scholarly journals A search for H2O masers in 100 active dwarf galaxies

2020 ◽  
Vol 499 (1) ◽  
pp. 1233-1249
Author(s):  
M J Rosenthal ◽  
I Zaw
Keyword(s):  
Black Hole ◽  
Active Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Detection Rate ◽  
Dwarf Galaxies ◽  
Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Optical Emission ◽  
Massive Black Hole ◽  
Massive Galaxies ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Green Bank Telescope

ABSTRACT We present the results of the first dedicated survey for 22 GHz H2O maser emission in dwarf galaxies outside of the Local Group, with the aim of discovering disc masers. Studies of disc masers yield accurate and precise measurements of black hole (BH) mass, and such measurements in dwarf galaxies would be key to understanding the low-mass end of BH–galaxy coevolution. We used the Green Bank Telescope to survey 100 nearby (z ≲ 0.055) dwarf galaxies (M* ≲ 109.5 M⊙) with optical emission line ratios indicative of accretion on to a massive black hole. We detected no new masers down to a limit of ∼12 mJy (5σ). We compared the properties of our sample with those of ∼1850 known detections and non-detections in massive galaxies. We find, in agreement with previous studies, that masers are preferentially hosted by Seyferts and highly obscured, [O iii]-bright active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Our sample has fewer Seyferts, is less obscured, and is [O iii]-faint. Though the overall maser detection rate is ∼3 per cent in massive galaxies, the predicted rate for our sample, weighted by its optical properties, is ∼0.6–1.7 per cent, corresponding to a probability of making no detections of ∼20–50 per cent. We also found a slight increase in the detection rate with increased stellar mass in previously surveyed galaxies. However, further observations are required to discern whether there is an intrinsic difference between the maser fraction in active dwarf galaxies and in their massive counterparts for the same AGN properties.

scholarly journals CHANDRAAND MMT OBSERVATIONS OF LOW-MASS BLACK HOLE ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI ACCRETING AT LOW RATES IN DWARF GALAXIES

2014 ◽  
Vol 782 (1) ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Yuan ◽  
H. Zhou ◽  
L. Dou ◽  
X.-B. Dong ◽  
X. Fan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Black Hole ◽  
Active Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Dwarf Galaxies ◽  
Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Low Mass

scholarly journals A self-lensing binary massive black hole interpretation of quasi-periodic eruptions

2021 ◽  
Vol 503 (2) ◽  
pp. 1703-1716
Author(s):  
Adam Ingram ◽  
Sara E Motta ◽  
Suzanne Aigrain ◽  
Aris Karastergiou
Keyword(s):  
Black Hole ◽  
Active Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Binary Systems ◽  
Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Galaxy Mergers ◽  
Massive Black Hole ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Binary Separation ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Optical Time

ABSTRACT Binary supermassive black hole (SMBH) systems result from galaxy mergers, and will eventually coalesce due to gravitational wave (GW) emission if the binary separation can be reduced to ≲0.1 pc by other mechanisms. Here, we explore a gravitational self-lensing binary SMBH model for the sharp (duration ∼1 h), quasi-regular X-ray flares – dubbed quasi-periodic eruptions – recently observed from two low-mass active galactic nuclei: GSN 069 and RX J1301.9+2747. In our model, the binary is observed ∼edge-on, such that each SMBH gravitationally lenses light from the accretion disc surrounding the other SMBH twice per orbital period. The model can reproduce the flare spacings if the current eccentricity of RX J1301.9+2747 is ϵ0 ≳ 0.16, implying a merger within ∼1000 yr. However, we cannot reproduce the observed flare profiles with our current calculations. Model flares with the correct amplitude are ∼2/5 the observed duration, and model flares with the correct duration are ∼2/5 the observed amplitude. Our modelling yields three distinct behaviours of self-lensing binary systems that can be searched for in current and future X-ray and optical time-domain surveys: (i) periodic lensing flares, (ii) partial eclipses (caused by occultation of the background mini-disc by the foreground mini-disc), and (iii) partial eclipses with a very sharp in-eclipse lensing flare. Discovery of such features would constitute very strong evidence for the presence of a supermassive binary, and monitoring of the flare spacings will provide a measurement of periastron precession.

The Starburst-AGN Connection: 3-D Structure of the Massive Gas Disk around the Nucleus

2003 ◽  
Vol 208 ◽  
pp. 463-464
Author(s):  
Keiichi Wada ◽  
Colin A. Norman
Keyword(s):  
Black Hole ◽  
Active Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Interstellar Matter ◽  
Viewing Angle ◽  
Massive Black Hole ◽  
Hydrodynamical Simulations ◽  
Multi Phase ◽  
Globally Stable ◽  
High Column

The structure of obscuring matter in the environment of active galactic nuclei with associated nuclear starbursts is investigated using 3-D hydrodynamical simulations, in which the multi-phase inhomogeneous interstellar matter and its interaction with the supernovae are consistently followed. A globally stable, torus-like, but highly inhomogeneous and turbulent structure is found. To achieve the high column densities as suggested by observations of some Seyfert 2 galaxies with nuclear starbursts, the viewing angle should be larger than about 70° from the pole-on for a 108M⊙ massive black hole. We propose that nuclear starbursts and the mass of the black hole that determines the geometry of the obscuring torus.

