Widths Of Broad Emission Lines Research Articles

Exploring mass measurements of supermassive black holes in AGN using GAMA photometry and spectroscopy

Abstract In the era of massive photometric surveys, we explore several approaches to estimate the masses of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in active galactic nuclei (AGN) from optical ground-based imaging, in each case comparing to the independent SMBH mass measurement obtained from spectroscopic data. We select a case-study sample of 28 type 1 AGN hosted by nearby galaxies from the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey. We perform multi-component spectral decomposition, extract the AGN component and calculate the SMBH mass from the broad Hα emission line width and luminosity. The photometric g and i band data is decomposed into AGN+spheroid(+disc)(+bar) components with careful surface brightness fitting. From these, the SMBH mass is estimated using its relation with the spheroid Sérsic index or effective radius (both used for the first time on ground-based optical imaging of AGN); and the more widely used scaling relations based on bulge or galaxy stellar mass. We find no correlation between the Hα-derived SMBH masses and those based on the spheroid Sérsic index or effective radius, despite these being the most direct methods involving only one scaling relation. The bulge or galaxy stellar mass based methods both yield significant correlations, although with considerable scatter and, in the latter case, a systematic offset. We provide possible explanations for this and discuss the requirements, advantages and drawbacks of each method. These considerations will be useful to optimise stategies for upcoming high quality ground-based and space-borne sky surveys to estimate SMBH masses in large numbers of AGN.

P‐147: Highly Efficient Pure Blue ZnSeTe Based Quantum Dot Light Emitting Diodes with Top‐emitting Structure

The application of non‐Cd quantum dots in future display technologies is promising due to their environmental friendliness. However, their low efficiency and broad emission linewidth limit their practical usage. Here, we report the fabrication of ZnSeTe quantum dots based blue light emitting diode (QLED) with different amounts of Te doping and top‐emitting structure. By regulating the thickness of the electron transport layer, we achieve electrical and optical balance control in QLED. Ultimately, we obtain a blue QLED with a emission wavelength of 461 nm, a current efficiency of 5.8 cd/A and a pure blue chromaticity coordinates of (0.13, 0.08).

High-Precision Microdisk Laser Particles by Active Photoelectrochemical Etching for Cell Barcoding

To study the spatio-temporal evolution of individual cells in an intact tissue or other specific microenvironment, organic fluorophores are widely used. Owing to the broad emission linewidth (full width at half maximum exceeding 50 nm) of the organic fluorophore molecules, only limited number of fluorophores with non-overlapping spectral signatures can be simultaneously observed on the spectral range of the spectrometer. Thus there is a need of optical probes of deterministic colors with non-overlapping narrow spectral signatures. In the recent past, a new class of biophotonic tool – called laser particles – has emerged, which is unique in terms of its narrow spectral linewidth arising from lasing. In the previous studies, however, the lasing wavelength of the individual laser particles has been random. In this presentation, we shall report the first step towards addressing this, by demonstrating fabrication of InGaAsP microdisk laser particles by active photoelectrochemical etching to lase in distinct deterministic narrow-band “colors”. The experimental pathway supported by a theoretical model to explain the results, would be presented. By careful choice of the material system coupled with the design of the disk geometry, we were able to demonstrate multiple unique “color bands” of single-mode lasing of all microdisks simultaneously emitting in the same narrow spectral band. Transferring these wavelength-tuned microdisks onto a PDMS substrate, we create free-standing precision laser particles. This technology could potentially open up a viable avenue to simultaneously identify and image over 20 unique biomarkers in the same spectral bandwidth as currently provided by 4 organic fluorophores.

