Skip to main content

Quasars with Periodic Variability in Time Domain Surveys

Quasars with Periodic Variability in Time Domain Surveys

Wednesday, February 28, 2024 at 4:00 pm
Weniger 304
Dr. Caitlin Witt from Northwestern University/ Adler Planetarium

Supermassive black hole binaries lurk, often unseen, in the centers of post-merger galaxies, and numerous electromagnetic surveys are seeking evidence of these dynamic duos’ effects on their host galaxies. Independently, recently discovered evidence for the nanohertz gravitational wave background is opening possibilities for GW studies of SMBHBs. In addition to these exciting possibilities, we now know that combining these two methods to use multi-messenger techniques allows us to learn more about these binaries compared to using one messenger alone. I’ll discuss the capabilities of promising methods to search for electromagnetic signatures of supermassive black hole binaries through simulations of current and future time domain surveys, including the Catalina Real-Time Transient Survey (CRTS) and the upcoming Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). I’ll also discuss the promising implications this work has on the possibilities for multi-messenger astrophysics through partnerships with pulsar timing arrays.

Jeff Hazboun