Reverberation Mapping -Extending the Luminosity Range

Shai KaspiTel-Aviv University & Technion – Haifa

Israel

“AGNs: From Atoms to Black Holes” Tel-Aviv University, 22 February 2006

A black hole obsessed/addict

…it’s Hagai’s fault….

Outline

- Introduction to reverberation mapping by B. Peterson

- Current BLR Size – Luminosity Relation

- Broadening the luminosity range

- Mapping low luminosity AGNs

- Mapping of high-luminosity quasars – preliminary results

Maoz D., Netzer H., Peterson B.M., Vestergaard M., Jannuzi B. (Kaspi et al. 2005, ApJ, 629, 61)

Maoz D., Netzer H., Brandt W.N., Schneider D.P., Shemmer O .(Kaspi et al. in preparation)

Laor A., Maoz, D., Peterson B., Filippenko A.

Peterson et al. (2004) compiled all studies to date.

35 objects with Balmer (mainly H( lines time lag.

Characteristic BLR size = Time Lag * speed of light.

The BLR size – luminosity relationBoth are measured quantities.

Luminosities in the Optical, UV, and X-rays.

BLR size from averaging all Balmer lines time lag.

Reverberation Mapping

Linear Regression

Uncertainties in both quantities

And

Intrinsic scatter in the relation

Two regression methods:

1 .FITEXY from Press et al. (1992) implemented by Tremaine et al. (2002).

2 .BCES (Bivariate Correlated Errors and intrinsic Scatter) by Akritas & Bershady (1996).

…and also outlier points…

H RBLR – Optical luminosity )5100 A(

RBLR [L(5100 Å)] (0.69±0.05)

H RBLR – Optical luminosity )5100 A(

RBLR [L(5100 Å)] (0.518±0.039) (Bentz et al. Aph/0602412)

H RBLR – UV luminosity )1450 A(

RBLR [L(1450 Å)] (0.56±0.05)

58 points 32 points

RBLR – X-ray luminosity )2-10 keV(

54 points 30 points

RBLR [L(2-10 keV)] (0.70±0.14)

RBLR – luminosity Relation, conclusions

• Though small differences exist between the different regression methods the results are generally consistent.

• Average slope is 0.67±0.05 for the optical continuum and broad Hβ luminosity, about 0.56±0.05 for the UV luminosity, and about 0.70±0.14 for the X-ray luminosity.

• We find in these relations an intrinsic scatter of about 40% .

• In most energy bands the slope is roughly like the naive theoretical prediction of 0.5. This prediction is naively based on the assumption that all AGNs have the same ionization parameter, BLR density, column density, and ionizing SED.

0.52±0.04

Broadening the Luminosity range - H

Current studies span 4 orders of magnitude.

We need to expand the luminosity range with reverberation mapping studies.

There are 4 more orders of magnitude to be explored.

Extrapolation does not necessarily give the real situation .

Broadening the Luminosity range – C IVUp to 2004 only four AGNs with C IV BLR size measurements

Broadening the Luminosity range – C IVPeterson et al. (2005) added NGC4395 four orders of magnitude in luminosity lower

Broadening the Luminosity range – C IVStill there are the high luminosity quasars at three orders of magnitude higher

Higher luminosities monitoring

Photometrically monitoring 11 quasars for the past decade.

7 of which are spectroscopically monitored for the past 5 years.

2.1 < z < 3.2

1045.6 < L(5100 Å) < 1047 erg/s

Photometric observation at the 1m Wise Observatory.

Spectroscopic observation at 9m Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET)

and at the Wise Observatory.

Lines monitored are C IV and Ly using the method of a

comparison star simultaneously with the quasar in the slit.

…Some preliminary results… (Kaspi et al. in preparation)

Continuum light curves

Z log L R B

2.628 46.14 0.34 0.44

3.177 46.88 0.16 0.22

2.172 46.05 0.34 0.44

2.824 46.62 0.25 0.27

3.200 46.96 0.14 0.19

2.722 47.04 0.16 0.20

SBS 1116+603

L(5100 Å) = 1.4×1046 erg/s z = 2.628 R=0.34 B=0.44

SBS 1116+603 : C IV – Continuum CCF

No measurable time lag is found

S4 0636+68

L(5100 Å) = 7.6×1046 erg/s z = 3.117 R=0.16 B=0.22

HS 1700+6416

L(5100 Å) = 1047 erg/s z = 2.722 R=0.16 B=0.20

S5 0836+71

L(5100 Å) = 1.1×1046 erg/s z = 2.172 R=0.34 B=0.44

S5 0836+71: C IV – Continuum CCF

Rest frame time lag: 188+27 days-37

Broadening the Luminosity range – C IV

A preliminary result suggest a correlation between the C IV size and the luminosity

Mass – Luminosity Relation

S5 0836+71: M M 106.2 9

Peterson et al. (2005)

.

Scaling C IV size to Hsize

NGC4395: CIV lag: min 572419

⇒ H lag about: min 114

4838

In two weeks, optical

monitoring of NGC4395

spectroscopically from

KPNO and

photometrically from

four observatories

around the world cover

22 hours a day for four

days.

S5 0836+71: CIV lag: days 1882737

⇒ H lag about: days 376

5474

SummaryIn the 1042 to 1046 erg/s luminosity range a firm relation exist between the BLR size and luminosity. Slope ranging from 0.5 to 0.7.

Expanding the luminosity range is important and first steps are being taken:

• Low luminosity Seyferts and LINERS to cover the luminosity range of 1040 to 1042 erg/sec.

• High luminosity quasars – preliminary results are encouraging. When this long term project is concluded reverberation mapping studies will cover the luminosity range up to 1047 ergs/s, an additional one order of magnitude to the current luminosity range and 7 orders of magnitude in total.

• Dust Reverberation mapping (torus size?)