Search for: All records

Abstract Over three decades of reverberation mapping (RM) studies on local broad-line active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have measured reliable black hole (BH) masses for >100 AGNs. These RM measurements reveal a significant correlation between the Balmer broad-line region (BLR) size and AGN optical luminosity (theR–Lrelation). Recent RM studies for AGN samples with more diverse BH parameters (e.g., mass and Eddington ratio) reveal a substantial intrinsic dispersion around the averageR–Lrelation, suggesting that variations in the broadband spectrum, driven by accretion parameters and other factors such as the cloud distribution and inclination, significantly influence the measuredR–Lrelation. Here we perform a detailed photoionization investigation of expected broad-line properties as functions of accretion parameters using AGN continuum models fromqsosed. We compare theoretical predictions with observations of a sample of 67z ≲ 0.5 reverberation-mapped AGNs with rest-frame optical and UV spectra in the moderate-accretion regime (Eddington ratioλ_Edd ≡ L/L_Edd < 0.5). The UV/optical line strengths and their dependences on accretion parameters are reasonably well reproduced by the locally optimally emitting cloud photoionization models. We provide quantitative recipes using optical/UV line flux ratios to infer the unobservable ionizing continuum. Additionally, photoionization models with universal values of ionization parameter ( $\log U_{\mathrm{H}}=-2$ ) and hydrogen density ( $\log n\left(\mathrm{H}\right)=12$ ) can qualitatively reproduce the observed globalR–Lrelation for the current RM AGN sample. However, such models fail to reproduce the observed decrease in BLR size with increasingL/L_Eddat fixed optical luminosity, implying that gas density or BLR structure may systematically change with accretion rate. 

Abstract We perform a systematic survey of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) continuum lags using ∼3 days cadence gri -band light curves from the Zwicky Transient Facility. We select a sample of 94 type 1 AGNs at z < 0.8 with significant and consistent inter-band lags based on the interpolated cross-correlation function method and the Bayesian method JAVELIN . Within the framework of the “lamp-post” reprocessing model, our findings are: (1) The continuum emission (CE) sizes inferred from the data are larger than the disk sizes predicted by the standard thin-disk model. (2) For a subset of the sample, the CE size exceeds the theoretical limit of the self-gravity radius (12 lt-days) for geometrically thin disks. (3) The CE size scales with continuum luminosity as R CE ∝ L 0.48±0.04 with a scatter of 0.2 dex, analogous to the well-known radius–luminosity relation of broad H β . These findings suggest a significant contribution of diffuse continuum emission from the broad-line region (BLR) to AGN continuum lags. We find that the R CE – L relation can be explained by a photoionization model that assumes ∼23% of the total flux comes from the diffuse BLR emission. In addition, the ratio of the CE size and model-predicted disk size anticorrelates with the continuum luminosity, which is indicative of a potential nondisk BLR lag contribution evolving with the luminosity. Finally, a robust positive correlation between the CE size and black hole mass is detected. 

Abstract In order to constrain the size of the optical continuum emission region in the dwarf Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4395 through reverberation mapping, we carried out high-cadence photometric monitoring in the griz filter bands on two consecutive nights in 2022 April using the four-channel MuSCAT3 camera on the Faulkes Telescope North at Haleakalā Observatory. Correlated variability across the griz bands is clearly detected, and the r -, i -, and z -band light curves show lags of 7.72 − 1.09 + 1.01 , 14.16 − 1.25 + 1.22 , and 20.78 − 2.09 + 1.99 minutes with respect to the g band when measured using the full-duration light curves. When lags are measured for each night separately, the Night 2 data exhibit lower cross-correlation amplitudes and shorter lags than the Night 1 light curves. Using the full-duration lags, we find that the lag–wavelength relationship is consistent with the τ ∝ λ 4/3 dependence found for more luminous active galactic nuclei. Combining our results with continuum lags measured for other objects, the lag between g and z band scales with optical continuum luminosity as τ gz ∝ L 0.56±0.05 , similar to the scaling of broad-line region size with luminosity, reinforcing recent evidence that diffuse continuum emission from the broad-line region may contribute substantially to optical continuum variability and reverberation lags. 

