Related papers: On minor black holes in galactic nuclei
We report the discovery of a spectroscopically confirmed z = 1.824 minor merger with a mass ratio of ~35:1 in which the secondary (smaller) galaxy hosts a luminous AGN. The system is identified in the 3D-HST survey and exhibits clear tidal…
We review ASCA results on a search for low luminosity active nuclei at the center of nearby normal galaxies. More than a dozen low-luminosity AGN have been discovered with 2-10 keV luminosity in the range 10^{40-41} ergs/s. Their X-ray…
Dwarf AGN serve as the ideal systems for identifying intermediate mass black holes (IMBHs) down to the most elusive regimes ($\sim 10^3 - 10^4 M_{\odot}$). However, the ubiquitously metal-poor nature of dwarf galaxies gives rise to…
Detecting the seed black holes from which quasars formed is extremely challenging; however, those seeds that did not grow into supermassive should be found as intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) of 100-10$^5$ M$_{\odot}$ in local dwarf…
This work presents the first results of the Deep IFS View of Nuclei of Galaxies (DIVING$^\mathrm{3D}$) survey. We analysed the nuclear emission-line spectra of a sub-sample we call mini-DIVING$^\mathrm{3D}$, which includes all Southern…
The existence of supermassive black holes lurking in the centers of galaxies and of stellar binary systems containing a black hole with a few solar masses has been established beyond reasonable doubt. The idea that black holes of…
We describe a new method to estimate the mass of black holes in Ultraluminous X-ray Sources (ULXs). The method is based on the recently discovered ``variability plane'', populated by Galactic stellar-mass black-hole candidates (BHCs) and…
Evidence has been mounting for the existence of black holes with masses from 10^2 to 10^4 M_Solar associated with stellar clusters. Such intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) will encounter other black holes in the dense cores of these…
A handful of well-studied Weak-Line Radio Galaxies (WLRGs) have been traditionally classified as Low Ionization Nuclear Emission-line Regions (LINERs), suggesting that these two groups of AGNs might be related. In this paper, we present new…
We use semi-analytic models implemented in the Millennium Simulation to analyze the merging histories of dark matter haloes and of the galaxies that reside in them. We assume that supermassive black holes only exist in galaxies that have…
We propose a new formation channel for intermediate mass black hole (IMBH) binaries via globular cluster collisions in the Galactic disc. Using numerical simulations, we show that the IMBHs form a tight binary that enters the gravitational…
Many nearby galaxies contain optical signatures of nuclear activity in the form of LINER nuclei. LINERs may be the weakest and most common manifestation of the quasar phenomenon. The physical origin of this class of objects, however, has…
We study the multiwavelength properties of an optically selected sample of Low Ionization Nuclear Emission-line Regions (LINERs), in an attempt to determine the accretion mechanism powering their central engine. We show how their X-ray…
The origin of supermassive black holes (SMBH) in galaxy centers still remains uncertain. There are two possible ways of their formation - from massive ($10^5 - 10^6 M_{\odot}$) and low-mass ($100 M_{\odot}$) BH nuclei. The latter scenario…
We present X-ray properties of optically-selected intermediate-mass (~10^5--10^6 M_Sun) black holes (BHs) in active galaxies (AGNs), using data from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. Our observations are a continuation of a pilot study by…
Low-ionization nuclear emission-line regions (LINERs), which exist in a large fraction of galaxies, may be the least luminous manifestation of quasar activity. The nature of LINERs has, however, remained controversial because an AGN-like…
We discuss the prospects for detecting faint intermediate-mass black holes, such as those predicted to exist in the cores of globular clusters and dwarf spheroidal galaxies. We briefly summarize the difficulties of stellar dynamical…
LINER nuclei, which are present in many nearby galactic bulges, may be the manifestation of low-rate or low-radiative-efficiency accretion onto supermassive central black holes. However, it has been unclear whether the compact UV nuclear…
Hard X-ray emission is ubiquitous in accreting black holes, both in Galactic binary systems and in Active Galactic Nuclei. I review the different spectra which can be seen from these systems, and possible ways of producing this emission.…
Galactic accretion driven stellar X-ray sources can be divided into groups in different ways. An important division, which covers almost all known X-ray binaries, can be made according to the mass of the donor star: high-mass X-ray binaries…