Intermediate-Mass Black Holes

Abstract

We describe ongoing searches for intermediate-mass black holes with MBH≈ 10–105M⊙. We review a range of search mechanisms, both dynamical and those that rely on accretion signatures. We find the following conclusions: ▪ Dynamical and accretion signatures alike point to a high fraction of 109–1010M⊙galaxies hosting black holes with MBH∼ 105M⊙. In contrast, there are no solid detections of black holes in globular clusters. ▪ There are few observational constraints on black holes in any environment with MBH≈ 100–104M⊙. ▪ Considering low-mass galaxies with dynamical black hole masses and constraining limits, we find that the MBH–σ*relation continues unbroken to MBH∼105M⊙, albeit with large scatter. We believe the scatter is at least partially driven by a broad range in black hole masses, because the occupation fraction appears to be relatively high in these galaxies. ▪ We fold the observed scaling relations with our empirical limits on occupation fraction and the galaxy mass function to put observational bounds on the black hole mass function in galaxy nuclei. ▪ We are pessimistic that local demographic observations of galaxy nuclei alone could constrain seeding mechanisms, although either high-redshift luminosity functions or robust measurements of off-nuclear black holes could begin to discriminate models.