Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2005-08-15
Astrophys.J.630:122-129,2005
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
to appear in Apj; 8 pages; 5 figures; uses emulateapj5.sty
Scientific paper
10.1086/431897
It has been established that virial masses for black holes in low-redshift active galaxies can be estimated from measurements of the optical continuum strength and the width of the broad Hbeta line. Under various circumstances, however, both of these quantities can be challenging to measure or can be subject to large systematic uncertainties. To mitigate these difficulties, we present a new method for estimating black hole masses. From analysis of a new sample of broad-line active galactic nuclei, we find that Halpha luminosity scales almost linearly with optical continuum luminosity and that a strong correlation exists between Halpha and Hbeta line widths. These two empirical correlations allow us to translate the standard virial mass system to a new one based solely on observations of the broad Halpha emission line.
Greene Jenny E.
Ho Luis C.
No associations
LandOfFree
Estimating Black Hole Masses in Active Galaxies Using the Halpha Emission Line does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Estimating Black Hole Masses in Active Galaxies Using the Halpha Emission Line, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Estimating Black Hole Masses in Active Galaxies Using the Halpha Emission Line will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-130555