We create a baseline of the black hole (BH) mass (MBH) - stellar-velocity dispersion (sigma) relation for active galaxies, using a sample of 66 local (0.02<z<0.09) Seyfert-1 galaxies, selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Analysis of SDS
S images yields AGN luminosities free of host-galaxy contamination and morphological classification. 51/66 galaxies have spiral morphology. 28 bulges have Sersic index n<2 and are considered candidate pseudo bulges, with eight being definite pseudo bulges based on multiple classification criteria met. Only 4/66 galaxies show sign of interaction/merging. High signal-to-noise ratio Keck spectra provide the width of the broad Hbeta emission line free of FeII emission and stellar absorption. AGN luminosity and Hbeta line widths are used to estimate MBH. The Keck-based spatially-resolved kinematics is used to determine stellar-velocity dispersion within the spheroid effective radius. We find that sigma can vary on average by up to 40% across definitions commonly used in the literature, emphasizing the importance of using self-consistent definitions in comparisons and evolutionary studies. The MBH-sigma relation for our Seyfert-1 galaxies has the same intercept and scatter as that of reverberation-mapped AGNs as well as quiescent galaxies, consistent with the hypothesis that our single epoch MBH estimator and sample selection do not introduce significant biases. Barred galaxies, merging galaxies, and those hosting pseudo bulges do not represent outliers in the MBH-sigma relation. This is in contrast with previous work, although no firm conclusion can be drawn due to the small sample size and limited resolution of the SDSS images.
We present high-quality Keck/LRIS longslit spectroscopy of a pilot sample of 25 local active galaxies selected from the SDSS (0.02<z<0.1; MBH>10^7 M_sun) to study the relations between black hole mass (MBH) and host-galaxy properties. We determine st
ellar kinematics of the host galaxy, deriving stellar-velocity dispersion profiles and rotation curves from three spectral regions (including CaH&K, MgIb triplet, and CaII triplet). In addition, we perform surface photometry on SDSS images, using a newly developed code for joint multi-band analysis. BH masses are estimated from the width of the Hbeta emission line and the host-galaxy free 5100A AGN luminosity. Combining results from spectroscopy and imaging allows us to study four MBH scaling relations: MBH-sigma, MBH-L(sph), MBH-M(sph,*), MBH-M(sph,dyn). We find the following results. First, stellar-velocity dispersions determined from aperture spectra (e.g. SDSS fiber spectra or unresolved data from distant galaxies) can be biased, depending on aperture size, AGN contamination, and host-galaxy morphology. However, such a bias cannot explain the offset seen in the MBH-sigma relation at higher redshifts. Second, while the CaT region is the cleanest to determine stellar-velocity dispersions, both the MgIb region, corrected for FeII emission, and the CaHK region, although often swamped by the AGN powerlaw continuum and emission lines, can give results accurate to within a few percent. Third, the MBH scaling relations of our pilot sample agree in slope and scatter with those of other local active and inactive galaxies. In the next papers of the series we will quantify the scaling relations, exploiting the full sample of ~100 objects.
We study the internal dynamical structure of the early-type lens galaxy SDSS J0728+3835 at z = 0.206. The analysis is based on two-dimensional kinematic maps extending out to 1.7 effective radii obtained from Keck spectroscopy, on lensing geometry an
d on stellar mass estimates obtained from multiband Hubble Space Telescope imaging. The data are modelled under the assumptions of axial symmetry supported by a two-integral distribution function (DF), by applying the combined gravitational lensing and stellar dynamics code CAULDRON, and yielding high-quality constraints for an early-type galaxy at cosmological redshifts. Modelling the total density profile as a power-law of the form rho_tot ~ 1/r^{gamma}, we find that it is nearly isothermal (logarithmic slope gamma = 2.08^{+0.04}_{-0.02}), and quite flattened (axial ratio q = 0.60^{+0.08}_{-0.03}). The galaxy is mildly anisotropic (delta = 0.08 +/- 0.02) and shows a fair amount of rotational support, in particular towards the outer regions. We determine a dark matter fraction lower limit of 28 per cent within the effective radius. The stellar contribution to the total mass distribution is close to maximal for a Chabrier initial mass function (IMF), whereas for a Salpeter IMF the stellar mass exceeds the total mass within the galaxy inner regions. We find that the combination of a NFW dark matter halo with the maximally rescaled luminous profile provides a remarkably good fit to the total mass distribution over a broad radial range. Our results confirm and expand the findings of the SLACS survey for early-type galaxies of comparable velocity dispersion (sigma_SDSS = 214 +/- 11 km/s). The internal structure of J0728 is consistent with that of local early-type galaxies of comparable velocity dispersion as measured by the SAURON project, suggesting lack of evolution in the past two billion years.
We use high-resolution adaptive optics (AO) imaging on the Keck II telescope to study the gravitational lens B0128+437 in unprecedented detail, allowing us to resolve individual lensed quasar components and, for the first time, detect and measure pro
perties of the lensing galaxy. B0128+437 is a small separation lens with known flux-ratio and astrometric anomalies. We discuss possible causes for these anomalies, including the presence of substructure in the lensing galaxy, propagation effects due to dust and a turbulent interstellar medium, and gravitational microlensing. This work on B0128 demonstrates that AO will be an essential tool for studying the many new small-separation lenses expected from future surveys.
