2011ApJ...743...81G

We present Chandra X-ray imaging and spectroscopy for 14 quasars in spatially resolved pairs targeted as part of a complete sample of binary quasars with small transverse separations drawn from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSSDR6) photometry. We measure the X-ray properties of all 14 QSOs, and study the distribution of X-ray and optical-to-X-ray power-law indices in these binary quasars. We find no significant difference when compared with large control samples of isolated quasars, true even for SDSS J1254+0846, discussed in detail in a companion paper, which clearly inhabits an ongoing, pre-coalescence galaxy merger showing obvious tidal tails. We present infrared photometry from our observations with SAO Wide-field InfraRed Camera at the MMT, and from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer Preliminary Data Release, and fit simple spectral energy distributions to all 14 QSOs. We find preliminary evidence that substantial contributions from star formation are required, but possibly no more so than for isolated X-ray-detected QSOs. Sensitive searches of the X-ray images for extended emission and the optical images for optical galaxy excess show that these binary QSOs–expected to occur in strong peaks of the dark matter distribution–are not preferentially found in rich cluster environments. While larger binary QSO samples with richer far-IR and submillimeter multiwavelength data might better reveal signatures of merging and triggering, optical color selection of QSO pairs may be biased against such signatures. X-ray and/or variability selection of QSO pairs, while challenging, should be attempted. We present in an Appendix a primer on X-ray flux and luminosity calculations.