Related papers: AGN Black hole mass estimates using polarization i…
We have performed a detailed analysis of the local super-massive black-hole (SMBH) mass function based on both kinematic and photometric data and derived an accurate analytical fit in the range 10^6 <= (M_BH/M_sun) <= 5*10^9. We find a…
We have measured the stellar velocity dispersions (\sigma_*) and estimated the central black hole (BH) masses for over 900 broad-line active galactic nuclei (AGNs) observed with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The sample includes objects…
We study the distribution of Eddington luminosity ratios, L_bol/L_edd, of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) discovered in the AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey (AGES). We combine H-beta, MgII, and CIV line widths with continuum luminosities to…
I review the current status of X-ray reflection (a.k.a. broad iron line) based black hole spin measurements. This is a powerful technique that allows us to measure robust black hole spins across the mass range, from the stellar-mass black…
Here we give an observational method for measurements of the equatorial scattering region radius using variability in the polarized broad lines in Type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The polarization in broad lines of Type 1 AGNs is…
We estimated the magnetic field strength at the event horizon for a sample of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Our estimates were made using the values of the inclination angles of the accretion disk to the…
The black hole mass MBH is crucial in constraining the growth of supermassive BHs within their host galaxies. Since direct measurements of MBH with dynamical methods are restricted to a limited number of nearly quiescent nearby galaxies and…
We present dynamical modeling of the broad line region (BLR) for a sample of five Seyfert 1 galaxies using reverberation mapping data taken by the Lick AGN Monitoring Project in 2008. By modeling the AGN continuum light curve and H$\beta$…
In this contribution we briefly review the reverberation mapping technique and its results for low and intermidiate luminosity AGNs. Then we present a monitoring campaign of high-luminosity high-redshift quasars which will extend these…
The masses of central supermassive black holes in a soft X-ray selected sample of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s) are estimated by some different methods to test their theoretical models. Apart from the methods using the H$\beta$…
We present measurements of black hole (BH) properties of 861 Type-1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the North Ecliptic Pole (NEP)-Wide field. These AGNs are detected in both optical and mid-infrared (MIR) surveys and are identified as…
(Abridged) Using an empirical relation between the broad line region size and optical continuum luminosity, we estimated the black hole mass and accretion rate for 135 AGNs with double-peaked broad emission lines in two samples. With black…
In our previous work, using luminosity and the H-beta FWHM as surrogates for black hole mass (M_BH), we compared the black hole masses of narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s) and broad-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (BLS1s) in a sample of soft…
Black hole masses in Active Galactic Nuclei have been determined in 35 objects through reverberation mapping of the emission line region. I mention some uncertainties of the method, such as the ``scale factor'' relating the Virial Product…
Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) can be ejected from their galactic centers due to gravitational wave recoil or the slingshot mechanism following a galaxy merger. If an ejected SMBH retains its inner accretion disk, it may be visible as an…
Stellar-mass black holes (BHs) are predicted to be embedded in the disks of active galactic nuclei (AGN) due to gravitational drag and in-situ star formation. However, clear evidence for AGN disk-embedded BHs is currently lacking. Here, as…
Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) often exhibit broad-line regions (BLRs), populated by high-velocity clouds in Keplerian orbits around the central supermassive black hole (SMBH) at subparsec scales. During episodes of intense super-Eddington…
The spin of a supermassive black hole (SMBH) is directly related to the radiative efficiency of accretion on to the hole, and therefore impacts the amount of fuel required for the black hole to reach a certain mass. Thus, a knowledge of the…
The study of heavily obscured supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth in late-stage galaxy mergers is challenging: column densities $N_{\mathrm{H}}>10^{24},\mathrm{cm}^{-2}$ can block most nuclear emission, leaving significant gaps in the…
The latest analysis efforts in reverberation mapping are beginning to allow reconstruction of echo images (or velocity-delay maps) that encode information about the structure and kinematics of the broad line region (BLR) in active galactic…