The Lick AGN Monitoring Project 2016: Dynamical Modeling of Velocity-resolved Hβ Lags in Luminous Seyfert Galaxies

Villafaña, Lizvette; Williams, Peter; Treu, Tommaso; Brewer, Brendon J.; Barth, Aaron J.; Vivian, U; Bennert, Vardha N.; Vogler, Heiko; Guo, Hengxiao; Bentz, Misty C.; Canalizo, Gabriela; Filippenko, A. V.; Gates, E. L.; Hamann, F.; Joner, M. D.; Malkan, M. A.; Woo, Jong-Hak; Abolfathi, Bela; Abramson, Louis E.; Armen, Stephen F.; Bae, Hyun‐Jin; Bohn, Thomas; Boizelle, Benjamin D.; Bostroem, K. A.; Brandel, Andrew; Brink, Thomas G.; Channa, Sanyum; Cooper, Michael C.; Cosens, Maren; Donohue, Edward; Fillingham, Sean P.; González–Buitrago, D.; Halevi, Goni; Halle, Andrew; Hood, Carol E.; Horne, K.; Horst, J. Chuck; Kouchkovsky, Maxime de; Kuhn, Benjamin; Kumar, Sahana; Leonard, Douglas C.; Loveland, Donald W.; Manzano-King, Christina; McHardy, I. M.; Michel, R.; Olaes, Melanie Kae B.; Park, Daeseong; Park, Songyoun; Pei, L.; Ross, Timothy W.; Runco, Jordan N.; Sánchez, Javier; Scott, Bryan R.; Sexton, Remington O.; Shin, Jaejin; Shivvers, I.; Spencer, Chance L.; Stahl, Benjamin E.; Stegman, Samantha; Stomberg, Isak; Valenti, S.; Walsh, Jonelle L.; Yuk, H.; Zheng, W.

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ac6171

Cited by 23 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 40 publications

(39 reference statements)

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“…Comparison of modeling constraints with interferometry from GRAVITY shows good agreement in the black hole mass as well as the structural parameters of the BLR (NGC 3783, Gravity Collaboration 2021; Bentz et al 2021). Constraints on the BLR kinematics are consistent with those found from velocity-resolved reverberation mapping (RM) and the maximum entropy method (e.g., Villafaña et al 2022a), and inclination angles are consistent in the few cases in which independent measurements are available (Grier et al 2017;this work). Tests of simulated data also show reassuring results, in that the key properties of the BLR and the black hole mass are robustly recovered even when the input model is significantly different than what is assumed in CARAMEL (Mangham et al 2019).…”

Section: Model Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 54%

“…Previous studies that model velocity-resolved reverberation mapping data have consistently found a preference for BLR geometries that resemble a moderately inclined thick disk (Brewer et al 2011;Pancoast et al 2014b;Grier et al 2017;Williams et al 2018;Bentz et al 2021;Villafaña et al 2022a).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…The superb data sets that have finally begun to be acquired by reverberation mapping programs have allowed the BLR structure and kinematics to be explored in detail for a modest number of AGNs using the forward modeling approach (Pancoast et al 2014b;Grier et al 2017;Williams et al 2018Williams et al , 2020Bentz et al 2021;Villafaña et al 2022a). While the exact details vary from AGN to AGN, these studies have generally found that the BLR, as probed by the Hβ emission line, is arranged in a thick disk geometry that we are viewing at a low to moderate inclination.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Broad Line Region and Black Hole Mass of NGC 4151

Bentz

Williams

Treu

2022

ApJ

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We present a reanalysis of reverberation mapping data from 2005 for the Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151, supplemented with additional data from the literature to constrain the continuum variations over a significantly longer baseline than the original monitoring program. Modeling of the continuum light curve and the velocity-resolved variations across the Hβ emission line constrains the geometry and kinematics of the broad line region (BLR). The BLR is well described by a very thick disk with similar opening angle (θ o ≈ 57°) and inclination angle (θ i ≈ 58°), suggesting that our sight line toward the innermost central engine skims just above the surface of the BLR. The inclination is consistent with constraints from geometric modeling of the narrow-line region, and the similarity between the inclination and opening angles is intriguing given previous studies of NGC 4151 that suggest BLR gas has been observed temporarily eclipsing the X-ray source. The BLR kinematics are dominated by eccentric bound orbits, with ∼10% of the orbits preferring near-circular motions. With the BLR geometry and kinematics constrained, the models provide an independent and direct black hole mass measurement of log M BH / M ⊙ = 7.22 − 0.10 + 0.11 or M BH = 1.66 − 0.34 + 0.48 × 10 7 M ⊙, which is in good agreement with mass measurements from stellar dynamical modeling and gas dynamical modeling. NGC 4151 is one of the few nearby broad-lined Seyferts where the black hole mass may be measured via multiple independent techniques, and it provides an important test case for investigating potential systematics that could affect the black hole mass scales used in the local universe and for high-redshift quasars.

