Detection of quasi-periodic oscillation in the optical light curve of the blazar S5 0716+714

• Published in: Astrophysics and space science Vol. 368; no. 10; p. 88
• Main Authors: Haiyan, Yang, Xiefei, Song, Xiaopan, Li, Na, Jiang, Haitao, Yang, Yuhui, Luo, Li, Zhou, Yan, Cai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.10.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Accretion disks; Astrobiology; Astronomy; Astrophysics; Astrophysics and Astroparticles; Background noise; Black holes; Blazars; Confidence intervals; Cosmology; Gravitational waves; Light; Light curve; Observations and Techniques; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Pluto; Quasi-Periodic Oscillations; Space Exploration and Astronautics; Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics; Time series; Z transforms; BL Lacertae objects: individual: S5 0716+714; Method: time-series analysis; BL Lacertae objects: general
• ISSN: 0004-640X; 1572-946X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10509-023-04247-6

We report the detection of a quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) in the optical R -band light curve of the blazar S5 0716+714 spanning approximately 32 years. Using both the Weighted Wavelet Z-transform and Lomb-Scargle Periodogram methods, we identified a prominent QPO of 1060 ± 50 days at a 5 σ confidence level against the red noise background. Our findings align well with previous studies. We introduce a supermassive binary black hole (SMBBH) model to account for the observed QPO and estimate the binary system’s Keplerian orbit to be 0.0053 parsec, indicating S5 0716+714 as a notable subject for upcoming nanohertz gravitational wave studies.