The SDSS-V Black Hole Mapper Reverberation Mapping Project: Unusual Broad-line Variability in a Luminous Quasar

We present a high-cadence multiepoch analysis of dramatic variability of three broad emission lines (Mg ii, Hβ, and Hα) in the spectra of the luminous quasar (λ L λ (5100 Å) = 4.7 × 1044 erg s−1) SDSS J141041.25+531849.0 at z = 0.359 with 127 spectroscopic epochs over nine years of monitoring (2013–2022). We observe anticorrelations between the broad emission-line widths and flux in all three emission lines, indicating that all three broad emission lines “breathe” in response to stochastic continuum variations. We also observe dramatic radial velocity shifts in all three broad emission lines, ranging from Δv ∼ 400 km s−1 to ∼800 km s−1, that vary over the course of the monitoring period. Our preferred explanation for the broad-line variability is complex kinematics in the gas in the broad-line region. We suggest a model for the broad-line variability that includes a combination of gas inflow with a radial gradient, an azimuthal asymmetry (e.g., a hot spot), superimposed on the stochastic flux-driven changes to the optimal emission region (“line breathing”). Similar instances of line-profile variability due to complex gas kinematics around quasars are likely to represent an important source of false positives in radial velocity searches for binary black holes, which typically lack the kind of high-cadence data we analyze here. The long-duration, wide-field, and many-epoch spectroscopic monitoring of SDSS-V BHM-RM provides an excellent opportunity for identifying and characterizing broad emission-line variability, and the inferred nature of the inner gas environment, of luminous quasars.

Reverberation Mapping of IC 4329A

We present the results of a new reverberation mapping campaign for the broad-line active galactic nucleus (AGN) in the edge-on spiral IC 4329A. Monitoring of the optical continuum with V-band photometry and broad emission-line flux variability with moderate-resolution spectroscopy allowed emission-line light curves to be measured for Hβ, Hγ, and He ii λ4686. We find a time delay of days for Hβ, a similar time delay of days for Hγ, and an unresolved time delay of days for He ii. The time delay for Hβ is consistent with the predicted value from the relationship between AGN luminosity and broad-line region radius, after correction for the ∼2.4 mag of intrinsic extinction at 5100 Å. Combining the measured time delay for Hβ with the broad emission-line width and an adopted value of 〈f〉 = 4.8, we find a central supermassive black hole mass of M ⊙. Velocity-resolved time delays were measured across the broad Hβ emission-line profile and may be consistent with an “M”-like shape. Modeling of the full reverberation response of Hβ was able to provide only modest constraints on some parameters, but does exhibit agreement with the black hole mass and average time delay. The models also suggest that the AGN structure is misaligned by a large amount from the edge-on galaxy disk. This is consistent with expectations from the unified model of AGNs, in which broad emission lines are expected to be visible only for AGNs that are viewed at relatively face-on inclinations.

Impact of Morphological Inhomogeneity on Excitonic States in Highly Mismatched Alloy ZnSe1-XTeX Nanocrystals.

ZnSe1-XTeX nanocrystals (NCs) are promising photon emitters with tunable emission across the violet to orange range and near-unity quantum yields. However, these NCs suffer from broad emission line widths and multiple exciton decay dynamics, which discourage their practicable use. Here, we explore the excitonic states in ZnSe1-XTeX NCs and their photophysical characteristics in relation to the morphological inhomogeneity of highly mismatched alloys. Ensemble and single-dot spectroscopic analysis of a series of ZnSe1-XTeX NC samples with varying Te ratios coupled with computational calculations shows that, due to the distinct electronegativity between Se and Te, nearest-neighbor Te pairs in ZnSe1-XTeX alloys create localized hole states spectrally distributed approximately 130 meV above the 1Sh level of homogeneous ZnSe1-XTeX NCs. This forms spatially separated excitons (delocalized electron and localized hole in trap), accounting for both inhomogeneous and homogeneous line width broadening with delayed recombination dynamics. Our results identify photophysical characteristics of excitonic states in NCs made of highly mismatched alloys and provide future research directions with potential implications for photonic applications.

Comparison of the active galactic nuclei Baldwin effect with the modified Baldwin effect of the ultraviolet-optical emission lines in a single sample

ABSTRACT The inverse relationship between equivalent width (EW) of broad emission lines and the underlying continuum luminosity, known as the Baldwin effect (BE), is an important and well-studied correlation in active galactic nuclei (AGNs). However, the EW is also considered to be anticorrelated with the Eddington ratio, referred to as the modified Baldwin effect (MBE). Investigating whether the BE or MBE is the stronger correlation is important for studying the ionization mechanism and the broad-line region of AGN. Based on a sample of 85 bright quasars with quasi-simultaneous ultraviolet (UV)-optical spectra and a redshift range of 0.03–1.404 from Shang et al., we first present line fitting and measurements of the O vi line that were not previously available and the Si iv + O iv] line. We then investigate and compare the BE and MBE of multiple UV and optical emission lines from this single sample. We find that the BE of most of the broad emission lines is stronger than the MBE. Furthermore, we confirm the previous result that the slope of the BE steepens with the ionization energy of the line, and also find that the MBE slope shows a similar trend. In addition, compared with the C iv line, the O vi shows a broader line width and a larger peak velocity blueshift with respect to the systemic redshift. These results are also in agreement with previous studies and imply that, compared to the C iv gas, the O vi line-emitting gas is closer to the accretion disc and is more strongly influenced by the accretion disc wind.

Can X-Ray Observations Improve Optical-UV-based Accretion-rate Estimates for Quasars?

Current estimates of the normalized accretion rates of quasars (L/L Edd) rely on measuring the velocity widths of broad optical-UV emission lines (e.g., Hβ and Mg ii λ2800). However, such lines tend to be weak or inaccessible in the most distant quasars, leading to increasing uncertainty in L/L Edd estimates at z > 6. Utilizing a carefully selected sample of 53 radio-quiet quasars that have Hβ and C iv λ1549 spectroscopy as well as Chandra coverage, we searched for a robust accretion-rate indicator for quasars, particularly at the highest-accessible redshifts (z ∼ 6–7). Our analysis explored relationships between the Hβ-based L/L Edd, the equivalent width (EW) of C iv, and the optical-to-X-ray spectral slope (α ox). Our results show that EW(C iv) is the strongest indicator of the Hβ-based L/L Edd parameter, consistent with previous studies, although significant scatter persists particularly for sources with weak C iv lines. We do not find evidence for the α ox parameter improving this relation, and we do not find a significant correlation between α ox and Hβ-based L/L Edd. This absence of an improved relationship may reveal a limitation of our sample. X-ray observations of additional luminous sources, found at z ≳ 1, may allow us to mitigate the biases inherent in our archival sample and test whether X-ray data could improve L/L Edd estimates. Furthermore, deeper X-ray observations of our sources may provide accurate measurements of the hard-X-ray power-law photon index (Γ), which is considered an unbiased L/L Edd indicator. Correlations between EW(C iv) and α ox with a Γ-based L/L Edd may yield a more robust prediction of a quasar normalized accretion rate.

Influence of Glass Composition on the Luminescence Mechanisms of CdSe Quantum-Dot-Doped Glasses

In this work, we characterized the electronic structure of CdSe quantum dots embedded in a series of x Na2O, (1–x) SiO2 glass matrices (x = 0, 0.25, 0.33, and 0.5). We analyzed the impact of the glass matrix composition on both the atomic structure of the quantum dot (QD) and the QD/glass interface, as well as the luminescence mechanisms, using density functional theory calculations. The increase of Na2O content in the glass matrices was found to promote the formation of Cd–O and Se–Na interfacial bonds and disrupt the Cd–Se bonds network. In particular, we show that the glass composition directly affects the nature of the highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMO). According to the atomic structure, band gap distribution, and density of states calculation, we find that there is significant reconstruction of the QD and that the picture sometimes proposed of a “pristine quantum dot” surrounded by glass is not realistic. The introduction of CdSe QD significantly decreased the HOMO–LUMO gap of the glass compared to pristine glasses, and the interfacial bonds greatly contributed to the frontier orbitals without forming midgap states. We propose a new energy diagram, quite different from the traditional model, to explain the luminescence of CdSe quantum-dot-doped glasses, originating from the intrinsic emission of this hybrid system {QD + glass}. These results improve our understanding of the luminescence of CdSe quantum-dot-doped glasses, explaining the reason for the poor quantum efficiency and broad emission linewidth compared with their colloidal counterparts.

