Using Multiwavelength Observations to Determine the Black Hole Mass and Accretion Rate in the Type 1 Seyfert Galaxy NGC 5548

Abstract

We model the spectral energy distribution of the type 1 Seyfert galaxy NGC 5548, fitting data from simultaneous optical, UV, and X-ray monitoring observations. We assume a geometry consisting of a hot central Comptonizing region surrounded by a thin accretion disk. The properties of the disk and the hot central region are determined by the feedback occurring between the hot Comptonizing region and thermal reprocessing in the disk that, along with viscous dissipation, provides the seed photons for the Comptonization process. The constraints imposed upon this model by the multiwavelength data allow us to derive limits on the central black hole mass, $M \la 2 \times 10^7$ \Msun, the accretion rate, $\Mdot \la 2.5\times 10^5$ M${}_{\odot }^2$yr${}^{-1}/M$, and the radius of the transition region between the thin outer disk and the geometrically thick, hot inner region, $\sim 2$--5$\times 10^{14}$ cm.

20 pages, 8 figures, LaTeX2e, emulateapj5, accepted for publication in ApJ

References in corpus (20)

• Advection-Dominated Accretion: Underfed Black Holes and Neutron Stars
• The Two-Phase Pair Corona Model for Active Galactic Nuclei and X-ray Binaries: How to Obtain Exact Solutions
• XMM-EPIC observation of MCG-6-30-15: Direct evidence for the extraction of energy from aspinning black hole?
• Evidence for Supermassive Black Holes in Active Galactic Nuclei from Emission-Line Reverberation
• Correlation between Compton reflection and X-ray slope in Seyferts and X-ray binaries
• Efficiency of Magnetized Thin Accretion Disks in the Kerr Metric
• Magnetized Accretion Inside the Marginally Stable Orbit around a Black Hole
• Non-LTE Models and Theoretical Spectra of Accretion Disks in Active Galactic Nuclei. IV. Effects of Compton Scattering and Metal Opacities
• Systematic Errors in the Estimation of Black Hole Masses by Reverberation Mapping
• X-ray spectra of accretion discs with dynamic coronae
• Simultaneous EUVE/ASCA/RXTE Observations of NGC 5548
• Observations of Seyferts by OSSE and parameters of their X-ray/gamma-ray sources
• The Origin of the X-ray and Ultraviolet Emission in NGC 7469
• New constraints on the continuum-emission mechanism of AGN: Intensive monitoring of NGC 7469 in the X-ray and ultraviolet
• Intensive HST, RXTE and ASCA Monitoring of NGC 3516: Evidence Against Thermal Reprocessing
• Self-Consistent Thermal Accretion Disk Corona Models for Compact Objects: I. Properties of the Corona and the Spectrum of Escaping Radiation
• An X-ray Reprocessing Model of Disk Thermal Emission in Type 1 Seyfert Galaxies
• High-Energy Spectral Complexity from Thermal Gradients in Black Hole Atmospheres
• A Spectroscopic and Photometric Study of Short-Timescale Variability in NGC5548
• Thermal Comptonization and Disk Thermal Reprocessing in NGC 3516

Cited by in corpus (23)

• Hot Accretion Flows Around Black Holes
• Advection-Dominated Accretion and the Black Hole Event Horizon
• Correlations between X-ray and radio spectral properties of accreting black holes
• The Nature of X-ray Bright Optically Normal Galaxies
• A possible mechanism for multiple changing look phenomenon in Active Galactic Nuclei
• Spectroscopic Indication for a Centi-parsec Supermassive Black Hole Binary in the Galactic Center of NGC 5548
• Low-Luminosity Accretion in Black Hole X-ray Binaries and Active Galactic Nuclei
• The UV peak in Active Galactic Nuclei : a false continuum from blurred reflection ?
• Reverberation Mapping of the Broad-line Region in NGC 5548: Evidence for Radiation Pressure?
• A self-consistent hybrid Comptonization model for broad-band spectra of accreting supermassive black holes
• Formation of a galaxy with a central black hole in the Lemaitre-Tolman model
• New Analytical Formula for Supercritical Accretion Flows
• Simulated spectral states of AGN and observational predictions
• Disk corona interaction: mechanism for the disk truncation and spectrum change in low luminosity AGN
• NGC 5548: Lack of a Broad Fe K Line and Constraints on the Location of the Hard X-ray Source
• High redshift radio quiet quasars -- exploring parameter space of accretion models. Part II: patchy corona model
• The reverberation signatures of rotating disc winds in active galactic nuclei
• High redshift radio quiet quasars - exploring the parameter space of accretion models. Part I: hot semi-spherical flow
• Nonthermal processes in hot accretion flows onto supermassive black holes: An inhomogeneous model
• Irradiation of accretion discs in active galactic nuclei due to warm absorber
• X-ray spectra of hot accretion flows
• Interaction of the accretion flows in corona and disk near the black hole in AGN
• Warm absorber and truncated accretion disc in IRAS 05078+1626