ABSTRACT We present ground-based multiband light curves of the AGN Mrk 509, NGC 4151, and NGC 4593 obtained contemporaneously with Swift monitoring. We measure cross-correlation lags relative to Swift UVW2 (1928 Å) and test the standard prediction for disc reprocessing, which assumes a geometrically thin optically thick accretion disc where continuum interband delays follow the relation $$\tau (\lambda) \propto \lambda ^{4/3}$$. For Mrk 509 the 273-d Swift campaign gives well-defined lags that increase with wavelength as $$\tau (\lambda)\propto \lambda ^{2.17\pm 0.2}$$, steeper than the thin-disc prediction, and the optical lags are a factor of $$\sim 5$$ longer than expected for a simple disc-reprocessing model. This ‘disc-size discrepancy’ as well as excess lags in the u and r bands (which include the Balmer continuum and H $$\alpha$$, respectively) suggest a mix of short lags from the disc and longer lags from nebular continuum originating in the broad-line region. The shorter Swift campaigns, 69 d on NGC 4151 and 22 d on NGC 4593, yield less well-defined shorter lags $< 2$ d. The NGC 4593 lags are consistent with $$\tau (\lambda) \propto \lambda ^{4/3}$$ but with uncertainties too large for a strong test. For NGC 4151 the Swift lags match $$\tau (\lambda) \propto \lambda ^{4/3}$$, with a small U-band excess, but the ground-based lags in the r, i, and z bands are significantly shorter than the B and g lags, and also shorter than expected from the thin-disc prediction. The interpretation of this unusual lag spectrum is unclear. Overall these results indicate significant diversity in the $$\tau \!-\!\lambda$$ relation across the optical/UV/NIR, which differs from the more homogeneous behaviour seen in the Swift bands. 

ABSTRACT We report on continued, ∼15-yr long, broad Balmer emission lines in three metal-poor dwarf emission-line galaxies selected from Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectroscopy. The persistent luminosity of the broad Balmer emission indicates the galaxies are active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with virial black hole masses of ∼106.7–107.0 M⊙. The lack of observed hard X-ray emission and the possibility that the Balmer emission could be due to a long-lived stellar transient motivated additional follow-up spectroscopy. We also identify a previously unreported blueshifted narrow absorption line in the broad H α feature in one of the AGNs, indicating an AGN-driven outflow with hydrogen column densities of order 1017 cm−2. We also extract light curves from the Catalina Real-Time Transient Survey and the Zwicky Transient Facility. We detect probable AGN-like variability in three galaxies, further supporting the AGN scenario. This also suggests the AGNs are not strongly obscured. This sample of galaxies are among the most metal-poor that host an AGN (Z = 0.05–0.16 Z⊙). We speculate they may be analogues to seed black holes which formed in unevolved galaxies at high redshift. Given the rarity of metal-poor AGNs and small sample size available, we investigate prospects for their identification in future spectroscopic and photometric surveys. 

Abstract We present the main results from a long-term reverberation mapping campaign carried out for the Seoul National University AGN Monitoring Project (SAMP). High-quality data were obtained during 2015–2021 for 32 luminous active galactic nuclei (AGNs; i.e., continuum luminosity in the range of 10^44–46erg s⁻¹) at a regular cadence, of 20–30 days for spectroscopy and 3–5 days for photometry. We obtain time lag measurements between the variability in the Hβemission and the continuum for 32 AGNs; 25 of those have the best lag measurements based on our quality assessment, examining correlation strength and the posterior lag distribution. Our study significantly increases the current sample of reverberation-mapped AGNs, particularly at the moderate-to-high-luminosity end. Combining our results with literature measurements, we derive an Hβbroadline region size–luminosity relation with a shallower slope than reported in the literature. For a given luminosity, most of our measured lags are shorter than the expectations, implying that single-epoch black hole mass estimators based on previous calibrations could suffer large systematic uncertainties.