The Peculiar Optical Spectrum of 4C+22.25: Imprint of a Massive Black Hole Binary?

We report the discovery of peculiar features in the optical spectrum of 4C+22.25, a flat spectrum radio quasar at z = 0.4183 observed in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and in a dedicated spectroscopic follow-up from the Nordic Optical Telescope. The H{beta} and H{alpha} lines show broad profiles (FWHM...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Astrophysical journal. Letters 2010-09, Vol.720 (1), p.L93-L96
Main Authors: Decarli, R, Dotti, M, Montuori, C, Liimets, T, Ederoclite, A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
BLACK HOLES
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
EMISSION
QUASARS
SPECTRA
TELESCOPES
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Summary:We report the discovery of peculiar features in the optical spectrum of 4C+22.25, a flat spectrum radio quasar at z = 0.4183 observed in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and in a dedicated spectroscopic follow-up from the Nordic Optical Telescope. The H{beta} and H{alpha} lines show broad profiles (FWHM {approx} 12,000 km s{sup -1}), faint fluxes, and extreme offsets ({Delta}v = 8700 {+-} 1300 km s{sup -1}) with respect to the narrow emission lines. These features show no significant variation in a time lag of {approx}3.1 yr (rest frame). We rule out possible interpretations based on the superposition of two sources or on recoiling black holes, and discuss the virtues and limitations of a massive black hole binary scenario.
ISSN:2041-8205
2041-8213
DOI:10.1088/2041-8205/720/1/L93