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Title

The black hole mass: spheroid luminosity relation

Author(s)

Graham, Alister W.

Abstract

The differing M_bh-Luminosity relations presented in McLure & Dunlop, Marconi & Hunt and Erwin et al. have been investigated. A number of issues have been identified and addressed in each of these studies, including but not limited to: the removal of a dependency on the Hubble constant; a correction for dust attenuation in the bulges of disc galaxies; the identification of lenticular galaxies previously treated as elliptical galaxies; and application of the same (Y|X) regression analysis. These adjustments result in relations which now predict similar black hole masses. The optimal K-band relation is log(M_bh/M_sun) = -0.37(+/-0.04)[M_K +24] + 8.29(+/-0.08), with a total (not intrinsic) scatter in log M_bh equal to 0.33 dex. This level of scatter is similar to the value of 0.34 dex from the M_bh-sigma relation of Tremaine et al. and compares favourably with the value of 0.31 dex from the M_bh-n relation of Graham & Driver. Using different photometric data, consistent relations in the B- and R-band are also provided, although we do note that the small (N=13) R-band sample used by Erwin et al. is found here to have a slope of -0.30(+/-0.06) and a total scatter of 0.31 dex. Performing a symmetrical regression on the larger K-band sample gives a slope of -0.40, implying M_bh ~ L^{1.00}. Implications for galaxy-black hole coevolution, in terms of dry mergers, are briefly discussed, as are predictions for intermediate mass black holes. Finally, as previously noted by Tundo et al., a potential bias in the galaxy sample used to define the M_bh-L relations is shown and a corrective formula provided.

Publication type

Journal article

Research centre

Swinburne University of Technology. Faculty of Information and Communication Technologies. Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing

Source

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 379, no. 2 (Aug 2007), pp. 711-722

Publication year

2007

FOR Code(s)

0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences

Keyword(s)

Black hole physics;  Bulges;  Galaxies;  Galaxy photometry

Publisher

Blackwell

ISSN

0035-8711

Publisher URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2007.11950.x

Copyright

Copyright © 2007 Royal Astronomical Society. The accepted manuscript of this paper is reproduced here in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. The definitive publication is available at www.interscience.wiley.com.

Full text

Peer reviewed