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Precise Black Hole Masses From Megamaser Disks: Black Hole-Bulge Relations at Low Mass
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Submitted 16 Jul 2010
abstract compiled · 2026-09-23 · no language-model review
The authors' main claim We show, now with very precise BH mass measurements, that the low-scatter power-law relation between M_BH and sigma* seen in elliptical galaxies is not universal.
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The abstract, sentence by sentence
The black hole (BH)-bulge correlations have greatly influenced the last decade of effort to understand galaxy evolution. Current knowledge of these correlations is limited predominantly to high BH masses (M_BH> 10^8 M_sun) that can be measured using direct stellar, gas, and maser kinematics. These objects, however, do not represent the demographics of more typical L< L* galaxies. This study transcends prior limitations to probe BHs that are an order of magnitude lower in mass, using BH mass measurements derived from the dynamics of H_2O megamasers in circumnuclear disks. The masers trace the Keplerian rotation of circumnuclear molecular disks starting at radii of a few tenths of a pc from the central BH. Modeling of the rotation curves, presented by Kuo et al. (2010), yields BH masses with exquisite precision. We present stellar velocity dispersion measurements for a sample of nine megamaser disk galaxies based on long-slit observations using the B&C spectrograph on the Dupont telescope and the DIS spectrograph on the 3.5m telescope at Apache Point. We also perform bulge-to-disk decomposition of a subset of five of these galaxies with SDSS imaging. The maser galaxies as a group fall below the M_BH-sigma* relation defined by elliptical galaxies. We show, now with very precise BH mass measurements, that the low-scatter power-law relation between M_BH and sigma* seen in elliptical galaxies is not universal. The elliptical galaxy M_BH-sigma* relation cannot be used to derive the BH mass function at low mass or the zeropoint for active BH masses. The processes (perhaps BH self-regulation or minor merging) that operate at higher mass have not effectively established an M_BH-sigma* relation in this low-mass regime.
background contribution method result interpretation main claim
| # | sentence | role | the authors' own work | states the main conclusion | strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| s0 | The black hole (BH)-bulge correlations have greatly influenced the last decade of effort to understand galaxy evolution. | background 1.00 | 0.04 | 0.02 | asserted 1.00 |
| s1 | Current knowledge of these correlations is limited predominantly to high BH masses (M_BH> 10^8 M_sun) that can be measured using direct stellar, gas, and maser kinematics. | gap 0.71 | 0.05 | 0.02 | asserted 1.00 |
| s2 | These objects, however, do not represent the demographics of more typical L< L* galaxies. | gap 0.67 | 0.08 | 0.03 | asserted 1.00 |
| s3 | This study transcends prior limitations to probe BHs that are an order of magnitude lower in mass, using BH mass measurements derived from the dynamics of H_2O megamasers in circumnuclear disks. | contribution 0.99 | 0.88 | 0.06 | asserted 1.00 |
| s4 | The masers trace the Keplerian rotation of circumnuclear molecular disks starting at radii of a few tenths of a pc from the central BH. | method 0.87 | 0.14 | 0.02 | asserted 1.00 |
| s5 | Modeling of the rotation curves, presented by Kuo et al. (2010), yields BH masses with exquisite precision. | method 0.64 | 0.08 | 0.02 | asserted 1.00 |
| s6 | We present stellar velocity dispersion measurements for a sample of nine megamaser disk galaxies based on long-slit observations using the B&C spectrograph on the Dupont telescope and the DIS spectrograph on the 3.5m telescope at Apache Point. | method 0.96 | 0.97 | 0.02 | asserted 1.00 |
| s7 | We also perform bulge-to-disk decomposition of a subset of five of these galaxies with SDSS imaging. | method 0.91 | 0.96 | 0.02 | asserted 0.99 |
| s8 | The maser galaxies as a group fall below the M_BH-sigma* relation defined by elliptical galaxies. | result 1.00 | 0.88 | 0.26 | asserted 1.00 |
| s9 | We show, now with very precise BH mass measurements, that the low-scatter power-law relation between M_BH and sigma* seen in elliptical galaxies is not universal. | result 0.86 | 0.93 | 0.77 | asserted 1.00 |
| s10 | The elliptical galaxy M_BH-sigma* relation cannot be used to derive the BH mass function at low mass or the zeropoint for active BH masses. | interpretation 0.97 | 0.58 | 0.36 | asserted 1.00 |
| s11 | The processes (perhaps BH self-regulation or minor merging) that operate at higher mass have not effectively established an M_BH-sigma* relation in this low-mass regime. | interpretation 1.00 | 0.34 | 0.23 | hedged possibility 0.57 |
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Original abstract
The black hole (BH)-bulge correlations have greatly influenced the last decade of effort to understand galaxy evolution. Current knowledge of these correlations is limited predominantly to high BH masses (M_BH> 10^8 M_sun) that can be measured using direct stellar, gas, and maser kinematics. These objects, however, do not represent the demographics of more typical L< L* galaxies. This study transcends prior limitations to probe BHs that are an order of magnitude lower in mass, using BH mass measurements derived from the dynamics of H_2O megamasers in circumnuclear disks. The masers trace the Keplerian rotation of circumnuclear molecular disks starting at radii of a few tenths of a pc from the central BH. Modeling of the rotation curves, presented by Kuo et al. (2010), yields BH masses with exquisite precision. We present stellar velocity dispersion measurements for a sample of nine megamaser disk galaxies based on long-slit observations using the B&C spectrograph on the Dupont telescope and the DIS spectrograph on the 3.5m telescope at Apache Point. We also perform bulge-to-disk decomposition of a subset of five of these galaxies with SDSS imaging. The maser galaxies as a group fall below the M_BH-sigma* relation defined by elliptical galaxies. We show, now with very precise BH mass measurements, that the low-scatter power-law relation between M_BH and sigma* seen in elliptical galaxies is not universal. The elliptical galaxy M_BH-sigma* relation cannot be used to derive the BH mass function at low mass or the zeropoint for active BH masses. The processes (perhaps BH self-regulation or minor merging) that operate at higher mass have not effectively established an M_BH-sigma* relation in this low-mass regime.
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These uncertainties could be reduced by (i) searching carefully for black holes in all of the high-ranked galaxies in Table [ref] using HST or ground-based adaptive optics; (ii) generalizing the analysis to include the black holes in the Milky Way and those in maser galaxies [ref] —of course, a danger in the second step is that the relation may depend on galaxy morphology.
Observational selection effects and the M-sigma relation · Discussion and Conclusions · 0.92
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