paper

Black hole masses from power density spectra: determinations and consequences

arXiv:astro-ph/0009200 · doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.2001.04522.x

Abstract

We analyze the scaling of the X-ray power density spectra with the mass of the black hole on the example of Cyg X-1 and Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548. We show that the high frequency tail of the power density spectrum can be successfully used for determination of the black hole mass. We determine the masses of the black holes in 6 Broad Line Seyfert 1 galaxies, 5 Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxies and two QSOs using available power density spectra. The proposed scaling is clearly appropriate for other Seyfert galaxies and QSOs. In all but 1 normal Seyferts the resulting luminosity to the Eddington luminosity ratio is smaller than 0.15, with a source MCG -6-15-30 being an exception. The applicability of the same scaling to Narrow Line Seyfert 1 is less clear and there may be a systematic shift between the power spectra of NLS1 and S1 galaxies of the same mass, leading to underestimation of the black hole mass. However, both the method based on variability and the method based on spectral fitting show that those galaxies have relatively low masses and high luminosity to the Eddington luminosity ratio, supporting the view of those objects as analogs of galactic sources in their high/soft or very high state based on the overall spectral shape. Bulge masses of their host galaxies are similar to normal Seyfert galaxies so they do not follow the black hole mass-bulge mass relation for Seyfert galaxies, being evolutionary less advanced, as suggested by Mathur (2000). The bulge mass-black hole mass relation in our sample is consistent with being linear, with black hole to bulge ratio 0.03 %, similar to Wandel (1999) and Laor (1998, 2001) for low mass objects but significantly shifted from the relation of Magorrian et al. (1998) and McLure & Dunlop (2000).

11 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in MNRAS

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