scholarly journals Ejection of supermassive black holes and implications for merger rates in fuzzy dark matter haloes

2020 ◽  
Vol 499 (2) ◽  
pp. 2575-2586
Author(s):  
Amr A El-Zant ◽  
Zacharias Roupas ◽  
Joseph Silk
Keyword(s):  
Dark Matter ◽  
Active Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Detection Rate ◽  
Cold Dark Matter ◽  
Dwarf Galaxies ◽  
Event Rate ◽  
Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Merging Galaxies ◽  
Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies ◽  
Order Of Magnitude

ABSTRACT Fuzzy dark matter (FDM) consisting of ultralight axions has been invoked to alleviate galactic-scale problems in the cold dark matter scenario. FDM fluctuations, created via the superposition of waves, can impact the motion of a central supermassive black hole (SMBH) immersed in an FDM halo. The SMBH will undergo a random walk, induced by FDM fluctuations, that can result in its ejection from the central region. This effect is strongest in dwarf galaxies, accounting for wandering SMBHs and the low detection rate of active galactic nuclei in dwarf spheroidal galaxies. In addition, a lower bound on the allowed axion masses is inferred both for Sagitarius A* and heavier SMBH; to avoid ejection from the galactic centres, axion masses of the order of 10−22 eV or lighter are excluded. Stronger limits are inferred for merging galaxies. We find that the event rate of SMBH mergers in FDM haloes and the associated SMBH growth rates can be reduced by at least an order of magnitude.

scholarly journals Active Galactic Nuclei: Variability at Many Wavelengths

1998 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 808-811
Author(s):  
Thierry J.-L. Courvoisier
Keyword(s):  
Black Hole ◽  
Active Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Thermal Emission ◽  
Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Gravitational Energy ◽  
Heating Process ◽  
Massive Black Hole ◽  
Ultraviolet Emission ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Accretion Process

Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are thought to be powered by accretion onto a massive black hole. Understanding how gravitational energy freed by the infall of matter into the black hole is transferred to the radiating regions of the nucleus is one of the main challenges of AGN research. The question is made very complex by the presence of several cooling mechanisms with very diverse physical properties: We observe synchrotron radiation, thermal emission from hot dust, possibly thermal optical and ultraviolet emission and Comptonization processes in the X-ray domain. For each component the radiation is a signature of the cooling process rather than of the heating process. It is our hope that by observing the links and correlations between the emission of the different components we will be able to understand how they are interrelated and how they get their energy supply from the accretion process.

scholarly journals ON THE BLACK HOLE MASS—X-RAY EXCESS VARIANCE SCALING RELATION FOR ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI IN THE LOW-MASS REGIME

2015 ◽  
Vol 808 (2) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hai-Wu Pan ◽  
Weimin Yuan ◽  
Xin-Lin Zhou ◽  
Xiao-Bo Dong ◽  
Bifang Liu
Keyword(s):  
Black Hole ◽  
Active Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Scaling Relation ◽  
Black Hole Mass ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Low Mass

scholarly journals Black Hole Models of Quasars

1986 ◽  
Vol 119 ◽  
pp. 359-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Blandford
Keyword(s):  
Black Holes ◽  
Black Hole ◽  
Active Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Cosmic Time ◽  
Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Seyfert Galaxies ◽  
Massive Black Hole ◽  
Binary Black Holes ◽  
Electron Positron ◽  
Gas Supply

Observations of active galactic nuclei are interpreted in terms of a theoretical model involving accretion onto a massive black hole. Optical quasars and Seyfert galaxies are associated with holes accreting near the Eddington rate and radio galaxies with sub-critical accretion. It is argued that magnetic fields are largely responsible for extracting energy and angular momentum from black holes and disks. Recent studies of electron-positron pair plasmas and their possible role in establishing the emergent X-ray spectrum are reviewed. The main evolutionary properties of active galactic nuclei can be interpreted in terms of a simple model in which black holes accrete gas at a rate dictated by the rate of gas supply which decreases with cosmic time. It may be worth searching for eclipsing binary black holes in lower power Seyferts.