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping Project: How Broad Emission Line Widths Change When Luminosity Changes

Abstract Quasar broad emission lines are largely powered by photoionization from the accretion continuum. Increased central luminosity will enhance line emissivity in more distant clouds, leading to increased average distance of the broad-line-emitting clouds and decreased averaged line width, which is known as the “breathing” broad-line region. However, different lines breathe differently, and some high-ionization lines, such as C iv, can even show “anti-breathing” where the line broadens when luminosity increases. Using multi-year photometric and spectroscopic monitoring data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping project, we quantify the breathing effect ( ) of broad Hα, Hβ, Mg ii, C iv, and C iii] for statistical quasar samples over z ≈ 0.1–2.5. We find that Hβ displays the most consistent normal breathing expected from the virial relation (α ∼ −0.25), Mg ii and Hα on average show no breathing (α ∼ 0), and C iv (and similarly C iii] and Si iv) mostly shows anti-breathing (α > 0). The anti-breathing of C iv can be well understood by the presence of a non-varying core component in addition to a reverberating broad-base component, which is consistent with earlier findings. The deviation from canonical breathing introduces extra scatter (a luminosity-dependent bias) in single-epoch virial BH mass estimates due to intrinsic quasar variability, which underlies the long-argued caveats of C iv single-epoch masses. Using the line dispersion instead of FWHM leads to fewer, albeit still substantial, deviations from canonical breathing in most cases. Our results strengthen the need for reverberation mapping to provide reliable quasar BH masses and to quantify the level of variability-induced bias in single-epoch BH masses based on various lines.

All-Optical Emission Control and Lasing in Plasmonic Lattices

We report on reversible all-optical emission control and lasing in plasmonic nanoparticle lattices. By incorporating photochromic molecules into the liquid gain medium composed of organic fluorescent molecules, we realize all-optical control over gain and absorption, the two key parameters associated with both conventional and nanoscale lasing. We demonstrate reversible photoswitching between two distinct modes of operation: (1) spontaneous emission to the lattice mode, characterized by broad emission line width, low emission intensity, and large angular distribution; and (2) lasing action, characterized by very narrow (sub-nm) line widths due to the emergence of increased gain and temporal coherence in the system, approximately 3 orders of magnitude increase in emission intensity, and narrow 0.7° angular divergence of the beam. A rate-equation model is employed to describe the operation of the switchable plasmonic laser. Our results provide the first demonstration of optically tunable losses in plasmonic lattice lasers, which is an important milestone for the development of active plasmonics and paves the way for ultrafast all-optical switching of plasmonic nanolasers.

Medium-band Photometry Reverberation Mapping of Nearby Active Galactic Nuclei

Abstract Reverberation mapping (RM) is one of the most efficient ways to investigate the broad-line region around the central supermassive black holes of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). A common way of performing the RM is to perform a long term spectroscopic monitoring of AGNs, but the spectroscopic monitoring campaign of a large number of AGNs requires an extensive amount of observing time of medium to large size telescopes. As an alternative way, we present the results of photometric RM with medium-band photometry. As the widths of medium-band filters match well with the widths of AGN broad emission lines, the medium-band observation with small telescopes can be a cost-effective way to perform RM. We monitored five nearby AGNs with available spectroscopic RM results showing days to weeks scale variability. Observations were performed for ∼3 months with an average of 3 days cadence using three medium-band filters on a 0.43 m telescope. The time lags between the continuum and the Hα emission line light curves are calculated using the JAVELIN software and the discrete correlation function. We find time lags of 1.5–15.9 days for these AGNs, which are consistent with the time lags derived from previous spectroscopic RM measurements. This result demonstrates that even a 0.5 m class telescope can perform RM with medium-bands. Furthermore, we show that RM for tens of thousands AGNs is possible with a dedicated 1 m class telescope.

