The Quasar Proximity Effect as an Alternative Probe of Quasar Pair Distances
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| _version_ | 1866914474977394688 |
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| author | Chen, Huanqing Avestruz, Camille Wiest, Jakob |
| author_facet | Chen, Huanqing Avestruz, Camille Wiest, Jakob |
| contents | Recently discovered quasar pairs at high redshifts ($z\gtrsim$5) are likely precursors to supermassive black hole mergers, providing a promising window to high redshift quasar growth mechanisms. However, the large uncertainties on their relative distances along the line-of-sight ($d_{\rm l.o.s.}$) limits our ability to characterize quasar pairs. In this study, we explore synthetic quasar proximity zone spectra as an alternative method to constrain the line-of-sight distance of quasar pairs. We find that for small sky-plane separations ($d_{\rm sky}\approx 10-100$ pkpc), a simple peak finding algorithm can easily distinguish between scenarios of $d_{\rm l.o.s.} \lesssim1$ pMpc and $\gtrsim1$ pMpc. For cases where the true $d_{\rm l.o.s.} \geq 3$ pMpc, the accuracy of $d_{\rm l.o.s.}$ estimation is $\approx 0.2$ pMpc. Large sky-plane separations of $d_{\rm sky}=1$ pMpc have larger absolute uncertainties in $d_{\rm l.o.s.}$ estimates, but the method can still easily distinguish between scenarios where $d_{\rm l.o.s.}\lesssim4$ pMpc and $\gtrsim4$ pMpc. $d_{\rm l.o.s.}$ estimates have an uncertainty of $\approx$0.5 pMpc when true $d_{\rm l.o.s.} \gtrsim4$ pMpc. Our proof-of-concept study illustrates the potential use of quasar proximity zones to constrain the 3-dimensional quasar pair configuration, providing an avenue to characterize quasar pairs. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_11269 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | The Quasar Proximity Effect as an Alternative Probe of Quasar Pair Distances Chen, Huanqing Avestruz, Camille Wiest, Jakob Astrophysics of Galaxies Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics Recently discovered quasar pairs at high redshifts ($z\gtrsim$5) are likely precursors to supermassive black hole mergers, providing a promising window to high redshift quasar growth mechanisms. However, the large uncertainties on their relative distances along the line-of-sight ($d_{\rm l.o.s.}$) limits our ability to characterize quasar pairs. In this study, we explore synthetic quasar proximity zone spectra as an alternative method to constrain the line-of-sight distance of quasar pairs. We find that for small sky-plane separations ($d_{\rm sky}\approx 10-100$ pkpc), a simple peak finding algorithm can easily distinguish between scenarios of $d_{\rm l.o.s.} \lesssim1$ pMpc and $\gtrsim1$ pMpc. For cases where the true $d_{\rm l.o.s.} \geq 3$ pMpc, the accuracy of $d_{\rm l.o.s.}$ estimation is $\approx 0.2$ pMpc. Large sky-plane separations of $d_{\rm sky}=1$ pMpc have larger absolute uncertainties in $d_{\rm l.o.s.}$ estimates, but the method can still easily distinguish between scenarios where $d_{\rm l.o.s.}\lesssim4$ pMpc and $\gtrsim4$ pMpc. $d_{\rm l.o.s.}$ estimates have an uncertainty of $\approx$0.5 pMpc when true $d_{\rm l.o.s.} \gtrsim4$ pMpc. Our proof-of-concept study illustrates the potential use of quasar proximity zones to constrain the 3-dimensional quasar pair configuration, providing an avenue to characterize quasar pairs. |
| title | The Quasar Proximity Effect as an Alternative Probe of Quasar Pair Distances |
| topic | Astrophysics of Galaxies Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.11269 |