2025ApJ...991..116W -
Astrophys. J., 991, 116 (2025/September-3)
BASS. LII. The Prevalence of Double-peaked Broad Lines at Low Accretion Rates among Hard X-Ray Selected Active Galactic Nuclei.
WARD C., KOSS M.J., ERACLEOUS M., TRAKHTENBROT B., BAUER F.E., CAGLAR T., HARRISON F., JANA A., KAKKAD D., MAGNO M., DEL MORAL-CASTRO I., MUSHOTZKY R., OH K., PECA A., POWELL M.C., RICCI C., ROJAS A., SMITH K.L., STERN D., TREISTER E. and URRY C.M.
Abstract (from CDS):
A fraction of active galactic nuclei (AGN) have double-peaked Hα, Hβ, and Mg II broad lines attributed to emission from rotating gas in the accretion disk. Using optical spectroscopy of a flux-limited sample of AGN selected via ultrahard X-rays from the BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey (BASS), we systematically identify 71 double-peaked emitters (DPEs) among 343 broad-line AGN with redshifts 0.004 < z < 0.297 and X-ray luminosities of $40\lt \,{\mathrm{log}}\,{L}_{2-10\,{\rm{KeV}}\,}$(erg s–1) < 45.7, and provide their best-fit accretion disk parameters. We find that ∼21% of X-ray-selected broad-line AGN are DPEs, consistent with rates previously reported for z < 0.2 broad-line AGN selected for strong optical variability in the Zwicky Transient Facility. 11 of 71 DPEs (15%) exhibited a single-peaked Gaussian component to the broad line profile in addition to the double-peaked disk profile. In this sample, DPEs have intrinsically higher masses by ∼0.4 dex and lower Eddington ratios by ∼0.3 dex than other broad-line AGN, and have a preference for elliptical host galaxies, higher X-ray luminosities, and higher [O I] λ6302 to narrow Hα flux ratios than other broad-line AGN. We find that DPEs are not segregated from non-DPE broad-line AGN in the Lbol versus MBH relation or their X-ray to radio luminosity ratios, and do not show a preference for intermediate Seyfert types over Seyfert 1s. We do not find differences in a wide range of multiwavelength properties when comparing DPEs to non-DPE broad-line AGN, including optical and mid-IR variability levels, Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer colors, αox, the column density of neutral obscuring material NH, and the rate of changing-look events. We discuss the two populations in the context of multicomponent disk-wind models of the AGN broad-line region and consider how unrecognized contributions of disk emission to the broad lines may introduce biases in “virial” supermassive black hole mass estimates, with consequences for the inferred MBH-M* relation.
Abstract Copyright:
© 2025. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.
Journal keyword(s):
AGN host galaxies - Active galaxies - Supermassive black holes
Status at CDS
:
Large table(s) will be appraised for possible ingestion in VizieR.
Simbad objects:
76
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