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A Statistical Method for Detecting Gravitational Recoils of Supermassive Black Holes in Active Galactic Nuclei

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2017

P. Raffai ,
B. Bécsy ,
Z. Haiman  and
Z. Frei
P. Raffai*
Affiliation:
Institute of Physics, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary MTA-ELTE EIRSA ”Lendület” Astrophysics Research Group, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
B. Bécsy
Affiliation:
Institute of Physics, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary MTA-ELTE EIRSA ”Lendület” Astrophysics Research Group, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
Z. Haiman
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
Z. Frei
Affiliation:
Institute of Physics, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary MTA-ELTE EIRSA ”Lendület” Astrophysics Research Group, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
*
†E-mail: praffai@caesar.elte.hu
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Abstract

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We propose an observational test for gravitationally recoiling supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei, based on a positive correlation between the velocities of black holes relative to their host galaxies, |Δv|, and their obscuring dust column densities, Σdust, both measured along the line of sight. Our findings using a set of toy models implemented to a Monte Carlo simulation imply that models of the galactic centre and of recoil dynamics can be tested by future observations of the potential Σdust–|Δv| correlation. We have also found that the fraction of obscured quasars decreases with |Δv|, for which the predicted trend can be compared to the observed fraction of type II quasars, and can further test combinations of models we may implement.

Keywords

black hole physicsgalaxies: activegalaxies: nucleimethods: statistical

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