No Arabic abstract
We report the results of a multi-year spectroscopic and photometric monitoring campaign of two luminous quasars, PG~0923+201 and PG~1001+291, both located at the high-luminosity end of the broad-line region (BLR) size-luminosity relation with optical luminosities above $10^{45}~{rm erg~s^{-1}}$. PG~0923+201 is for the first time monitored, and PG~1001+291 was previously monitored but our campaign has a much longer temporal baseline. We detect time lags of variations of the broad H$beta$, H$gamma$, Fe {sc ii} lines with respect to those of the 5100~{AA} continuum. The velocity-resolved delay map of H$beta$ in PG~0923+201 indicates a complicated structure with a mix of Keplerian disk-like motion and outflow, and the map of H$beta$ in PG~1001+291 shows a signature of Keplerian disk-like motion. Assuming a virial factor of $f_{rm BLR}=1$ and FWHM line widths, we measure the black hole mass to be $118_{-16}^{+11}times 10^7 M_{odot}$ for PG~0923+201 and $3.33_{-0.54}^{+0.62}times 10^7 M_{odot}$ for PG~1001+291. Their respective accretion rates are estimated to be $0.21_{-0.07}^{+0.06} times L_{rm Edd},c^{-2}$ and $679_{-227}^{+259}times L_{rm Edd},c^{-2}$, indicating that PG~0923+201 is a sub-Eddington accretor and PG~1001+291 is a super-Eddington accretor. While the H$beta$ time lag of PG~0923+201 agrees with the size-luminosity relation, the time lag of PG~1001+291 shows a significant deviation, confirming that in high-luminosity AGN the BLR size depends on both luminosity and Eddington ratio. Black hole mass estimates from single AGN spectra will be over-estimated at high luminosities and redshifts if this effect is not taken into account.
Reverberation results of a flat spectrum radio quasar PKS 1510-089 are presented from 8.5-years long spectroscopic monitoring carried out in 9 observing seasons between December 2008 to June 2017 at Steward Observatory. Optical spectra show strong H$beta$, H$gamma$, and Fe II emission lines overlaying on a blue continuum. All the continuum and emission line light curves show significant variability with a fractional root-mean-square variation of $37.30pm0.06$% ($f_{5100}$), $11.88pm0.29$% (H$beta$) and $9.61pm0.71$% (H$gamma$), however, along with thermal radiation from accretion disk non-thermal emission from jet also contribute to $f_{5100}$. Several methods of time series analysis (ICCF, DCF, von Neumann, Bartels, JAVELIN, $chi^2$) are used to measure lag between continuum and line light curves. The observed frame BLR size is found to be $61.1^{+4.0}_{-3.2}$ ($64.7^{+27.1}_{-10.6}$) light-days for H$beta$ (H$gamma$). Using $sigma_{mathrm{line}}$ of $1262pm247$ km s$^{-1}$ measured from the rms spectrum, the black hole mass of PKS 1510-089 is estimated to be $5.71^{+0.62}_{-0.58} times 10^{7} M_{odot}$.
A method is proposed for measuring the size of the broad emission line region (BLR) in quasars using broadband photometric data. A feasibility study, based on numerical simulations, points to the advantages and pitfalls associated with this approach. The method is applied to a subset of the Palomar-Green quasar sample for which independent BLR size measurements are available. An agreement is found between the results of the photometric method and the spectroscopic reverberation mapping technique. Implications for the measurement of BLR sizes and black hole masses for numerous quasars in the era of large surveys are discussed.
We present the results from a spectroscopic monitoring campaign to obtain reverberation-mapping measurements and investigate the broad-line region kinematics for active galactic nuclei (AGN) of Mrk~817 and NGC~7469. This campaign was undertaken with the Lijiang 2.4-meter telescope, the median spectroscopic sampling is 2.0 days for Mrk~817 and 1.0 days for NGC~7469. We detect time lags of the broad emission lines including H$beta$, H$gamma$, He~{sc ii} and He~{sc i} for both AGNs, and including Fe~{sc ii} for Mrk~817 with respect to the varying AGN continuum at 5100~AA. Investigating the relationship between line widths and time lags of the broad emission lines, we find that the BLR dynamics of Mrk~817 and NGC~7469 are consistent with the virial prediction. We estimate the masses of central supermassive black hole (SMBH) and the accretion rates of both AGNs. Using the data of this campaign, we construct the velocity-resolved lag profiles of the broad H$gamma$, H$beta$, and He~{sc i} lines for Mrk~817, which show almost the same kinematic signatures that the time lags in the red wing are slightly larger than the time lags in the blue wing. For NGC~7469, we only clearly construct the velocity-resolved lag profiles of the broad H$gamma$ and H$beta$, which show very similar kinematic signatures to the BLR of Mrk~817. These signatures indicate that the BLR of Keplerian motion in both AGNs seemingly has outflowing components during the monitoring period. We discuss the kinematics of the BLR and the measurements including SMBH mass and accretion rates.
Reverberation mapping estimates the size and kinematics of broad line regions (BLR) in Quasars and type I AGNs. It yields size-luminosity relation, to make QSOs standard cosmological candles, and mass-luminosity relation to study the evolution of black holes and galaxies. The accuracy of these relations is limited by the unknown geometry of the BLR clouds distribution and velocities. We analyze the independent BLR structure constraints given by super-resolving differential interferometry. We developed a three-dimensional BLR model to compute all differential interferometry and reverberation mapping signals. We extrapolate realistic noises from our successful observations of the QSO 3C273 with AMBER on the VLTI. These signals and noises quantify the differential interferometry capacity to discriminate and measure BLR parameters including angular size, thickness, spatial distribution of clouds, local-to-global and radial-to-rotation velocity ratios, and finally central black hole mass and BLR distance. A Markov Chain Monte Carlo model-fit, of data simulated for various VLTI instruments, gives mass accuracies between 0.06 and 0.13 dex, to be compared to 0.44 dex for reverberation mapping mass-luminosity fits. We evaluate the number of QSOs accessible to measures with current (AMBER), upcoming (GRAVITY) and possible (OASIS with new generation fringe trackers) VLTI instruments. With available technology, the VLTI could resolve more than 60 BLRs, with a luminosity range larger than four decades, sufficient for a good calibration of RM mass-luminosity laws, from an analysis of the variation of BLR parameters with luminosity.
The combination of the linear size from reverberation mapping (RM) and the angular distance of the broad line region (BLR) from spectroastrometry (SA) in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) can be used to measure the Hubble constant $H_0$. Recently, Wang et al. (2020) successfully employed this approach and estimated $H_0$ from 3C 273. However, there may be a systematic deviation between the response-weighted radius (RM measurement) and luminosity-weighted radius (SA measurement), especially when different broad lines are adopted for size indicators (e.g., hb for RM and pa for SA). Here we evaluate the size deviations measured by six pairs of hydrogen lines (e.g., hb, ha and pa) via the locally optimally emitting cloud (LOC) models of BLR. We find that the radius ratios $K$(=$R_{rm SA}$/$R_{rm RM}$) of the same line deviated systematically from 1 (0.85-0.88) with dispersions between 0.063-0.083. Surprisingly, the $K$ values from the pa(SA)/hb(RM) and ha(SA)/hb(RM) pairs not only are closest to 1 but also have considerably smaller uncertainty. Considering the current infrared interferometry technology, the pa(SA)/hb(RM) pair is the ideal choice for the low redshift objects in the SARM project. In the future, the ha(SA)/hb(RM) pair could be used for the high redshift luminous quasars. These theoretical estimations of the SA/RM radius pave the way for the future SARM measurements to further constrain the standard cosmological model.