Resolving the Inner Structure of QSO Discs by Fold Caustic Crossing Events

Abstract

Though the bulk of the observed optical flux from the discs of intermediate-redshift lensed quasars is formed well outside the region of strong relativistic boosting and light-bending, relativistic effects have important influence on microlensing curves. The reason is in the divergent nature of amplification factors near fold caustics increasingly sensitive to small spatial size details. Higher-order disc images produced by strong light bending around the black hole may affect the amplification curves, making a contribution of up to several percent near maximum amplification. In accordance with theoretical predictions, some of the observed high-amplification events possess fine structure. Here we consider three putative caustic crossing events, one by SBS1520+530 and two events for individual images of the Einstein's cross (QSO J2237+0305). Using relativistic disc models allows to improve the fits, but the required inclinations are high, about 70deg or larger. Such high inclinations apparently contradict the absence of any strong absorption that is likely to arise if a disc is observed edge-on through a dust torus. Still, the high inclinations are required only for the central parts of the disc, that allows the disc itself to be initially tilted by 60-90deg with respect to the black hole and aligned toward the black hole equatorial plane near the last stable orbit radius. For SBS1520+530, an alternative explanation for the observed amplification curve is a superposition of two subsequent fold caustic crossings. While relativistic disc models favour black hole masses ~10^10 solar (several times higher than the virial estimates) or small Eddington ratios, this model is consistent with the observed distribution of galaxies over peculiar velocities only if the black hole mass is about 3 10^8 solar.