Monochromatic Continuum Luminosity Research Articles

The Seoul National University AGN Monitoring Project. II. BLR Size and Black Hole Mass of Two AGNs

Abstract Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) show a correlation between the size of the broad line region and the monochromatic continuum luminosity at 5100 Å, allowing black hole mass estimation based on single-epoch spectra. However, the validity of the correlation is yet to be clearly tested for high-luminosity AGNs. We present the first reverberation mapping results of the Seoul National University AGN Monitoring Project (SAMP), which is designed to focus on luminous AGNs for probing the high end of the size–luminosity relation. We report time lag measurements of two AGNs, namely, 2MASS J10261389+5237510 and SDSS J161911.24+501109.2, using the light curves obtained over an ∼1000 days period with an average cadence of 10 and 20 days, respectively, for photometry and spectroscopy monitoring. Based on a cross-correlation analysis and Hβ line width measurements, we determine the Hβ lag as 41.8 − 6.0 + 4.9 and 52.6 − 14.7 + 17.6 days in the observed frame, and black hole mass as 3.65 − 0.57 + 0.49 × 10 7 M ⊙ and 23.02 − 6.56 + 7.81 × 10 7 M ⊙ , respectively, for 2MASS J1026 and SDSS J1619.

A Catalog of Narrow Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 12

Abstract We present a new catalog of narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLSy1) galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 12 (SDSS DR12). This was obtained by a systematic analysis through modeling of the continuum and emission lines of the spectra of all the 68,859 SDSS DR12 objects that are classified as “QSO” by the SDSS spectroscopic pipeline with and a median signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) > 2 pixel−1. This catalog contains a total of 11,101 objects, which is about 5 times larger than the previously known NLSy1 galaxies. Their monochromatic continuum luminosity at 5100 Å is found to be strongly correlated with Hβ, Hα, and [O iii] emission line luminosities. The optical Fe ii strength in NLSy1 galaxies is about two times larger than the broad-line Seyfert 1 (BLSy1) galaxies. About 5% of the catalog sources are detected in the FIRST survey. The Eddington ratio ( ) of NLSy1 galaxies has an average of of −0.34, much higher than −1.03 found for BLSy1 galaxies. Their black hole masses ( ) have an average of of , which is less than BLSy1 galaxies, which have an average of of . The of NLSy1 galaxies is found to be correlated with their host galaxy velocity dispersion. Our analysis suggests that geometrical effects playing an important role in defining NLSy1 galaxies and their deficit is perhaps due to their lower inclination compared to BLSy1 galaxies.

AGN BROAD LINE REGIONS SCALE WITH BOLOMETRIC LUMINOSITY†

The masses of supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei (AGN) can be derived spectroscopically via virial mass estimators based on selected broad optical/ultraviolet emission lines. These estimates commonly use the line width as a proxy for the gas speed and the monochromatic continuum luminosity, λLλ, as a proxy for the radius of the broad line region. However, if the size of the broad line region scales with the bolometric AGN luminosity rather than λLλ, mass estimates based on different emission lines will show a systematic discrepancy which is a function of the color of the AGN continuum. This has actually been observed in mass estimates based on Hα/Hβ and Civ lines, indicating that AGN broad line regions indeed scale with bolometric luminosity. Given that this effect seems to have been overlooked as yet, currently used single-epoch mass estimates are likely to be biased.

SINGLE-EPOCH BLACK HOLE MASS ESTIMATORS FOR BROAD-LINE ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI: RECALIBRATING Hβ WITH A NEW APPROACH

Based on an updated Hbeta reverberation mapping (RM) sample of 44 nearby active galactic nuclei (AGN), we propose a novel approach for black hole (BH) mass estimation using two filtered luminosities computed from single-epoch (SE) AGN spectra around the Hbeta region. We found that the two optimal-filter luminosities extract virial information (size and virial velocity of the broad line region, BLR) from the spectra, justifying their usage in this empirical BH mass estimator. The major advantages of this new recipe over traditional SE BH mass estimators utilizing continuum luminosity and broad line width are: 1) it has a smaller intrinsic scatter of 0.28 dex calibrated against RM masses; 2) it is extremely simple to use in practice, without any need to decompose the spectrum; 3) it produces unambiguous and highly repeatable results even with low signal-to-noise spectra. The combination of the two luminosities can also cancel out, to some extent, systematic luminosity errors potentially introduced by uncertainties in distance or flux calibration. In addition, we recalibrated the traditional SE mass estimators using broad Hbeta full width at half maximum (FWHM) and monochromatic continuum luminosity at 5100A (L_5100). We found that using the best-fit slopes on FWHM and L_5100 (derived from fitting the BLR radius-luminosity relation and the correlation between rms line dispersion and SE FWHM, respectively) rather than simple assumptions (e.g., 0.5 for L_5100 and 2 for FWHM) leads to more precise SE mass estimates, improving the intrinsic scatter from 0.41 dex to 0.36 dex with respect to the RM masses. We compared different estimators and discussed their applications to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasar sample. Due to the limitations of the current RM sample, application of any SE recipe calibrated against RM masses to distant quasars should be treated with caution.

