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

遥远宇宙中二元超大质量黑洞（SMBH，即重量超过太阳质量一百万倍的黑洞）的合并会产生最响亮的引力波警报。这些引力波可以用未来的空间和地面引力波观测站探测到。然而，探测这些引力波源的前景取决于SMBH双星的人口统计。在遥远的宇宙中寻找近距离的SMBH，合并SMBH的祖先群体，一直是观测上的挑战。该项目将利用一种新的方法来有效地搜索遥远宇宙中的近距离SMBH对。它将量化它们的丰度并研究它们的物理特性。这个程序将提供一个大样本的密切SMBH对。这个样本将帮助我们了解二元SMBH在最终合并过程中的形成和演化。该研究项目将推动SMBH领域的发展。它还将在课堂和公共教育中传播知识方面创造社会价值，并专门开展推广计划，以促进科学的多样性。该项目旨在在星系碰撞后在遥远的宇宙中寻找罕见的近距离分离的SMBH对。提出了一种新的方法来检测来自一对SMBH的光质心的抖动。如果两个SMBH都在吸积物质，它们将产生一对类星体。由于这对类星体的随机变化，（未解析的）系统的光质心将在天空中显示出一个小的抖动。这种抖动可以通过盖亚卫星的精确位置测量来检测。使用盖亚数据选择的候选者将被跟踪，以确认双重类星体的性质。该项目将产生第一个大样本的远距离双SMBH在近距离分离。此外，它将对遥远宇宙中的双重SMBH的演化产生关键约束。 该奖项旨在解决/推进Windows on the Universe Big Idea的目标。该奖项反映了NSF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.