A Comparison of Supermassive Black Hole Mass of NGC 4151 Using Different Methods (original) (raw)
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Mon Notic Roy Astron Soc, 2005
We present Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph emission-line spectra of the central regions of the spiral galaxies NGC 1300 and NGC 2748. From the derived kinematics of the nuclear gas we have found evidence for central supermassive black holes in both galaxies. The estimated mass of the black hole in NGC 1300 is 6.6 (+6.3, -3.2) x 10^7 solar masses and in NGC 2748 is 4.4 (+3.5, -3.6) x 10^7 solar masses (both at the 95% confidence level). These two black hole mass estimates contribute to the poorly sampled low-mass end of the nuclear black hole mass spectrum.
The Astrophysical Journal, 2007
We present a stellar dynamical estimate of the black hole (BH) mass in the Seyfert 1 galaxy, NGC 4151. We analyze ground-based spectroscopy as well as imaging data from the ground and space, and we construct 3-integral axisymmetric models in order to constrain the BH mass and mass-to-light ratio. The dynamical models depend on the assumed inclination of the kinematic symmetry axis of the stellar bulge. In the case where the bulge is assumed to be viewed edge-on, the kinematical data give only an upper limit to the mass of the BH of ∼ 4 × 10 7 M ⊙ (1σ). If the bulge kinematic axis is assumed to have the same inclination as the symmetry axis of the large-scale galaxy disk (i.e., 23 • relative to the line of sight), a best-fit dynamical mass between 4 − 5 × 10 7 M ⊙ is obtained. However, because of the poor quality of the fit when the bulge is assumed to be inclined (as determined by the noisiness of the χ 2 surface and its minimum value), and because we lack spectroscopic data that clearly resolves the BH sphere of influence, we consider our measurements to be tentative estimates of the dynamical BH mass. With this preliminary result, NGC 4151 is now among the small sample of galaxies in which the BH mass has been constrained from two independent techniques, and the mass values we find for both bulge inclinations are in reasonable agreement with the recent estimate from reverberation mapping (4.57 +0.57 −0.47 × 10 7 M ⊙ ) published by Bentz et al.
Assessing indirect methods to determine black hole masses using NGC 4151
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Accurately determining the black hole mass (MBH) in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is crucial to constraining their properties and to studying their evolution. While direct methods yield reliable measurements of MBH in unobscured type 1 AGNs, where the dynamics of stellar or gas components can be directly observed, only indirect methods can be applied to the vast majority of heavily absorbed type 2 AGNs, which represent most of the AGN population. Since it is difficult to evaluate the accuracy and precision of these indirect methods, we utilize the nearby X-ray bright Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151, whose MBH has been tightly constrained with several independent direct methods, as a laboratory to assess the reliability of three indirect methods that have been applied to obscured AGNs. All three, the X-ray scaling method, the Fundamental Plane of BH activity, and the M–σ correlation, yield MBH values consistent with those inferred from direct methods and can therefore be considered accurate....
The Mass of the Central Black Hole in the Seyfert Galaxy NGC 3783
The Astrophysical Journal, 2002
In order to improve the reverberation-mapping based estimate of the mass of the central supermassive black hole in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4151, we have reanalyzed archival ultraviolet monitoring spectra from two campaigns undertaken with the International Ultraviolet Explorer. We measure emission-line time delays for four lines, C IV λ1549, He II λ1640, C III] λ1909, and Mg II λ2798, from both campaigns. We combine these measurements with the dispersion of the variable part of each respective emission line to obtain the mass of the central object. Despite the problematic nature of some of the data, we are able to measure a mass of (4.14 ± 0.73) × 10 7 M ⊙ , although this, like all reverberation-based masses, is probably systematically uncertain by a factor of 3-4.
The Mass of the Black Hole in the Seyfert 1 Galaxy NGC 4593 from Reverberation Mapping
The Astrophysical Journal, 2006
We present new observations leading to an improved black hole mass estimate for the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4593 as part of a reverberation-mapping campaign conducted at the MDM Observatory. Cross-correlation analysis of the Hβ emission-line light curve with the optical continuum light curve reveals an emission-line time delay of τ cent = 3.73 ± 0.75 days. By combining this time delay with the Hβ line width, we derive a central black hole mass of M BH = (9.8 ± 2.1) × 10 6 M ⊙ , an improvement in precision of a factor of several over past results.
Journal of Physics: Conference Series
In this study, we compared the different Methods of determination of SMBH masses to study a correlation between mass of supermassive black hole and spiral arm pitch angle for 41 images of spiral galaxies using Spitzer/IRAS 3.6-µm. We selected four methods to find a determination mass of SMBH. Velocity dispersions (σ) measurements and pitch angle of spiral arm took from the literature. In addition, SMBH masses estimates using a several methods (reverberation mapping RM, stellar dynamics SD, gas dynamics GD) from the literature from. In addition, the determinations of SMBH masses were found using the (MBH-σ) relation. Finally, we compared the (MBH-P) relation for these galaxies using each method with the Seigar’s equation, and found the results to agree for these methods.
