Astronomers have discovered evidence of two supermassive black holes in an active galaxy, shedding light on the formation of these massive objects. According to Science Daily, researchers found electromagnetic signals from the jets associated with the accretion of matter into both black holes, indicating their orbital motion.
The galaxy, known as OJ 287, is recognized as a binary black hole system. Despite appearing as a single dot in the sky due to their close proximity, the emission of two distinct types of signals confirms the presence of two black holes. This finding provides valuable insights into the nature and behavior of supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies.
Second Supermassive Black Hole Finally Observed in a Binary System
Recent observational campaigns on the active galaxy OJ 287 have provided significant breakthroughs in our understanding of its behavior. During the period of 2021-2022, researchers witnessed the secondary black hole plunging through the accretion disk, resulting in a blue flash as predicted. Additionally, two surprising flares were observed.
The first unexpected flare, observed by Staszek Zola and his team, was an intense burst of light lasting only one day and emitting 100 times more light than an entire galaxy. It occurred shortly after the smaller black hole received a substantial amount of new gas during its plunge. As Science Daily reported, this process led to a sudden brightening of OJ 287 and the empowerment of its jet.
The second unexpected signal came in the form of gamma rays, observed by NASA's Fermi telescope. The largest gamma-ray flare in OJ287 in six years coincided with the smaller black hole's interaction with the gas disk of the primary black hole. This interaction produced gamma rays, confirming a similar event that occurred in 2013.
Despite OJ 287 being extensively monitored since 1970, the one-day burst had not been observed before due to unlucky timing. The diligent monitoring by the team allowed its detection this time.
These findings make OJ 287 a prime candidate for a supermassive black hole pair generating gravitational waves in nano-hertz frequencies. Ongoing monitoring efforts by multiple observatories aim to gather further evidence of the presence of a supermassive black hole pair at the galaxy's center, including obtaining a radio image of the secondary jet.
OJ 287: The Double Black Hole System
The discovery on galaxy OJ 287, located 5 billion light-years away in the constellation Cancer, has confirmed it harbors two black holes-one supermassive and one smaller.
Although they appear as a single dot in telescope imagery, the black holes emit distinct electromagnetic signals, enabling astronomers to differentiate between them. According to the report of Live Science, the galaxy's emissions exhibit patterns with two separate cycles, implying two types of motion: the orbit of one black hole around the other and the gradual change in the orientation of that orbit.
The smaller black hole in OJ 287 has a mass approximately 150 million times that of the Sun. A significant flare occurred when this black hole acquired a fresh influx of gas, triggering the formation of a material jet emanating from it.
Subsequently, it passed through the accretion disk of the much larger black hole, which has a mass 18 billion times that of the Sun. The interaction between the jet and the disk generated a gamma-ray flare detected by the Fermi telescope.
These dual flares provide conclusive evidence that OJ 287 constitutes a binary black hole system, with the smaller black hole periodically traversing the gaseous disk surrounding its larger companion.
The research, titled "Refining the OJ 287 2022 Impact Flare Arrival Epoch," has been published in The Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
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