensing binaries, with the rate uncertainty depending primarily on the orientation of AGN discs relative to their binary orbits. Roughly a quarter of lensing detectable systems should also show detectable Doppler boosting signatures. If AGN discs tend to be aligned with the orbit, lensing signatures are very nearly achromatic, while in misaligned configurations, the bluer optical bands are lensed more than redder ones. Whether substantial obscuring material (e.g. a dusty torus) will be present in close binaries remains uncertain, but our estimates suggest that a substantial fraction of systems would still be observable in this case.
AB - The community may be on the verge of detecting low-frequency gravitational waves from massive black hole binaries (MBHBs), but no examples of binary active galactic nuclei (AGN) have been confirmed. Because MBHBs are intrinsically rare, the most promising detection methods utilize photometric data from all-sky surveys. Gravitational self-lensing has recently been proposed as a method of detecting AGN in close separation binaries. In this study, we calculate the detectability of lensing signatures in realistic populations of simulated MBHBs. Within our model assumptions, we find that VRO's LSST should be able to detect tens to hundreds of self-lensing binaries, with the rate uncertainty depending primarily on the orientation of AGN discs relative to their binary orbits. Roughly a quarter of lensing detectable systems should also show detectable Doppler boosting signatures. If AGN discs tend to be aligned with the orbit, lensing signatures are very nearly achromatic, while in misaligned configurations, the bluer optical bands are lensed more than redder ones. Whether substantial obscuring material (e.g. a dusty torus) will be present in close binaries remains uncertain, but our estimates suggest that a substantial fraction of systems would still be observable in this case.
KW - accretion
KW - accretion discs
KW - gravitational lensing: micro
KW - gravitational waves
KW - quasars: general
KW - X-rays: binaries
KW - CIRCUMBINARY ACCRETION DISCS
KW - ILLUSTRIS SIMULATION
KW - SYSTEMATIC SEARCH
KW - VARIABLE QUASARS
KW - GALACTIC NUCLEI
KW - VARIABILITY
KW - TIME
KW - DUST
KW - RADIATION
KW - GALAXIES
U2 - 10.1093/mnras/stab2776
DO - 10.1093/mnras/stab2776
M3 - Journal article
VL - 508
SP - 2524
EP - 2536
JO - Royal Astronomical Society. Monthly Notices
JF - Royal Astronomical Society. Monthly Notices
SN - 0035-8711
IS - 2
ER -
ID: 285720436