A massive binary black hole in 1928 + 738?

view Abstract Citations (122) References (10) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS A Massive Binary Black Hole in 1928+738? Roos, Nico ; Kaastra, Jelle S. ; Hummel, Christian A. Abstract We apply the binary black hole model to explain the wiggles in the milliarcsec radio jet of the superluminal quasar 1928+738 (4C 73. 18) observed with VLBI at 1. 3 cm wavelength by Hummel et al. The period and amplitude of the wiggles can be explained as due to the orbital motion of a binary black hole with mass of order 10⁸^ Mₛun_, mass ratio larger than 0. 1, and orbital radius ~10¹6^ cm. The jet's inclination to the line of sight should be small confirming the standard interpretation of superluminal motion and one-sidedness as due to relativistic motion in a direction close to the line of sight. The small orbital radius suggests that the binary has been losing a significant amount of orbital energy during the last 10⁷^ yr, possibly by interactIon with the matter which is flowing through the active galactic nucleus. The arcsec-scale radio structure provides additional support for a link between activity and binary evolution. If our interpretation of the mass wiggle in this quasar is correct, then many other quasars may contain massive binary black holes as well. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: May 1993 DOI: 10. 1086/172647 Bibcode: 1993ApJ. . . 409. . 130R Keywords: Black Holes (Astronomy) ; Interacting Galaxies; Quasars; Radio Jets (Astronomy) ; Very Long Base Interferometry; Galactic Nuclei; Gravitational Waves; Astrophysics; GALAXIES: INTERACTIONS; GALAXIES: QUASARS: INDIVIDUAL ALPHANUMERIC: 1928; 738; GALAXIES: JETS full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (3) NED (1)