Time series analysis of active galactic nuclei: The case of Arp 102B, 3C 390.3, NGC 5548 and NGC 4051

Abstract

We used the Z-transformed Discrete Correlation Function (ZDCF) and the Stochastic Process Estimation for AGN Reverberation (SPEAR) methods for the time series analysis of the continuum and the Hα and Hβ line fluxes of a sample of well known type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs): Arp 102B, 3C 390.3, NGC 5548, and NGC 4051, where the first two objects are showing double-peaked emission line profiles. The aim of this work is to compare the time lag measurements from these two methods, and check if there is a connection with other emission line properties. We found that the obtained time lags from Hβ are larger than those derived from the Hα analysis for Arp 102B, 3C 390.3 and NGC 5548. This may indicate that the Hβ line originates at larger radii in these objects. Moreover, we found that the ZDCF and SPEAR time lags are highly correlated (r∼0.87), and that the error ranges of both ZDCF and SPEAR time lags are correlated with the FWHM of used emission lines (r∼0.7). This increases the uncertainty of the black hole mass estimates using the virial theorem for AGNs with broader lines.