Following black hole scaling relations through gas-rich mergers

Journal Article · Mon Apr 20 04:00:00 EDT 2015 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/803/2/61· OSTI ID:22882563

Medling, Anne M. ^[1]; U, Vivian ^[2]; Max, Claire E.; Holden, Bradford ^[3]; Sanders, David B. ^[4]; Armus, Lee ^[5]; Mieda, Etsuko; Wright, Shelley A. ^[6]

---

1. Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mount Stromlo Observatory, Australia National University, Cotter Road, Weston, ACT 2611 (Australia)
2. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521 (United States)
3. Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States)
4. Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States)
5. Spitzer Science Center, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)
6. Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, 50 St. George Street. Toronto, ON M5S 3H4 (Canada)

We present black hole mass measurements from kinematic modeling of high-spatial resolution integral field spectroscopy of the inner regions of nine nearby (ultra-)luminous infrared galaxies in a variety of merger stages. These observations were taken with OSIRIS and laser guide star adaptive optics on the Keck I and Keck II telescopes, and reveal gas and stellar kinematics inside the spheres of influence of these supermassive black holes. We find that this sample of black holes are overmassive (∼10{sup 7–9} M) compared to the expected values based on black hole scaling relations, and suggest that the major epoch of black hole growth occurs in early stages of a merger, as opposed to during a final episode of quasar-mode feedback. The black hole masses presented are the dynamical masses enclosed in ∼25 pc, and could include gas which is gravitationally bound to the black hole but has not yet lost sufficient angular momentum to be accreted. If present, this gas could in principle eventually fuel active galactic nucleus feedback or be itself blown out from the system.

• OSTI ID: 22882563
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 803; ISSN ASJOAB; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United Kingdom
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
ANGULAR MOMENTUM
BLACK HOLES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
GALACTIC EVOLUTION
GALAXIES
GALAXY NUCLEI
MASS
QUASARS
SPATIAL RESOLUTION
SPECTROSCOPY
STARS
TELESCOPES