2025/04/08 by Ajay Sharma, Sharma, Ajay, Raj Prince +3 · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena #FOS: Physical sciences #High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE) #Neutrino Physics Research #Radioactive Decay and Measurement Techniques
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2504.05867
openalex publication_date 2025/04/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We report the detection of a potential quasi-periodic signal with a period of ∼2 years in the blazar ON 246, based on Fermi-LAT (γ-rays) and ASAS-SN (optical) observations spanning 11.5 years (MJD 55932-60081). We applied various techniques to investigate periodic signatures in the light curves, including the Lomb-Scargle periodogram (LSP), Weighted Wavelet Z-transform (WWZ), and REDFIT. The significance of the signals detected in LSP and WWZ was assessed using two independent approaches: Monte Carlo simulations and red noise modeling. Our analysis revealed a dominant peak in the γ-ray and optical light curves, with a significance level exceeding 3σ in both LSP and WWZ, consistently persisting throughout the observation period. Additionally, the REDFIT analysis confirmed the presence of a quasi-periodic signal at ∼0.00134 day-1 with a 99% confidence threshold. To explain the observed quasi-periodic variations in γ-ray and optical emissions, we explored various potential physical mechanisms. Our analysis suggests that the detected periodicity could originate from a supermassive binary black hole (SMBBH) system or the jet-induced orbital motion within such a system. Based on variability characteristics, we estimated the black hole mass of ON 246. The study suggests that the mass lies within the range of approximately (0.142 - 8.22) × 109 M\odot.