2025MNRAS.543.1816Z -
Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 543, 1816-1832 (2025/October-3)
Dynamical measurement of supermassive black hole masses: QPE timing method.
ZHOU C., PAN Z., JIANG N. and ZHAO W.
Abstract (from CDS):
Quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) are intense repeating soft X-ray bursts with recurrence times about a few hours to a few weeks from galactic nuclei. More and more analyses show that (at least a fraction of) QPEs are the result of collisions between a stellar mass object (SMO, a stellar mass black hole or a main-sequence star) and an accretion disc around a supermassive black hole (SMBH) in galactic nuclei. Previous studies have shown the possibility of reconstructing the SMO trajectory from QPE timing data, consequently measuring the SMBH mass from tracing a single SMO. In this paper, we construct a comprehensive Bayesian framework for implementing the QPE timing method, explore the optimal QPE observation strategy for measuring SMBH masses, and forecast the measurement precision expected in the era of multitarget X-ray telescope, Chasing All Transients Constellation Hunters (CATCH). Simulations of CATCH observations of GSN 069 and eRO-QPE2 like QPEs confirm the possible applications of the QPE timing method in precise measurement of SMBH masses (and spins), especially in the lower mass end ($\lesssim 10^7 \, \mathrm{M}_\odot$) where QPEs prevail and relevant dynamical time-scales are reasonably short to be measured.
Abstract Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Astronomical Society.
Journal keyword(s):
black hole physics - galaxies: active - quasars: supermassive black holes - transients: tidal disruption events
Simbad objects:
4
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