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF VIRIAL BLACK HOLE MASS ESTIMATES OF MODERATE-LUMINOSITY ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI USING SUBARU/FMOS

We present an analysis of broad emission lines observed in moderate-luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGNs), typical of those found in X-ray surveys of deep fields, with the aim to test the validity of single-epoch virial black hole mass estimates. We have acquired near-infrared (NIR) spectra of AGNs up to z ~ 1.8 in the COSMOS and Extended Chandra Deep Field-South Survey, with the Fiber Multi-Object Spectrograph (FMOS) mounted on the Subaru Telescope. These low-resolution NIR spectra provide a significant detection of the broad Halpha line that has been shown to be a reliable probe of black hole mass at low redshift. Our sample has existing optical spectroscopy which provides a detection of MgII, a broad emission line typically used for black hole mass estimation at z > 1. We carry out a spectral-line fitting procedure using both Halpha and MgII to determine the virial velocity of gas in the broad line region, the monochromatic continuum luminosity at 3000 A, and the total Halpha line luminosity. With a sample of 43 AGNs spanning a range of two decades in luminosity (i.e., L ~ 10^44-46 ergs/s), we find a tight correlation between the continuum and line luminosity with a distribution characterized by <log(L_3000/L_Halpha)> = 1.52 and a dispersion sigma = 0.16. There is also a close one-to-one relationship between the FWHM of Halpha and of MgII up to 10000 km/s with a dispersion of 0.14 in the distribution of the logarithm of their ratios. Both of these then lead to there being very good agreement between Halpha- and MgII-based masses over a wide range in black hole mass (i.e., M_BH ~ 10^7-9 M_sun). We do find a small offset in MgII-based masses, relative to those based on Halpha, of +0.17 dex and a dispersion sigma = 0.32. In general, these results demonstrate that local scaling relations, using MgII or Halpha, are applicable for AGN at moderate luminosities and up to z ~ 2.

The Central Engines of Narrow‐Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies

It has been suggested that narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s) are evolutionarily young objects, powered by accretion onto central black holes that are significantly lower in mass than those found in typical broad-line Seyfert galaxies. We explore this hypothesis through the analysis of high spatial resolution, near-IR imaging data. By employing the correlation between black hole mass and host galaxy bulge luminosity, we determine the mean black hole mass for our sample to be, in solar units, log(MBH) = 7.9. Using the correlation between the size of the broad-line region and the monochromatic continuum luminosity, we obtain black hole mass estimates under the assumption that the emission-line gas is in virial equilibrium. The mean black hole mass derived from this relation is log(MBH) = 6.4. We explore possible causes for this discrepancy in MBH estimates and the ramifications for our understanding of the role played by NLS1s in AGN evolution. Because numerical simulations constrain the start of the AGN duty cycle to a time shortly after a gravitational interaction, we examine the morphology and near-IR bulge colors of the NLS1 sample for evidence of recent encounters. The mean bulge color is found to be redder than that of both a matched sample of nonactive galaxies and published estimates for broad-line Seyfert galaxies. The source of the unusual bulge colors may be an excess of flux, peaking at 2.2 μm, that has been detected near the centers of some NLS1s. No evidence is found for light asymmetries or an extra stellar component that would indicate NLS1s are young objects. Finally, we postulate that there may be some interesting lines of circumstantial evidence suggesting that secular processes may be relevant in NLS1s.

On the Baldwin effect of He ii emission lines in WR (WN) stars

We investigate the relation between the equivalent width of He ii emission lines and the monochromatic continuum luminosity at the line wavelength in the spectra of Wolf-Rayet stars. Model stellar atmospheres and spectra are used to show that the equivalent width inversely correlates with the monochromatic continuum luminosity. We find the effect in Wolf-Rayet star models over a large range of stellar parameters. The effect is shown to be connected to density differences among Wolf-Rayet star winds. The conclusion is drawn that the Baldwin effect may provide a new method for the determination of Wolf-Rayet star distances.