skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: The Lick AGN Monitoring Project 2016: Velocity-resolved Hβ Lags in Luminous Seyfert Galaxies
Abstract We carried out spectroscopic monitoring of 21 low-redshift Seyfert 1 galaxies using the Kast double spectrograph on the 3 m Shane telescope at Lick Observatory from 2016 April to 2017 May. Targeting active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with luminosities of λ L λ (5100 Å) ≈ 10 44 erg s −1 and predicted H β lags of ∼20–30 days or black hole masses of 10 7 –10 8.5 M ⊙ , our campaign probes luminosity-dependent trends in broad-line region (BLR) structure and dynamics as well as to improve calibrations for single-epoch estimates of quasar black hole masses. Here we present the first results from the campaign, including H β emission-line light curves, integrated H β lag times (8–30 days) measured against V -band continuum light curves, velocity-resolved reverberation lags, line widths of the broad H β components, and virial black hole mass estimates (10 7.1 –10 8.1 M ⊙ ). Our results add significantly to the number of existing velocity-resolved lag measurements and reveal a diversity of BLR gas kinematics at moderately high AGN luminosities. AGN continuum luminosity appears not to be correlated with the type of kinematics that its BLR gas may exhibit. Follow-up direct modeling of this data set will elucidate the detailed kinematics and provide robust dynamical black hole masses for several objects in this sample.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1907290 1909297 1907208 1817233
PAR ID:
10324262
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; more » ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; « less
Date Published:
Journal Name:
The Astrophysical Journal
Volume:
925
Issue:
1
ISSN:
0004-637X
Page Range / eLocation ID:
52
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Abstract In this third paper of the series reporting on the reverberation mapping campaign of active galactic nuclei with asymmetric H β emission-line profiles, we present results for 15 Palomar–Green quasars using spectra obtained between the end of 2016–2021 May. This campaign combines long time spans with relatively high cadence. For eight objects, both the time lags obtained from the entire light curves and the measurements from individual observing seasons are provided. Reverberation mapping of nine of our targets has been attempted for the first time, while the results for six others can be compared with previous campaigns. We measure the H β time lags over periods of years and estimate their black hole masses. The long duration of the campaign enables us to investigate their broad-line region (BLR) geometry and kinematics for different years by using velocity-resolved lags, which demonstrate signatures of diverse BLR geometry and kinematics. The BLR geometry and kinematics of individual objects are discussed. In this sample, the BLR kinematics of Keplerian/virialized motion and inflow is more common than that of outflow. 
    more » « less
  2. We present a velocity-resolved reverberation mapping analysis of the hypervariable quasar RM160 (SDSS J141041.25+531849.0) atz= 0.359 with 153 spectroscopic epochs of data representing a 10 yr baseline (2013–2023). We split the baseline into two regimes based on the 3× flux increase in the light curve: a “low state” phase during the years 2013–2019 and a “high state” phase during the years 2022–2023. The velocity-resolved lag profiles (VRLPs) indicate that gas with different kinematics dominates the line emission in different states. The HβVRLP begins with a signature of inflow onto the broad-line region (BLR) in the low state, while in the high state it is flatter with less signature of inflow. The HαVRLP begins consistent with a virialized BLR in the low state, while in the high state shows a signature of inflow. The differences in the kinematics between the Balmer lines and between the low state and the high state suggests complex BLR dynamics. We find that the BLR radius and velocity (both FWHM andσ) do not obey a constant virial product throughout the monitoring period. We find that the BLR lags and continuum luminosity are correlated, consistent with rapid response of the BLR gas to the illuminating continuum. The BLR kinematic profile changes in unpredictable ways that are not related to continuum changes and reverberation lag. Our observations indicate that nonvirial kinematics can significantly contribute to observed line profiles, suggesting caution for black hole mass estimation in luminous and highly varying quasars like RM160. 
    more » « less
  3. Abstract 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 H β , H γ , and He ii λ 4686. We find a time delay of 16.3 − 2.3 + 2.6 days for H β , a similar time delay of 16.0 − 2.6 + 4.8 days for H γ , and an unresolved time delay of − 0.6 − 3.9 + 3.9 days for He ii . The time delay for H β 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 H β with the broad emission-line width and an adopted value of 〈 f 〉 = 4.8, we find a central supermassive black hole mass of M BH = 6.8 − 1.1 + 1.2 × 10 7 M ⊙ . Velocity-resolved time delays were measured across the broad H β emission-line profile and may be consistent with an “M”-like shape. Modeling of the full reverberation response of H β 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. 
    more » « less
  4. Abstract We have modeled the velocity-resolved reverberation response of the H β broad emission line in nine Seyfert 1 galaxies from the Lick Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) Monitoring Project 2016 sample, drawing inferences on the geometry and structure of the low-ionization broad-line region (BLR) and the mass of the central supermassive black hole. Overall, we find that the H β BLR is generally a thick disk viewed at low to moderate inclination angles. We combine our sample with prior studies and investigate line-profile shape dependence, such as log 10 ( FWHM / σ ) , on BLR structure and kinematics and search for any BLR luminosity-dependent trends. We find marginal evidence for an anticorrelation between the profile shape of the broad H β emission line and the Eddington ratio, when using the rms spectrum. However, we do not find any luminosity-dependent trends, and conclude that AGNs have diverse BLR structure and kinematics, consistent with the hypothesis of transient AGN/BLR conditions rather than systematic trends. 
    more » « less
  5. Abstract The broad-line region (BLR) size–luminosity relation has paramount importance for estimating the mass of black holes in active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Traditionally, the size of the H β BLR is often estimated from the optical continuum luminosity at 5100 Å, while the size of the H α BLR and its correlation with the luminosity is much less constrained. As a part of the Seoul National University AGN Monitoring Project, which provides 6 yr photometric and spectroscopic monitoring data, we present our measurements of the H α lags of high-luminosity AGNs. Combined with the measurements for 42 AGNs from the literature, we derive the size–luminosity relations of the H α BLR against the broad H α and 5100 Å continuum luminosities. We find the slope of the relations to be 0.61 ± 0.04 and 0.59 ± 0.04, respectively, which are consistent with the H β size–luminosity relation. Moreover, we find a linear relation between the 5100 Å continuum luminosity and the broad H α luminosity across 7 orders of magnitude. Using these results, we propose a new virial mass estimator based on the H α broad emission line, finding that the previous mass estimates based on scaling relations in the literature are overestimated by up to 0.7 dex at masses lower than 10 7 M ⊙ . 
    more » « less