Current observations are insufficient to confidently associate the binary black hole merger GW190521 with AGN J124942.3+344929

Understand

Recently, Graham et al.

• (2020) identified ZTF19abanrhr as a candidate electromagnetic counterpart to the binary black hole merger GW190521.
• The authors argue that the observations are consistent with a kicked binary black hole interacting with the accretion disk of the activate galactic nucleus AGN J124942.3+344929.
• If a real association (rather than happenstance), this has implications for the sources of LIGO/Virgo binary mergers, future prospects for electromagnetic counterparts, and measurements of the expansion rate of the Universe.