Bibcode
Mezcua, M.; Lobanov, A. P.; Chavushyan, V. H.; León-Tavares, J.
Bibliographical reference
Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 527, id.A38
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3
2011
Journal
Citations
35
Refereed citations
32
Description
It has been suggested that the X-shaped morphology observed in some
radio sources can reflect either a recent merger of two supermassive
black holes (SMBHs) or the presence of a second active black hole in the
galactic nucleus. These scenarios are tested by studying the
relationship between the black hole mass, radio and optical luminosity,
starburst history, and dynamic age of radio lobes in a sample of 29
X-shaped radio galaxies drawn from a list of 100 X-shaped radio source
candidates identified from the FIRST survey. The same relationships are
also studied in a control sample consisting of 36 radio-loud active
nuclei with similar redshifts and optical and radio luminosities. The
X-shaped objects are found to have statistically higher black hole
masses and older starburst activity compared with the objects from the
control sample. Implications of these findings are discussed for the
black hole merger scenario and for the potential presence of active
secondary black holes in post-merger galaxies.