Measuring Supermassive Black Hole Masses: Correlation between the Redshifts of the Fe iii UV Lines and the Widths of Broad Emission Lines

Abstract We test the recently proposed black hole mass scaling relationship based on the redshift with respect to the quasar's rest frame of the Fe iii λλ2039-2113 line blend. To this end, we fit this feature in the spectra of a well suited sample of quasars, observed with X-shooter at the Very Large Telescope, whose masses have been independently estimated using the virial theorem. For the quasars of this sample we consistently confirm the redshift of the Fe iii λλ2039-2113 blend and find that it correlates with the squared widths of Hβ, Hα, and Mg ii, which are commonly used as a measure of M BH/R to determine masses from the virial theorem. The average differences between virial and Fe iii λλ2039-2113 redshift-based masses are 0.18 ± 0.21 dex, 0.18 ± 0.22 dex, and 0.14 ± 0.21 dex, when the full widths at half maximum (FWHMs) of the Hβ, Hα, and Mg ii lines are, respectively, used. The difference is reduced to 0.10 ± 0.16 dex when the standard deviation, σ, of the Mg ii line is used instead. We also study the high signal-to-noise ratio composite quasar spectra of the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, finding that the Fe iii λλ2039-2113 redshifts and Mg ii squared widths, , match very well the correlation found for the individual quasar spectra observed with X-shooter. This correlation is expected if the redshift is gravitational.

The nebular spectra of the transitional Type Ia Supernovae 2007on and 2011iv: broad, multiple components indicate aspherical explosion cores

The nebular-epoch spectrum of the rapidly declining, "transitional" type Ia supernova (SN) 2007on showed double emission peaks, which have been interpreted as indicating that the SN was the result of the direct collision of two white dwarfs. The spectrum can be reproduced using two distinct emission components, one red-shifted and one blue shifted. These components are similar in mass but have slightly different degrees of ionization. They recede from one another at a line-of-sight speed larger than the sum of the combined expansion velocities of their emitting cores, thereby acting as two independent nebulae. While this configuration appears to be consistent with the scenario of two white dwarfs colliding, it may also indicate an off-centre delayed detonation explosion of a near Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf. In either case, broad emission line widths and a rapidly evolving light curve can be expected for the bolometric luminosity of the SN. This is the case for both SNe 2007on and 2011iv, also a transitional SN Ia which exploded in the same elliptical galaxy, NGC 1404. Although SN 2011iv does not show double-peaked emission line profiles, the width of its emission lines is such that a two-component model yields somewhat better results than a single-component model. Most of the mass ejected is in one component, however, which suggests that SN 2011iv was the result of the off-centre ignition of a Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf.

Spectral shaping for suppressing stimulated-Raman-scattering in a fiber laser.

We report on the effects of spectral shaping of the output coupler fiber Bragg grating (OC-FBG) in a Yb-doped fiber laser on the laser emission spectrum for the purpose of inhabiting stimulated Raman scattering (SRS). The lasers with four different OC-FBGs were built and characterized. We found that the laser with a multiple reflection peak chirped-moiré OC-FBG produced a broad laser emission linewidth, which, in turn, led to about 100 times lower the SRS emission as compared with the laser with a 0.19 nm Gaussian-shaped OC-FBG. A nearly flat-top laser output spectrum was obtained from the lasers with a triangle-shaped and chirped-moiré OC-FBG, respectively.

SPACE TELESCOPE AND OPTICAL REVERBERATION MAPPING PROJECT. IV. ANOMALOUS BEHAVIOR OF THE BROAD ULTRAVIOLET EMISSION LINES IN NGC 5548

ABSTRACT During an intensive Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) UV monitoring campaign of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548 performed from 2014 February to July, the normally highly correlated far UV continuum and broad emission line variations decorrelated for ∼60–70 days, starting ∼75 days after the first HST/COS observation. Following this anomalous state, the flux and variability of the broad emission lines returned to a more normal state. This transient behavior, characterized by significant deficits in flux and equivalent width of the strong broad UV emission lines, is the first of its kind to be unambiguously identified in an active galactic nucleus reverberation mapping campaign. The largest corresponding emission line flux deficits occurred for the high ionization, collisionally excited lines C iv and Si iv(+O iv]), and also He ii(+O iii]), while the anomaly in Lyα was substantially smaller. This pattern of behavior indicates a depletion in the flux of photons with relative to those near 13.6 eV. We suggest two plausible mechanisms for the observed behavior: (i) temporary obscuration of the ionizing continuum incident upon broad line region (BLR) clouds by a moving veil of material lying between the inner accretion disk and inner (BLR), perhaps resulting from an episodic ejection of material from the disk, or (ii) a temporary change in the intrinsic ionizing continuum spectral energy distribution resulting in a deficit of ionizing photons with energies >54 eV, possibly due to a transient restructuring of the Comptonizing atmosphere above the disk. Current evidence appears to favor the latter explanation.