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Section: Model Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 54%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Broad Line Region and Black Hole Mass of NGC 4151

Bentz

Williams

Treu

2022

ApJ

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“…In a growing number of cases, this has been modeled (e.g. Pancoast et al 2014b;Grier et al 2017;Williams et al 2018Williams et al , 2020Bentz et al 2021;Villafaña et al 2022, see more discussion below) but in general, an average value of f has been used.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pancoast et al 2014b;Grier et al 2017;Williams et al 2018). This modeling is intensive, and requires densely sampled light curves, so it has only been done for 27 objects so far (Villafaña et al 2022). More comparisons are needed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spectropolarimetric measurements of hidden broad lines in nearby megamaser galaxies: a lack of clear evidence for a correlation between black hole masses and virial products

Linzer¹,

Goulding²,

Greene³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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High-accuracy black hole (BH) masses require excellent spatial resolution that is only achievable for galaxies within ∼100 Mpc using present-day technology. At larger distances, BH masses are often estimated with single-epoch scaling relations for active galactic nuclei. This method requires only luminosity and the velocity dispersion of the broad line region (BLR) to calculate a virial product, and an additional virial factor, f , to determine BH mass. The accuracy of these single-epoch masses, however, is unknown, and there are few empirical constraints on the variance of f between objects. We attempt to calibrate single-epoch BH masses using spectropolarimetric measurements of nine megamaser galaxies from which we measure the velocity distribution of the BLR. We do not find strong evidence for a correlation between the virial products used for single-epoch masses and dynamical mass, both for the megamaser sample alone and when combined with dynamical masses from reverberation mapping modeling. Furthermore, we find evidence that the virial parameter f varies between objects, but we do not find strong evidence for a correlation with other observable parameters such as luminosity or broad line width. Although we cannot definitively rule out the existence of any correlation between dynamical mass and virial product, we find tension between allowed f values for masers and those widely used in the literature. We conclude that the single-epoch method requires further investigation if it is to be used successfully to infer BH masses.

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Microlensing of Strongly Lensed Quasars

Vernardos,

Sluse,

Pooley

et al. 2024

Space Sci Rev

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Strong gravitational lensing of quasars has the potential to unlock the poorly understood physics of these fascinating objects, as well as serve as a probe of the lensing mass distribution and of cosmological parameters. In particular, gravitational microlensing by compact bodies in the lensing galaxy can enable mapping of quasar structure to $<10^{-6}$ < 10 − 6 arcsec scales. Some of this potential has been realized over the past few decades, however the upcoming era of large sky surveys promises to bring this promise to full fruition. In this article, we review the theoretical framework of this field, describe the prominent current methods for parameter inference from quasar microlensing data across different observing modalities, and discuss the constraints so far derived on the geometry and physics of quasar inner structure. We also review the application of strong lensing and microlensing to constraining the granularity of the lens potential, i.e. the contribution of the baryonic and dark matter components, and the local mass distribution in the lens, i.e. the stellar mass function. Finally, we discuss the future of the field, including the new possibilities that will be opened by the next generation of large surveys and by new analysis methods now being developed.

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The Lick AGN Monitoring Project 2016: Dynamical Modeling of Velocity-resolved Hβ Lags in Luminous Seyfert Galaxies

Cited by 23 publications

References 40 publications

The Broad Line Region and Black Hole Mass of NGC 4151

The Broad Line Region and Black Hole Mass of NGC 4151

Spectropolarimetric measurements of hidden broad lines in nearby megamaser galaxies: a lack of clear evidence for a correlation between black hole masses and virial products

Microlensing of Strongly Lensed Quasars

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