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Black holes in active galactic nuclei

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 January 2010

M. J. Valtonen ,
S. Mikkola ,
D. Merritt ,
A. Gopakumar ,
H. J. Lehto ,
T. Hyvönen ,
H. Rampadarath ,
R. Saunders ,
M. Basta  and
R. Hudec
M. J. Valtonen
Affiliation:
Tuorla Observatory, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, 21500 Piikkiö, Finland
S. Mikkola
Affiliation:
Tuorla Observatory, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, 21500 Piikkiö, Finland
D. Merritt
Affiliation:
Centre for Computational Relativity and Gravitation, Rochester Institute of Technology, 78 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
A. Gopakumar
Affiliation:
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai 400005, India Theoretisch-Physikalisches Institut, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Max-Wien-Platz 1, 07743 Jena, Germany
H. J. Lehto
Affiliation:
Tuorla Observatory, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, 21500 Piikkiö, Finland
T. Hyvönen
Affiliation:
Tuorla Observatory, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, 21500 Piikkiö, Finland
H. Rampadarath
Affiliation:
Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE), Postbus 2, 7990 AA Dwingeloo, The Netherlands Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9513, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
R. Saunders
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago
M. Basta
Affiliation:
Astronomical Institute, Academy of Sciences, Fricova 298, 25165 Ondrejov, Czech Republic
R. Hudec
Affiliation:
Astronomical Institute, Academy of Sciences, Fricova 298, 25165 Ondrejov, Czech Republic Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Technick 2, 166 27 Praha 6, Czech Republic
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Abstract

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Supermassive black holes are common in centers of galaxies. Among the active galaxies, quasars are the most extreme, and their black hole masses range as high as to 6⋅1010M⊙. Binary black holes are of special interest but so far OJ287 is the only confirmed case with known orbital elements. In OJ287, the binary nature is confirmed by periodic radiation pulses. The period is twelve years with two pulses per period. The last four pulses have been correctly predicted with the accuracy of few weeks, the latest in 2007 with the accuracy of one day. This accuracy is high enough that one may test the higher order terms in the Post Newtonian approximation to General Relativity. The precession rate per period is 39°.1 ± 0°.1, by far the largest rate in any known binary, and the (1.83 ± 0.01)⋅1010M⊙ primary is among the dozen biggest black holes known. We will discuss the various Post Newtonian terms and their effect on the orbit solution. The over 100 year data base of optical variations in OJ287 puts limits on these terms and thus tests the ability of Einstein's General Relativity to describe, for the first time, dynamic binary black hole spacetime in the strong field regime. The quadrupole-moment contributions to the equations of motion allows us to constrain the ‘no-hair’ parameter to be 1.0 ± 0.3 which supports the black hole no-hair theorem within the achievable precision.

Keywords

gravitation — relativity — quasars: general — quasars: individual (OJ287) — black hole physics — BL Lacertae objects: individual (OJ287)
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 5 , Symposium S261: Relativity in Fundamental Astronomy: Dynamics, Reference Frames, and Data Analysis , April 2009 , pp. 260 - 268
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2010

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