Abstract
We report the discovery of SDSS J0849+1114 as the first known triple Type 2 Seyfert nucleus. It represents three active black holes that are identified from new spatially resolved optical slit spectroscopy using the Dual Imaging Spectrograph on the 3.5 m telescope at the Apache Point Observatory. We also present new complementary observations including the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 U- and Y-band imaging, Chandra Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer S-array X-ray 0.5-8 keV imaging spectroscopy, and NSF Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array radio 9.0 GHz imaging in its most extended A configuration. These comprehensive multiwavelength observations, when combined together, strongly suggest that all three nuclei are active galactic nuclei. While they are now still at kiloparsec-scale separations, where the host-galaxy gravitational potential dominates, the black holes may evolve into a bound triple system in ≲2 Gyr. These triple merger systems may explain the overly massive stellar cores that have been observed in some elliptical galaxies such as M87, which are expected to be unique gravitational wave sources. Similar systems may be more common in the early universe, when galaxy mergers are thought to have been more frequent.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 90 |
| Journal | Astrophysical Journal |
| Volume | 887 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 10 2019 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Space and Planetary Science
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In: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 887, No. 1, 90, 10.12.2019.
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}
TY - JOUR
T1 - A Trio of Massive Black Holes Caught in the Act of Merging
AU - Liu, Xin
AU - Hou, Meicun
AU - Li, Zhiyuan
AU - Nyland, Kristina
AU - Guo, Hengxiao
AU - Kong, Minzhi
AU - Shen, Yue
AU - Wrobel, Joan M.
AU - Peng, Sijia
N1 - Funding Information: Xin Liu Meicun Hou Zhiyuan Li Kristina Nyland Hengxiao Guo Minzhi Kong Yue Shen Joan M. Wrobel Sijia Peng Xin Liu Meicun Hou Zhiyuan Li Kristina Nyland Hengxiao Guo Minzhi Kong Yue Shen Joan M. Wrobel Sijia Peng Department of Astronomy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 605 East Springfield Avenue, Champaign, IL 61820, USA School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210046, People’s Republic of China Key Laboratory of Modern Astronomy and Astrophysics (Nanjing University), Ministry of Education, Nanjing 210046, People’s Republic of China National Research Council, resident at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20375, USA Department of Physics, Hebei Normal University, No. 20 East of South 2nd Ring Road, Shijiazhuang 050024, People’s Republic of China National Radio Astronomy Observatory, P.O. Box 0, Socorro, NM 87801, USA Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow. Xin Liu, Meicun Hou, Zhiyuan Li, Kristina Nyland, Hengxiao Guo, Minzhi Kong, Yue Shen, Joan M. Wrobel and Sijia Peng 2019-12-10 2019-12-13 09:06:46 cgi/release: Article released bin/incoming: New from .zip yes We report the discovery of SDSS�J0849+1114 as the first known triple Type 2 Seyfert nucleus. It represents three active black holes that are identified from new spatially resolved optical slit spectroscopy using the Dual Imaging Spectrograph on the 3.5 m telescope at the Apache Point Observatory. We also present new complementary observations including the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 U - and Y -band imaging, Chandra Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer S-array X-ray 0.5–8 keV imaging spectroscopy, and NSF Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array radio 9.0 GHz imaging in its most extended A configuration. These comprehensive multiwavelength observations, when combined together, strongly suggest that all three nuclei are active galactic nuclei. While they are now still at kiloparsec-scale separations, where the host-galaxy gravitational potential dominates, the black holes may evolve into a bound triple system in ≲2 Gyr. These triple merger systems may explain the overly massive stellar cores that have been observed in some elliptical galaxies such as M87, which are expected to be unique gravitational wave sources. Similar systems may be more common in the early universe, when galaxy mergers are thought to have been more frequent. � 2019. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Abazajian K. N., Adelman-McCarthy J. K., Agüeros M. A. et al 2009 ApJS 182 543 10.1088/0067-0049/182/2/543 Abazajian K. N., Adelman-McCarthy J. K., Agüeros M. A. et al ApJS 0067-0049 182 2 543 2009 543 Amaro-Seoane P., Sesana A., Hoffman L. et al 2010 MNRAS 402 2308 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2009.16104.x Amaro-Seoane P., Sesana A., Hoffman L. et al MNRAS 0035-8711 402 2010 2308 Baldwin J. A., Phillips M. 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PY - 2019/12/10
Y1 - 2019/12/10
N2 - We report the discovery of SDSS J0849+1114 as the first known triple Type 2 Seyfert nucleus. It represents three active black holes that are identified from new spatially resolved optical slit spectroscopy using the Dual Imaging Spectrograph on the 3.5 m telescope at the Apache Point Observatory. We also present new complementary observations including the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 U- and Y-band imaging, Chandra Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer S-array X-ray 0.5-8 keV imaging spectroscopy, and NSF Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array radio 9.0 GHz imaging in its most extended A configuration. These comprehensive multiwavelength observations, when combined together, strongly suggest that all three nuclei are active galactic nuclei. While they are now still at kiloparsec-scale separations, where the host-galaxy gravitational potential dominates, the black holes may evolve into a bound triple system in ≲2 Gyr. These triple merger systems may explain the overly massive stellar cores that have been observed in some elliptical galaxies such as M87, which are expected to be unique gravitational wave sources. Similar systems may be more common in the early universe, when galaxy mergers are thought to have been more frequent.
AB - We report the discovery of SDSS J0849+1114 as the first known triple Type 2 Seyfert nucleus. It represents three active black holes that are identified from new spatially resolved optical slit spectroscopy using the Dual Imaging Spectrograph on the 3.5 m telescope at the Apache Point Observatory. We also present new complementary observations including the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 U- and Y-band imaging, Chandra Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer S-array X-ray 0.5-8 keV imaging spectroscopy, and NSF Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array radio 9.0 GHz imaging in its most extended A configuration. These comprehensive multiwavelength observations, when combined together, strongly suggest that all three nuclei are active galactic nuclei. While they are now still at kiloparsec-scale separations, where the host-galaxy gravitational potential dominates, the black holes may evolve into a bound triple system in ≲2 Gyr. These triple merger systems may explain the overly massive stellar cores that have been observed in some elliptical galaxies such as M87, which are expected to be unique gravitational wave sources. Similar systems may be more common in the early universe, when galaxy mergers are thought to have been more frequent.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85077309652&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85077309652&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3847/1538-4357/ab54c3
DO - 10.3847/1538-4357/ab54c3
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85077309652
SN - 0004-637X
VL - 887
JO - Astrophysical Journal
JF - Astrophysical Journal
IS - 1
M1 - 90
ER -