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Title: REVERBERATION MAPPING OF THE INTERMEDIATE-MASS NUCLEAR BLACK HOLE IN SDSS J114008.71+030711.4

Journal Article · · Astrophysical Journal
; ;  [1]; ;  [2]
  1. Physics Department, The Technion, Haifa 32000 (Israel)
  2. Institut fuer Astrophysik, Universitaet Goettingen, Friedrich-Hund Platz 1, 37077 Goettingen (Germany)

We present the results of a reverberation mapping (RM) campaign on the black hole (BH) associated with the active galactic nucleus (AGN) in SDSS J114008.71+030711.4 (hereafter GH08). This object is selected from a sample of 19 candidate intermediate-mass BHs (M{sub BH} < 10{sup 6} M{sub sun}) found by Greene and Ho in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We used the Hobby-Eberly Telescope to obtain 30 spectra over a period of 178 days in an attempt to resolve the reverberation time lag ({tau}) between the continuum source and the broad-line region (BLR) in order to determine the radius of the BLR (R{sub BLR}) in GH08. We measure {tau} to be two days with an upper limit of six days. We estimate the AGN luminosity at 5100 A to be {lambda}L{sub 5100} Almost-Equal-To 1.1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 43} erg s{sup -1} after deconvolution from the host galaxy. The most well-calibrated R{sub BLR}-L relation predicts a time lag that is four times larger than what we measure. Using the measured H{beta} full width at half-maximum of 703 {+-} 110 km s{sup -1} and an upper limit for R{sub BLR} =6 light days, we find M{sub BH} {approx}< 5.8 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 5} M{sub sun} as an upper limit to the BH virial mass in GH08, which implies super-Eddington accretion. Based on our measured M{sub BH} we propose that GH08 may be another candidate to add to the very short list of AGNs with M{sub BH} < 10{sup 6} M{sub sun} determined using RM.

OSTI ID:
21612739
Journal Information:
Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 741, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/741/1/66; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English