NICER observations reveal doubled timescales in Ansky’s quasi-periodic eruptions
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) are recurring X-ray bursts originating from the vicinity of supermassive black holes, but their driving mechanisms remain under debate. This study analyzes new NICER observations of QPEs in Ansky (a transient event in the nucleus of the galaxy SDSS J1335+0728), taken between January and June 2025. By examining flare durations, peak-to-peak recurrence times, and profiles, we compare the 2025 data with those from 2024 to investigate changes in energy, timescales, and flare shapes. The 2025 QPEs are found to be four times more energetic, with recurrence times of approximately 10 days and flare durations ranging from 2.5 to 4 days, making them both about twice as long as in 2024. Additionally, the flare profiles have become more asymmetric, showing longer decays. We explore different theoretical scenarios to explain the observed properties of the QPEs in Ansky, including evolving stream–disk interactions in an extreme mass-ratio inspiral system as a potential mechanism behind the observed changes in recurrence time and energetics, while also considering alternative models based on mass transfer and accretion disk instabilities. Continued observational efforts will be crucial for unveiling the nature of Ansky.
Source: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Institutions: Millennium Institute of Astrophysics, Universidad Diego Portales, European Southern Observatory, European Southern Observatory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Adolfo Ibáñez University, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Centro de Astrobiología, University of Valparaíso, University of Geneva, Peking University, Goddard Space Flight Center, University of Chile
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,865
Awards: INSTITUTO MILENIO DE ASTROFISICA, EXTREME SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE ACCRETION, G1897041155, LINKING HYDRODYNAMICAL SIMULATIONS OF SUPER-MASSIVE BLACK HOLES WITH MULTI-WAVELENGTH OBSERVATIONS, G2329447088, G2428672771, NUCLEO MILENIO TECNOLOGIA Y INVESTIGACION TRANSVERSAL PARA ESTUDIAR AGUJEROS NEGROS, G3480869486, VARIABILITY STUDIES OF AGN IN THE ERA OF LARGE SURVEYS, G4066435496, G433322167, EXC 2094: ORIGINS: Vom Ursprung des Universums bis zu den ersten Bausteinen des Lebens, G464105488, G5080475149, ACCRETING SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES IN THE ERA OF MASSIVE VARIABILITY SURVEYS, G58316358, G6273510985, G7084143925, G7247002510, G7435450973, SPECTRO-TEMPORAL STUDIES OF AGN POPULATIONS, G8218432365, G8413755334, CENTRO DE ASTROFISICA Y TECNOLOGIAS AFINES (CATA)
OpenAlex ID: W4415716620