The Astrophysical Journal, 2014
We present a revised measurement of the mass of the central black hole (M BH ) in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4151. The new stellar dynamical mass measurement is derived by applying an axisymmetric orbitsuperposition code to near-infrared integral field data obtained using adaptive optics with the Gemini NIFS spectrograph. When our models attempt to fit both the NIFS kinematics and additional low spatial resolution kinematics, our results depend sensitively on how χ 2 is computed -probably a consequence of complex bar kinematics that manifest immediately outside the nuclear region. The most robust results are obtained when only the high spatial resolution kinematic constraints in the nuclear region are included in the fit. Our best estimates for the BH mass and H-band mass-to-light ratio are M BH ∼ 3.76 ± 1.15 × 10 7 M ⊙ (1σ error) and Υ H ∼ 0.34±0.03 M ⊙ /L ⊙ (3σ error), respectively (the quoted errors reflect the model uncertainties). Our BH mass measurement is consistent with estimates from both reverberation mapping (3.57 +0.45 −0.37 × 10 7 M ⊙ ) and gas kinematics (3.0 +0.75 −2.2 × 10 7 M ⊙ ; 1σ errors), and our best-fit mass-to-light ratio is consistent with the photometric estimate of Υ H = 0.4 ± 0.2 M ⊙ /L ⊙ . The NIFS kinematics give a central bulge velocity dispersion σ c = 116 ± 3 km s −1 , bringing this object slightly closer to the M BH − σ relation for quiescent galaxies. Although NGC 4151 is one of only a few Seyfert 1 galaxies in which it is possible to obtain a direct dynamical BH mass measurement -and thus, an independent calibration of the reverberation mapping mass scale -the complex bar kinematics makes it less than ideally suited for this purpose.
Supermassive black holes in the Sbc spiral galaxies NGC 3310, NGC 4303 and NGC 4258
Astronomy and Astrophysics, 2007
We have undertaken an HST Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph survey of 54 late type spiral galaxies to study the scaling relations between black holes and their host spheroids at the low mass end. Our aim is to measure black hole masses or to set upper limits for a sizeable sample of spiral galaxies. In this paper we present new Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) observations of three spiral galaxies, NGC 4303, NGC 3310 and NGC 4258. The bright optical emission lines Hα λ 6564Å, [NII] λλ 6549, 6585Å and [SII] λλ 6718, 6732Å were used to study the kinematics of the ionized gas in the nuclear region of each galaxy with a ∼ 0.07 ′′ spatial resolution. Our STIS data for NGC 4258 were analyzed in conjunction with archival ones to compare the gas kinematical estimate of the black hole mass with the accurate value from H 2 0-maser observations. In NGC 3310, the observed gas kinematics is well matched by a circularly rotating disk model but we are only able to set an upper limit to the BH mass which, taking into account the allowed disk inclinations, varies in the range 5.0 × 10 6 − 4.2 × 10 7 M ⊙ at the 95% confidence level. In NGC 4303 the kinematical data require the presence of a BH with mass M BH = (5.0) +0.87 −2.26 × 10 6 M ⊙ (for a disk inclination i = 70 deg) but the weak agreement between data and disk model does not allow us to consider this measurement completely reliable. If the allowed inclination values are taken into account, M BH varies in the range 6.0 × 10 5 − 1.6 × 10 7 M ⊙ at the 95% confidence level. In NGC 4258, the observed kinematics require the presence of a black hole with M BH = (7.9) +6.2 −3.5 × 10 7 M ⊙ (i = 60 deg) and, taking into account reasonable limits for the inclination, M BH is in the range 2.5 × 10 7 -2.6 × 10 8 M ⊙ at the 95% confidence level. This result is in good agreement with the published value (3.9 ± 0.1) × 10 7 M ⊙ , derived from H 2 O-maser observations. As in the case of NGC 4303, the agreement between observed and model kinematics is not strong but this does not affect the recovery of the correct M BH value. Our attempt at measuring BH masses in these 3 late type Sbc spiral galaxies has shown that these measurements are very challenging and at the limit of the highest spatial resolution currently available. Nonetheless our estimates are in good agreement with the scaling relations between black holes and their host spheroids suggesting that (i) they are reliable and (ii) black holes in spiral galaxies follows the same scaling relations as those in more massive early-type galaxies. A crucial test for the gas kinematical method, the correct recovery of the known BH mass in NGC 4258, has been successful.