ARE OUTFLOWS BIASING SINGLE-EPOCH C IV BLACK HOLE MASS ESTIMATES?

We use a combination of reverberation mapping data and single-epoch (SE) spectra of the C IV emission line in a sample of both low- and high-redshift active galactic nuclei to investigate sources of the discrepancies between C IV- and H{beta}-based SE black hole (BH) mass estimates. We find that for...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Astrophysical journal 2012-11, Vol.759 (1), p.44
Main Author: DENNEY, K. D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ACCOUNTING
Astronomy
ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
BLACK HOLES
CARBON IONS
CORRECTIONS
Earth, ocean, space
EMISSION SPECTRA
Exact sciences and technology
GALAXIES
GALAXY NUCLEI
MAPPING
MASS
ORIENTATION
PHOTON EMISSION
QUASARS
RED SHIFT
STELLAR WINDS
VELOCITY
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Summary:We use a combination of reverberation mapping data and single-epoch (SE) spectra of the C IV emission line in a sample of both low- and high-redshift active galactic nuclei to investigate sources of the discrepancies between C IV- and H{beta}-based SE black hole (BH) mass estimates. We find that for all reverberation mapped sources, there is a component of the line profile that does not reverberate, and the velocity characteristics of this component vary from object to object. The differing strength and properties of this non-variable component are responsible for much of the scatter in C IV-based BH masses compared to H{beta} masses. The C IV mass bias introduced by this non-variable component is correlated with the shape of the C IV line, allowing us to make an empirical correction to the BH mass estimates. Using this correction and accounting for other sources of scatter, such as poor data quality and data inhomogeneity, reduces the scatter between the C IV and H{beta} masses in our sample by a factor of {approx}2, to only {approx}0.2 dex. We discuss the possibility that this non-variable C IV component originates in an orientation-dependent outflow from either the proposed broad-line region disk wind or the intermediate-line region, a high-velocity inner extension of the narrow-line region.
ISSN:0004-637X
1538-4357
DOI:10.1088/0004-637x/759/1/44