The SDSS-V Black Hole Mapper Reverberation Mapping Project: Unusual Broad-line Variability in a Luminous Quasar
We present a high-cadence multiepoch analysis of dramatic variability of three broad emission lines (Mg ii , H β , and H α ) in the spectra of the luminous quasar ( λ L _λ (5100 Å) = 4.7 × 10 ^44 erg s ^−1 ) SDSS J141041.25+531849.0 at z = 0.359 with 127 spectroscopic epochs over nine years of monit...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2023-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acbfb7 |
| _version_ | 1797695406911520768 |
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| author | Logan B. Fries Jonathan R. Trump Megan C. Davis C. J. Grier Yue Shen Scott F. Anderson Tom Dwelly Michael Eracleous Y. Homayouni Keith Horne Mirko Krumpe Sean Morrison Jessie C. Runnoe Benny Trakhtenbrot Roberto J. Assef W. N. Brandt Joel Brownstein Collin Dabbieri Alexander Fix Gloria Fonseca Alvarez Sara Frederick P. B. Hall Anton M. Koekemoer Jennifer I-Hsiu Li Xin Liu Mary Loli Martínez-Aldama Claudio Ricci Donald P. Schneider Hugh W. Sharp Matthew J. Temple Qian Yang Grisha Zeltyn Dmitry Bizyaev |
| author_facet | Logan B. Fries Jonathan R. Trump Megan C. Davis C. J. Grier Yue Shen Scott F. Anderson Tom Dwelly Michael Eracleous Y. Homayouni Keith Horne Mirko Krumpe Sean Morrison Jessie C. Runnoe Benny Trakhtenbrot Roberto J. Assef W. N. Brandt Joel Brownstein Collin Dabbieri Alexander Fix Gloria Fonseca Alvarez Sara Frederick P. B. Hall Anton M. Koekemoer Jennifer I-Hsiu Li Xin Liu Mary Loli Martínez-Aldama Claudio Ricci Donald P. Schneider Hugh W. Sharp Matthew J. Temple Qian Yang Grisha Zeltyn Dmitry Bizyaev |
| author_sort | Logan B. Fries |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We present a high-cadence multiepoch analysis of dramatic variability of three broad emission lines (Mg ii , H β , and H α ) in the spectra of the luminous quasar ( λ L _λ (5100 Å) = 4.7 × 10 ^44 erg s ^−1 ) SDSS J141041.25+531849.0 at z = 0.359 with 127 spectroscopic epochs over nine years of monitoring (2013–2022). We observe anticorrelations between the broad emission-line widths and flux in all three emission lines, indicating that all three broad emission lines “breathe” in response to stochastic continuum variations. We also observe dramatic radial velocity shifts in all three broad emission lines, ranging from Δ v ∼ 400 km s ^−1 to ∼800 km s ^−1 , that vary over the course of the monitoring period. Our preferred explanation for the broad-line variability is complex kinematics in the gas in the broad-line region. We suggest a model for the broad-line variability that includes a combination of gas inflow with a radial gradient, an azimuthal asymmetry (e.g., a hot spot), superimposed on the stochastic flux-driven changes to the optimal emission region (“line breathing”). Similar instances of line-profile variability due to complex gas kinematics around quasars are likely to represent an important source of false positives in radial velocity searches for binary black holes, which typically lack the kind of high-cadence data we analyze here. The long-duration, wide-field, and many-epoch spectroscopic monitoring of SDSS-V BHM-RM provides an excellent opportunity for identifying and characterizing broad emission-line variability, and the inferred nature of the inner gas environment, of luminous quasars. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:11:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-276e882bf70d4f4cab2f2802e95336fb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:11:58Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-276e882bf70d4f4cab2f2802e95336fb2023-09-03T14:23:04ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572023-01-019481510.3847/1538-4357/acbfb7The SDSS-V Black Hole Mapper Reverberation Mapping Project: Unusual Broad-line Variability in a Luminous QuasarLogan B. Fries0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8032-2971Jonathan R. Trump1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1410-0470Megan C. Davis2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9776-9227C. J. Grier3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9920-6057Yue Shen4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1659-7035Scott F. Anderson5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6404-9562Tom Dwelly6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4459-9233Michael Eracleous7https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3719-940XY. Homayouni8https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0957-7151Keith Horne9https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1728-0304Mirko Krumpe10Sean Morrison11https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6770-2627Jessie C. Runnoe12https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8557-2822Benny Trakhtenbrot13https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3683-7297Roberto J. Assef14https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9508-3667W. N. Brandt15https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0167-2453Joel Brownstein16https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8725-1069Collin Dabbieri17https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7306-1830Alexander Fix18https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4444-0115Gloria Fonseca Alvarez19https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0042-6936Sara Frederick20https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9676-730XP. B. Hall21https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1763-5825Anton M. Koekemoer22https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6610-2048Jennifer I-Hsiu Li23https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0311-2812Xin Liu24https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0049-5210Mary Loli Martínez-Aldama25https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7843-7689Claudio Ricci26https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5231-2645Donald P. Schneider27https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7240-7449Hugh W. Sharp28https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9616-1789Matthew J. Temple29https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8433-550XQian Yang30https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6893-3742Grisha Zeltyn31https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7817-0099Dmitry Bizyaev32https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3601-133XDepartment of Physics, 196A Auditorium Road, Unit 3046, University of Connecticut , Storrs, CT 06269, USADepartment of Physics, 196A Auditorium Road, Unit 3046, University of Connecticut , Storrs, CT 06269, USADepartment of Physics, 196A Auditorium Road, Unit 3046, University of Connecticut , Storrs, CT 06269, USASteward Observatory, The University of Arizona , 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, WI 53706, USADepartment of Astronomy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana, IL 61801, USA; National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana, IL 