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

在遥远的宇宙中，二元超大质量黑洞(SMBH，即质量超过太阳100万倍的黑洞)的合并产生了最大的引力波警报。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SMBH的人口学。在遥远的宇宙中寻找近距离的SMBH对，这是合并SMBH的先驱群体，一直是观测上的挑战。这个项目将利用一种新的方法来有效地在遥远的宇宙中搜索接近的SMBH对。它将量化它们的丰度，并研究它们的物理性质。该计划将提供接近的SMBH对的大样本。这个样本将帮助我们理解双星SMBH的形成和演化，它们在走向最终融合的过程中。本课题的研究将对SMBHs领域的发展起到推动作用。它还将在课堂和公共教育中传播知识方面创造社会价值，以及促进科学多样性的专门外联计划。该项目旨在寻找银河系碰撞后遥远宇宙中罕见的、近距离分离的SMBH对。它将开发一种新的方法来检测一对SMBH光质心中的抖动。如果两个SMBH都是吸积物质，它们就会产生一对类星体。由于来自两个类星体的非同步随机变化，(未分辨的)系统的光质心将在天空中显示出小的抖动。这种抖动可以通过盖亚卫星的精确位置测量来检测到。使用GAIA数据选择的候选人将被跟踪，以确认双类星体的性质。该项目将在近距离产生第一个大样本的远距离双SMBH。此外，它将对遥远宇宙中双SMBH的演化产生关键的制约作用。这一奖项致力于/推进宇宙之窗的目标。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.