Narrow-line Seyfert 1 Galaxies and the M_BH - sigma Relation

Abstract

We have studied the location of narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies and broad-line Seyfert 1 (BLS1) galaxies on the M_BH - sigma relation of non-active galaxies. We find that NLS1 galaxies as a class - as well as the BLS1 galaxies of our comparison sample - do follow the M_BH-sigma relation of non-active galaxies if we use the width of the [SII]6716,6731 emission lines as surrogate for stellar velocity dispersion, sigma_*. We also find that the width of [OIII]5007 is a good surrogate for sigma_*, but only after (a) removal of asymmetric blue wings, and, more important, after (b) excluding core [OIII] lines with strong blueshifts (i.e., excluding galaxies which have their [OIII] velocity fields dominated by radial motions, presumably outflows). The same galaxies which are extreme outliers in [OIII] still follow the M_BH - sigma relation in [SII]. We confirm previous findings that NLS1 galaxies are systematically off-set from the M_BH - sigma relation if the full [OIII] profile is used to measure sigma. We systematically investigate the influence of several parameters on the NSL1 galaxies' location on the M_BH - sigma plane: [OIII]_core blueshift, L/L_Edd, intensity ratio FeII/H_beta, NLR density, and absolute magnitude. Implications for NLS1 models and for their evolution along the M_BH - sigma relation are discussed.

ApJ Letters, in press (3 figures, one in colour)

References in corpus (5)

• A Comprehensive Study of 2 000 Narrow Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: I. The Sample
• The Central Engines of Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies
• The narrow-line region of narrow-line and broad-line type 1 AGN I. A zone of avoidance in density
• Revisiting the Black Hole Masses of Soft X-ray-Selected Active Galactic Nuclei
• [O III] emission line in narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies

Cited by in corpus (13)

• The effect of radiation pressure on virial black hole mass estimates and the case of Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxies
• On the nature of Seyfert galaxies with high [OIII]5007 blueshifts
• Black Holes in Pseudobulges and Spheroidals: A Change in the Black Hole-Bulge Scaling Relations at Low Mass
• Are the black hole masses in Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxies actually small?
• The Growth of Black Holes: Insights From Obscured Active Galaxies
• The narrow-line region of narrow-line and broad-line type 1 AGN I. A zone of avoidance in density
• Ultra-luminous Infrared Galaxies in Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 6
• A note on black hole masses estimated by the second moment in Narrow Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies
• The QSO HE0450-2958: Scantily dressed or heavily robed? A normal quasar as part of an unusual ULIRG
• The radio luminosity, black hole mass and Eddington ratio for quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• Compact radio emission from z~0.2 X-ray bright AGN
• First Detection of 12CO (1--0) Emission from Two Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies
• The Narrow-Line Region of Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies