Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2008-07-11
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Accepted for publication in Nature, 3 pages, 3 figures
Scientific paper
Active galactic nuclei and quasars are thought to be scaled up versions of Galactic black hole binaries, powered by accretion onto supermassive black holes with masses of 10^6-10^9 M_Sun, as opposed to the ~10 M_Sun in binaries. One example of the similarities between these two types of systems is the characteristic rapid X-ray variability seen from the accretion flow. The power spectrum of this variability in black hole binaries consists of a broad, band-limited noise with multiple quasi-periodic oscillations superimposed, where power is concentrated over a narrow range of frequencies. Although the broad noise component has been observed in many active galactic nuclei, there are no significant detections of quasi-periodic oscillations. Here we report the discovery of a ~1h X-ray periodicity in a bright active galaxy RE J1034+396. The signal is highly statistically significant (at the 5.6 sigma level) and very coherent, with quality factor Q > 16. This reinforces the link between stellar and supermassive black holes, emphasizing the universal properties of accretion onto objects with very different masses. The X-ray modulation arises from the direct vicinity of the black hole, so this provides a new tool for studying active galactic nuclei.
Done Chris
Gierlinski Marek
Middleton Matthew
Ward Martin
No associations
LandOfFree
A ~1-hour X-ray periodicity in an active galaxy RE J1034+396 does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with A ~1-hour X-ray periodicity in an active galaxy RE J1034+396, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and A ~1-hour X-ray periodicity in an active galaxy RE J1034+396 will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-576313