Nuclear ionised outflows in a sample of 30 local galaxies

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (S359) ◽  
pp. 249-254
Author(s):  
D. Ruschel-Dutra ◽  
T. Storchi-Bergmann ◽  
A. Schnorr-Müller
Keyword(s):  
Black Hole ◽  
Emission Line ◽  
Active Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Host Galaxy ◽  
Massive Black Hole ◽  
Spatially Resolved ◽  
Outflow Rate ◽  
Mass Outflow ◽  
Coherent Picture

AbstractUnderstanding active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback is essential for building a coherent picture of the evolution of the super massive black hole and its host galaxy. To that end we have analysed the inner kiloparsec of a sample of 30 local AGN with spatially resolved optical spectroscopy. In this talk I will review the analysis of the ionised gas for the galaxies in our sample, including kinematical maps, emission line ratios and fluxes. The W80 kinematical index is used to trace outflows, and also to provide an estimate for the outflowing velocity. Electron densities, derived from the [S II] ΛΛ6716, 6731Å lines, along with Hα luminosities and the sizes of the outflowing regions are employed in estimates of the outflowing gas mass. We find a median mass outflow rate of Ṁ = 0.3 M⊙ yr-1 and median outflow power of log [P/(erg s-1)] = 40.4.

scholarly journals A Sample of Massive Black Holes in Dwarf Galaxies Detected via [Fe x] Coronal Line Emission: Active Galactic Nuclei and/or Tidal Disruption Events

2021 ◽  
Vol 922 (2) ◽  
pp. 155
Author(s):  
Mallory Molina ◽  
Amy E. Reines ◽  
Colin J. Latimer ◽  
Vivienne Baldassare ◽  
Sheyda Salehirad
Keyword(s):  
Active Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Dwarf Galaxies ◽  
Line Emission ◽  
Galactic Nuclei ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Coronal Line ◽  
Tidal Disruption ◽  
Massive Black Hole ◽  
Coronal Line Emission ◽  
Stellar Sources

Abstract The massive black hole (BH) population in dwarf galaxies (M BH ≲ 105 M ⊙) can provide strong constraints on the origin of BH seeds. However, traditional optical searches for active galactic nuclei (AGNs) only reliably detect high-accretion, relatively high-mass BHs in dwarf galaxies with low amounts of star formation, leaving a large portion of the overall BH population in dwarf galaxies relatively unexplored. Here, we present a sample of 81 dwarf galaxies (M ⋆ ≤ 3 × 109 M ⊙) with detectable [Fe x]λ6374 coronal line emission indicative of accretion onto massive BHs, only two of which were previously identified as optical AGNs. We analyze optical spectroscopy from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and find [Fe x]λ6374 luminosities in the range L [Fe x] ≈ 1036–1039 erg s−1, with a median value of 1.6 × 1038 erg s−1. The [Fe x] λ6374 luminosities are generally much too high to be produced by stellar sources, including luminous Type IIn supernovae (SNe). Moreover, based on known SNe rates, we expect at most eight Type IIn SNe in our sample. That said, the [Fe x]λ6374 luminosities are consistent with accretion onto massive BHs from AGNs or tidal disruption events (TDEs). We find additional indicators of BH accretion in some cases using other emission line diagnostics, optical variability, and X-ray and radio emission (or some combination of these). However, many of the galaxies in our sample only have evidence for a massive BH based on their [Fe x]λ6374 luminosities. This work highlights the power of coronal line emission to find BHs in dwarf galaxies missed by other selection techniques and to probe the BH population in bluer, lower-mass dwarf galaxies.

scholarly journals Mergers trigger active galactic nuclei out to z ∼ 0.6

2020 ◽  
Vol 637 ◽  
pp. A94 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Gao ◽  
L. Wang ◽  
W. J. Pearson ◽  
Y. A. Gordon ◽  
B. W. Holwerda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Galactic Nuclei ◽  
High Redshift ◽  
Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Optical Emission ◽  
Sloan Digital Sky Survey ◽  
Positive Trend ◽  
Host Galaxies ◽  
Massive Galaxies ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Mass Assembly

Aims. The fueling and feedback of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are important for understanding the co-evolution between black holes and host galaxies. Mergers are thought to have the capability to bring gas inward and ignite nuclear activity, especially for more powerful AGNs. However, there is still significant ongoing debate on whether mergers can trigger AGNs and, if they do, whether mergers are a significant triggering mechanism. Methods. We selected a low-redshift (0.005 <  z <  0.1) sample from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and a high-redshift (0 <  z <  0.6) sample from the Galaxy And Mass Assembly survey. We took advantage of the convolutional neural network technique to identify mergers. We used mid-infrared (MIR) color cut and optical emission line diagnostics to classify AGNs. We also included low excitation radio galaxies (LERGs) to investigate the connection between mergers and low accretion rate AGNs. Results. We find that AGNs are more likely to be found in mergers than non-mergers, with an AGN excess up to 1.81 ± 0.16, suggesting that mergers can trigger AGNs. We also find that the fraction of mergers in AGNs is higher than that in non-AGN controls, for both MIR and optically selected AGNs, as well as LERGs, with values between 16.40 ± 0.5% and 39.23 ± 2.10%, implying a non-negligible to potentially significant role of mergers in triggering AGNs. This merger fraction in AGNs increases as stellar mass increases, which supports the idea that mergers are more important for triggering AGNs in more massive galaxies. In terms of merger fraction as a function of AGN power we find a positive trend for MIR selected AGNs and a complex trend for optically selected AGNs, which we interpret under an evolutionary scenario proposed by previous studies. In addition, obscured MIR selected AGNs are more likely to be hosted in mergers than unobscured MIR selected AGNs.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document