An effective selection method for low-mass active black holes and first spectroscopic identification

Abstract We present a new method for effectively selecting objects which may be low-mass active black holes (BHs) at galaxy centers using high-cadence optical imaging data, and our first spectroscopic identification of an active 2.7 × 106 M⊙ BH at z = 0.164. This active BH was originally selected due to its rapid optical variability, from a few hours to a day, based on Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam g-band imaging data taken with a 1 hr cadence. Broad and narrow Hα lines and many other emission ones are detected in our optical spectra taken with Subaru FOCAS, and the BH mass is measured via the broad Hα emission line width (1880 km s−1) and luminosity (4.2 × 1040 erg s−1) after careful correction to the atmospheric absorption around 7580–7720 Å. We measure the Eddington ratio and find it to be as low as 0.05, considerably smaller than those in a previous SDSS sample with similar BH mass and redshift, which indicates one of the special potentials of our Subaru survey. The g − r color and morphology of the extended component indicate that the host galaxy is a star-forming galaxy. We also show the effectiveness of our variability selection for low-mass active BHs.

High Color-Purity Green, Orange, and Red Light-Emitting Diodes Based on Chemically Functionalized Graphene Quantum Dots.

Chemically derived graphene quantum dots (GQDs) to date have showed very broad emission linewidth due to many kinds of chemical bondings with different energy levels, which significantly degrades the color purity and color tunability. Here, we show that use of aniline derivatives to chemically functionalize GQDs generates new extrinsic energy levels that lead to photoluminescence of very narrow linewidths. We use transient absorption and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopies to study the electronic structures and related electronic transitions of our GQDs, which reveals that their underlying carrier dynamics is strongly related to the chemical properties of aniline derivatives. Using these functionalized GQDs as lumophores, we fabricate light-emitting didoes (LEDs) that exhibit green, orange, and red electroluminescence that has high color purity. The maximum current efficiency of 3.47 cd A−1 and external quantum efficiency of 1.28% are recorded with our LEDs; these are the highest values ever reported for LEDs based on carbon-nanoparticle phosphors. This functionalization of GQDs with aniline derivatives represents a new method to fabricate LEDs that produce natural color.

Virilization of the Broad Line Region in Active Galactic Nuclei—connection between shifts and widths of broad emission lines

We investigate the virilization of the emission lines Hbeta and Mg II in the sample of 287 Type 1 Active Galactic Nuclei taken from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey database. We explore the connections between the intrinsic line shifts and full widths at different levels of maximal intensity. We found that: (i) Hbeta seems to be a good virial estimator of black hole masses, and an intrinsic redshift of Hbeta is dominantly caused by the gravitational effect, (ii) there is an anti-correlation between the redshift and width of the wings of the Mg II line, (iii) the broad Mg II line can be used as virial estimator only at 50% of the maximal intensity, while the widths and intrinsic shifts of the line wings can not be used for this purpose.

Comparing different indicators of quasar orientation

Radio core dominance, the rest-frame ratio of core to lobe luminosity, has been widely used as a measure of Doppler boosting of a quasar's radio jets and hence of the inclination of the central engine's spin axis to the line of sight. However, the use of the radio lobe luminosity in the denominator (essentially to try and factor out the intrinsic power of the central engine) has been criticized and other proxies for the intrinsic engine power have been proposed. These include the optical continuum luminosity, and the luminosity of the narrow-line region. Each is plausible, but so far none has been shown to be clearly better than the others. In this paper we evaluate four different measures of core dominance using a new sample of 126 radio loud quasars, carefully selected to be as free as possible of orientation bias, together with high quality VLA images and optical spectra from the SDSS. We find that normalizing the radio core luminosity by the optical continuum luminosity yields a demonstrably superior orientation indicator. In addition, by comparing the equivalent widths of broad emission lines in our orientation-unbiased sample to those of sources in the MOJAVE program, we show that the beamed optical synchrotron emission from the jets is not a significant component of the optical continuum for the sources in our sample. We also discuss future applications of these results.