Shanghai Astronomical Observatory Astrophysics Colloquium

Title:OJ 287: Potential Rosetta Stone for the Nascent Multi-Messenger nano-Hz GW Astronomy

Speaker:Prof. A. Gopakumar (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research)

Time: 3:00 PM, Thursday, May 21th

Tencent Meeting:46822606747 password: 6360

Location: Lecture Hall, 3rd floor

Abstract：Recent observational campaigns and theoretical investigations strongly indicate the presence of a spinning supermassive black hole binary that spirals inward due to the emission of nano-Hertz gravitational waves in the bright blazar OJ 287. I will briefly describe these efforts, focusing on our August 2019 observations and their implications. Additionally, I will outline our ongoing efforts relevant to (i) the Event Horizon Telescope, and GMVA consortia, and (ii) the International Pulsar Timing Array consortium, which aims to detect gravitational waves from such massive black hole systems in the near future. These efforts should help enable persistent multi-messenger nano-Hertz gravitational-wave astronomy in the Square Kilometre Array era.

CV：A. Gopakumar is a Professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India. His research centers on gravitational waves and the general relativistic aspects of black hole binaries. Beyond his core research, he is a founding member of the Indian Pulsar Timing Array (InPTA) and serves on the International Advisory and Evaluation Committee of the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC), Beijing, China.