61801, USAAstronomy Department, University of Washington , Box 351580, Seattle, WA 98195, USAMax-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik , Giessenbachstraße, D-85748 Garching, GermanyDepartment of Astronomy & Astrophysics and Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University , 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802, USADepartment of Astronomy & Astrophysics and Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University , 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802, USASUPA Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews , Fife KY16 9SS, UKLeibniz-Institut für Astrophysik (AIP) , An der Sternwarte 16, 14482 Potsdam, GermanyDepartment of Astronomy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana, IL 61801, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University , Nashville, TN 37235, USASchool of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv 69978, IsraelInstituto de Estudios Astrofísicos, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad Diego Portales , Av. Ejército Libertador 441, Santiago, ChileDepartment of Astronomy & Astrophysics, 525 Davey Lab, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USA; Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Physics, 104 Davey Lab, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah , 115 S. 1400 E., Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University , Nashville, TN 37235, USADepartment of Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado , 2000 Colorado Avenue, Boulder, CO 80309, USADepartment of Physics, 196A Auditorium Road, Unit 3046, University of Connecticut , Storrs, CT 06269, USA; NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory , 950 N. Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University , Nashville, TN 37235, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, York University , Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, CanadaSpace Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USADepartment of Astronomy, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USADepartment of Astronomy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana, IL 61801, USA; National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana, IL 61801, USAInstituto de Física y Astronomía, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso , Gran Bretaña 1111, Valparaíso, Chile; Departamento de Astronomía, Universidad de Chile , Casilla 36D, Santiago, ChileInstituto de Estudios Astrofísicos, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad Diego Portales , Av. Ejército Libertador 441, Santiago, Chile; Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University , Beijing 100871, People's Republic of ChinaDepartment of Astronomy & Astrophysics and Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University , 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802, USADepartment of Physics, 196A Auditorium Road, Unit 3046, University of Connecticut , Storrs, CT 06269, USAInstituto de Estudios Astrofísicos, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad Diego Portales , Av. Ejército Libertador 441, Santiago, ChileDepartment of Astronomy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana, IL 61801, USA; Center for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian , 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USASchool of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv 69978, IsraelApache Point Observatory and New Mexico State University , P.O. Box 59, Sunspot, NM, 88349-0059, USA; Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Moscow State University , Moscow, RussiaWe present a high-cadence multiepoch analysis of dramatic variability of three broad emission lines (Mg ii , H β , and H α ) in the spectra of the luminous quasar ( λ L _λ (5100 Å) = 4.7 × 10 ^44 erg s ^−1 ) SDSS J141041.25+531849.0 at z = 0.359 with 127 spectroscopic epochs over nine years of monitoring (2013–2022). We observe anticorrelations between the broad emission-line widths and flux in all three emission lines, indicating that all three broad emission lines “breathe” in response to stochastic continuum variations. We also observe dramatic radial velocity shifts in all three broad emission lines, ranging from Δ v ∼ 400 km s ^−1 to ∼800 km s ^−1 , that vary over the course of the monitoring period. Our preferred explanation for the broad-line variability is complex kinematics in the gas in the broad-line region. We suggest a model for the broad-line variability that includes a combination of gas inflow with a radial gradient, an azimuthal asymmetry (e.g., a hot spot), superimposed on the stochastic flux-driven changes to the optimal emission region (“line breathing”). Similar instances of line-profile variability due to complex gas kinematics around quasars are likely to represent an important source of false positives in radial velocity searches for binary black holes, which typically lack the kind of high-cadence data we analyze here. The long-duration, wide-field, and many-epoch spectroscopic monitoring of SDSS-V BHM-RM provides an excellent opportunity for identifying and characterizing broad emission-line variability, and the inferred nature of the inner gas environment, of luminous quasars.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acbfb7Active galactic nucleiQuasarsSupermassive black holes |
| spellingShingle | Logan B. Fries Jonathan R. Trump Megan C. Davis C. J. Grier Yue Shen Scott F. Anderson Tom Dwelly Michael Eracleous Y. Homayouni Keith Horne Mirko Krumpe Sean Morrison Jessie C. Runnoe Benny Trakhtenbrot Roberto J. Assef W. N. Brandt Joel Brownstein Collin Dabbieri Alexander Fix Gloria Fonseca Alvarez Sara Frederick P. B. Hall Anton M. Koekemoer Jennifer I-Hsiu Li Xin Liu Mary Loli Martínez-Aldama Claudio Ricci Donald P. Schneider Hugh W. Sharp Matthew J. Temple Qian Yang Grisha Zeltyn Dmitry Bizyaev The SDSS-V Black Hole Mapper Reverberation Mapping Project: Unusual Broad-line Variability in a Luminous Quasar The Astrophysical Journal Active galactic nuclei Quasars Supermassive black holes |
| title | The SDSS-V Black Hole Mapper Reverberation Mapping Project: Unusual Broad-line Variability in a Luminous Quasar |
| title_full | The SDSS-V Black Hole Mapper Reverberation Mapping Project: Unusual Broad-line Variability in a Luminous Quasar |
| title_fullStr | The SDSS-V Black Hole Mapper Reverberation Mapping Project: Unusual Broad-line Variability in a Luminous Quasar |
| title_full_unstemmed | The SDSS-V Black Hole Mapper Reverberation Mapping Project: Unusual Broad-line Variability in a Luminous Quasar |
| title_short | The SDSS-V Black Hole Mapper Reverberation Mapping Project: Unusual Broad-line Variability in a Luminous Quasar |
| title_sort | sdss v black hole mapper reverberation mapping project unusual broad line variability in a luminous quasar |
| topic | Active galactic nuclei Quasars Supermassive black holes |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acbfb7 |
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