Detecting intermediate-mass black holes in midiquasars with current and future surveys

Abstract

ABSTRACT The lack of detected intermediate-mass black holes poses a gap in our understanding of the growth and evolution of the most exotic of astrophysical objects. Here, we investigate the possibility of low-luminosity relativistic jets launched by intermediate-mass black holes in the centres of dwarf galaxies. We built population models that allow us to make predictions for their radio emission and quantify their detectability by current and future surveys. We find that the upcoming instruments in optical and radio like the SKA, ngVLA, and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory will likely be able to detect a significant fraction ($\gt 38{{\,\rm per\,cent}}$) of such sources population if they exist. In addition, our results suggest that it is not unlikely that a small number of midiquasars, possibly masquerading as low-luminosity active galactic nuclei, may have already been detected by existing surveys.