Varstrometry for Off-nucleus and Dual (sub)Kpc Active Galactic Nuclei

在遥远的宇宙中，双超大质量黑洞（SMBHs，即质量超过太阳一百万倍的黑洞）的合并会产生最响亮的引力波警报器。未来的空间和地面引力波观测站都可以探测到这些引力波。然而，探测这些引力波源的前景取决于双星SMBHs的人口统计。在遥远的宇宙中寻找近距离的SMBHs对，即合并SMBHs的祖先群体，在观测上一直具有挑战性。这个项目将利用一种新的方法在遥远的宇宙中有效地搜索接近的SMBH对。它将量化它们的丰度并研究它们的物理性质。该计划将提供大量接近的SMBH对样本。这个样本将帮助我们了解双黑洞在最终合并过程中的形成和演化。该研究项目将推动SMBHs领域的发展。它还将在课堂和公共教育中传播知识，以及为促进科学多样性而专门开展的外展项目方面创造社会价值。该项目旨在在星系碰撞后的遥远宇宙中寻找罕见的、距离近的SMBHs对。提出了一种检测双黑洞光质心抖动的新方法。如果两个SMBHs都在吸积物质，它们就会产生一对类星体。由于来自两个类星体的异步随机变化，（未解析的）系统的光质心将在天空中显示一个小的抖动。这种抖动可以通过盖亚卫星的精确位置测量检测到。使用盖亚数据选出的候选者将被跟踪以确认双类星体的性质。该项目将在近距离产生第一个远距离双SMBHs大样本。此外，它将为遥远宇宙中双SMBHs的演化提供关键约束。该奖项旨在解决/推进宇宙之窗大构想的目标。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The mergers of binary supermassive black holes (SMBHs, that is, black holes that weigh more than one million times the mass of the Sun) in the distant Universe produce the loudest gravitational wave sirens. These gravitational waves are detectable with future space- and ground-based gravitational wave observatories. The prospects of detecting these gravitational wave sources, however, depend on the demography of binary SMBHs. Finding close pairs of SMBHs in the distant Universe, the progenitor population of merging SMBHs, has been observationally challenging. This project will utilize a new method to efficiently search for close SMBH pairs in the distant Universe. It will quantify their abundance and study their physical properties. This program will provide a large sample of close SMBH pairs. This sample will help us understand the formation and evolution of binary SMBHs on their journey towards final coalescence. This research project will advance the field of SMBHs. It will also create societal values in terms of the dissemination of knowledge in classrooms and public education, as well as dedicated outreach programs to promote diversity in science.This project aims to search for rare, close-separation pairs of SMBHs in the distant Universe following galaxy collisions. It will develop a novel method to detect the jitter in the light centroid from a pair of SMBHs. If both SMBHs are accreting matter they will produce a pair of quasars. Due to the asynchronized random variability from both quasars in the pair, the light centroid of the (unresolved) system will display a small jitter on the sky. This jitter can be detected by precise positional measurements from the Gaia satellite. Candidates selected using Gaia data will be followed up to confirm the dual quasar nature. This project will produce the first large sample of distant dual SMBHs at close separations. Furthermore, it will enable crucial constraints on the evolution of dual SMBHs in the distant Universe. This award addresses/advances the goals of the Windows on the Universe Big Idea.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.