The Black Hole Mass Function Derived From Local Spiral Galaxies

Abstract

We present our determination of the nuclear supermassive black hole mass (SMBH) function for spiral galaxies in the local universe, established from a volume-limited sample consisting of a statistically complete collection of the brightest spiral galaxies in the southern (δ < 0 • ) hemisphere. Our SMBH mass function agrees well at the high-mass end with previous values given in the literature. At the low-mass end, inconsistencies exist in previous works that still need to be resolved, but our work is more in line with expectations based on modeling of black hole evolution. This low-mass end of the spectrum is critical to our understanding of the mass function and evolution of black holes since the epoch of maximum quasar activity. A limiting luminosity (redshift-independent) distance, D L = 25.4 Mpc (z = 0.00572) and a limiting absolute B-band magnitude, M B = −19.12 define the sample. These limits define a sample of 140 spiral galaxies, with 128 measurable pitch angles to establish the pitch angle distribution for this sample. This pitch angle distribution function may be useful in the study of the morphology of late-type galaxies. We then use an established relationship between the logarithmic spiral arm pitch angle and the mass of the central SMBH in a host galaxy in order to estimate the mass of the 128 respective SMBHs in this volume-limited sample. This result effectively gives us the distribution of mass for SMBHs residing in spiral galaxies over a lookback time, t L ≤ 82.1 h . We estimate that the density of SMBHs residing in spiral galaxies in the local universe is ρ = 5.54 . Thus, our derived cosmological SMBH mass density for spiral galaxies is Ω BH = 4.35 of the universal baryonic inventory (Ω BH /ω b ) is confined within nuclear SMBHs at the center of spiral galaxies.

THE LOCAL BLACK HOLE MASS FUNCTION DERIVED FROM THE MBH–P AND THE MBH–n RELATIONS

“…We established the Sérsic index distribution for earlytype (E/S0) galaxies in our sample. Davis et al (2014) established the pitch angle distribution for their sample, which is identical to our late-type (spiral) galaxy sample. We then used the pitch angle and the Sérsic index distributions in order to estimate the SMBH mass function for our volume-limited sample.…”

“…The sensitivity of the low-mass end of the BHMF based on these assumptions is well presented in Figure A2 of Vika et al (2009). Recently, Davis et al (2014) estimated the BHMF by using the SMBH mass versus spiral arm pitch angle relation for a nearly complete sample of local spiral galaxies in order to produce reliable data for the low-mass end of the local BHMF. In this paper, we aim to estimate a local BHMF for all galaxy types within the same volume limits in order to complement this late-type BHMF.…”

“…Salucci et al 1999;Yu & Tremaine 2002;Marconi et al 2004;Shankar et al 2004;Vika et al 2009;Davis et al 2014). A robust BHMF helps to describe the evolution of the SMBH distribution and provides important constraints on the coevolution of the quasar and black hole populations.…”

“…In this paper, we aim to estimate a local BHMF for all galaxy types within the same volume limits in order to complement this late-type BHMF. Therefore, we used the identical sample selection criteria used by Davis et al (2014).…”

Dark-ages reionization and galaxy formation simulation – X. The small contribution of quasars to reionization

“…(ii) the observed black hole mass function (Graham et al 2007;Shankar et al 2009;Vika et al 2009;Davis et al 2014;Mutlu-Pakdil et al 2016) and Magorrian relation (Thornton et al 2008;Jiang et al 2011;Mathur et al 2012;Jiang et al 2013;Reines et al 2013;Scott et al 2013;Busch et al 2014;Sanghvi et al 2014;Yuan et al 2014) at low redshift (z 0.5);…”