A close nuclear black-hole pair in the spiral galaxy NGC 3393

G. Fabbiano (), Junfeng Wang, M. Elvis and G. Risaliti
Additional contact information
G. Fabbiano: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA)
Junfeng Wang: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA)
M. Elvis: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA)
G. Risaliti: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA)

Nature, 2011, vol. 477, issue 7365, 431-434

Abstract: A brace of black holes Pairs of massive black holes or quasars, separated by less than the diameter of a galaxy, are predicted by most models of galaxy formation and growth, but only a few examples have been found. Now an active black-hole pair has been detected in a Chandra X-ray image, separated by only about 130 parsecs (430 light years), in the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 3393. The regular spiral morphology and predominantly old circumnuclear stellar population of this galaxy, and the closeness of the black holes embedded in the bulge, suggest that they are the result of a minor merger event.

Date: 2011
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DOI: 10.1038/nature10364

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