2012MNRAS.426..416D

We present the results of optical spectral and photometric observations of the nucleus of Markarian 6 made with the 2.6-m Shajn telescope at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory. The continuum and emission Balmer-line intensities varied by more than a factor of two during 1992–2008. The lag between the continuum and Hβ emission-line flux variations is 21.1 ± 1.9days. For the Hα line the lag is about 27days, but its uncertainty is much larger. We use Monte Carlo simulations of random time series to check the effect of our data sampling on the lag uncertainties and we compare our simulation results with those obtained by the random subset selection (RSS) method of Peterson et al. The lags in the high-velocity wings are shorter than those in the line core in accordance with virial motion. However, the lag is slightly larger in the blue wing than in the red wing. This is a signature of infall gas motion. Probably the broad-line region kinematic in the Mrk 6 nucleus is a combination of Keplerian and infall motions. The velocity-delay dependence is similar for individual observational seasons. Measurements of the Hβ line width in combination with the reverberation lag permit us to determine the black hole mass, M_BH= (1.8±0.2) x 10⁸M_☉. This result is consistent with active galactic nucleus scaling relationships between the broad-line region radius and the optical continuum luminosity (R_BLR∝ L^0.5) as well as with the black hole mass–luminosity relationship (M_BH–L) under an Eddington luminosity ratio for Mrk 6 of L_bol/L_Edd ∼ 0.01.

Deceased, 2011 October 21.