Related papers: Black-hole masses of distant quasars
We present discovery observations of a quasar in the Canada-France High-z Quasar Survey (CFHQS) at redshift z=6.44. We also use near-IR spectroscopy of nine CFHQS quasars at z~6 to determine black hole masses. These are compared with…
QSOs allow study of the evolution of the relationship between black holes in galactic nuclei and their host galaxies. The black hole mass can be derived from the widths of the broad emission lines, and the stellar velocity dispersion…
The growth of supermassive black holes by merging and accretion in hierarchical models of galaxy formation is studied by means of Monte Carlo simulations. A tight linear relation between masses of black holes and masses of bulges arises if…
Using black hole masses which span 10^5 to 10^(10) solar masses, the distribution of galaxies in the (host spheroid stellar mass)-(black hole mass) diagram is shown to be strongly bent. While the core-Sersic galaxies follow a near-linear…
It has been established that virial masses for black holes in low-redshift active galaxies can be estimated from measurements of the optical continuum strength and the width of the broad Hbeta line. Under various circumstances, however,…
Type 2 quasars are an important constituent of active galaxies, possibly representing the evolutionary precursors of traditionally studied type 1 quasars. We characterize the black hole mass ($M_{\rm BH}$) and Eddington ratio ($L_{\rm…
We discuss masses of stellar black holes found in binary systems and errors in their determination. The observed mass distribution has a broad shape within the range $4-16 M_\odot$ without visible concentration to some preferred value. On…
We use the microlensing variability observed for nine gravitationally lensed quasars to show that the accretion disk size at 2500 Angstroms is related to the black hole mass by log(R_2500/cm) = (15.6+-0.2) + (0.54+-0.28)log(M_BH/10^9M_sun).…
All galaxies are thought to reside within large halos of dark matter, whose properties can only be determined from indirect observations. The formation and assembly of galaxies is determined from the interplay between these dark matter…
In a recent work we demonstrated that a novel X-ray scaling method, originally introduced for Galactic black holes (GBHs), can be reliably extended to estimate the mass of supermassive black holes accreting at a moderate to high level. Here…
In order to investigate the dependence of quasar optical-UV variability on fundamental physical parameters like black hole mass, we have matched quasars from the QUEST1 variability survey with broad-lined objects from the SDSS. Black hole…
Black hole mass is a key factor in determining how a black hole interacts with its environment. However, the determination of black hole masses at high redshifts depends on secondary mass estimators, which are based on empirical…
As star-forming galaxies approach or exceed a stellar mass around $10^{11} M_\odot$, they are increasingly likely to be quenched in a process generically called mass quenching. Central galaxies, which are quenched via mass rather than…
I present mass functions of actively accreting black holes detected in different quasar surveys which in concert cover a wide range of cosmic history. I briefly address what we learn from these mass functions. I summarize the motivation for…
This work considers the idea of massive black holes being the constituents of the Galactic dark matter halo. It constrains the maximum black hole mass to $\mbh \sil 5 \times 10^4 \msun$ by examining their influence on the population of…
I review our current understanding of the structures and ages of the host galaxies of quasars, and the masses of their central black holes. At low redshift, due largely to the impact of the Hubble Space Telescope, there is now compelling…
We present a relationship between the black hole mass, stellar mass, and star formation rate of a diverse group of 91 galaxies with dynamically-measured black hole masses. For our sample of galaxies with a variety of morphologies and other…
This article reviews the current status of black hole astrophysics, focusing on topics of interest to a physics audience. Astronomers have discovered dozens of compact objects with masses greater than 3 solar masses, the likely maximum mass…
Black hole mass is a fundamental property of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). In the distant universe, black hole mass is commonly estimated using the MgII, Hbeta, or Halpha emission line widths and the optical/UV continuum or line…
The central black-hole masses of a sample of 30 luminous quasars are estimated using H-beta FWHM measurements from a combination of new and previously-published nuclear spectra. The quasar black-hole mass estimates are combined with…