UNVEILING A POPULATION OF GALAXIES HARBORING LOW-MASS BLACK HOLES WITH X-RAYS
- Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI), Todai Institutes for Advanced Study, the University of Tokyo, Kashiwanoha 5-1-5, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba 277-8568 (Japan)
- Department of Astrophysical Science, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States)
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States)
- Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Department of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China)
- Spitzer Science Center, 314-6 California Institute of Technology, 1201 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)
- Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)
- National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States)
We report the discovery of three low-mass black hole (BH) candidates residing in the centers of low-mass galaxies at z < 0.3 in the Chandra Deep Field-South Survey. These BHs are initially identified as candidate active galactic nuclei based on their X-ray emission in deep Chandra observations. Multi-wavelength observations are used to strengthen our claim that such emission is powered by an accreting supermassive BH. While the X-ray luminosities are low at L{sub X} {approx} 10{sup 40} erg s{sup -1} (and variable in one case), we argue that they are unlikely to be attributed to star formation based on H{alpha} or UV fluxes. Optical spectroscopy from Keck and the VLT allows us to (1) measure accurate redshifts, (2) confirm their low stellar host mass, (3) investigate the source(s) of photo-ionization, and (4) estimate extinction. With stellar masses of M{sub *} < 3 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 9} M{sub Sun} determined from Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys imaging, the host galaxies are among the lowest mass systems known to host actively accreting BHs. We estimate BH masses M{sub BH} {approx} 2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 5} M{sub Sun} based on scaling relations between BH mass and host properties for more luminous systems. In one case, a broad component of the H{alpha} emission-line profile is detected, thus providing a virial mass estimate. BHs in such low-mass galaxies are of considerable interest as the low-redshift analogs to the seeds of the most massive BHs at high redshift which have remained largely elusive to date. Our study highlights the power of deep X-ray surveys to uncover such low-mass systems.
- OSTI ID:
- 22130971
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 773, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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