Using X-rays to Test for Black Hole Mass Biases
Abstract
Black hole masses estimated from single-epoch spectroscopy underlie our understanding of the build-up of black hole masses, but are currently based on a small sample of low-luminosity, low-redshift AGNs. These "reverberation mapped" quasars may be biased against quasars where a radiation line driven disk-wind dominates the broad emission line region. The optical/UV to X-ray continuum shape is one of the best tests for this bias. Thus, we propose to mine the Chandra archive in order to understand which objects have soft X-ray SEDs that are conducive to driving strong accretion disk winds. Archival X-ray observations can be used to establish the bias of the reverberation mapping sample and to identify future reverberation mapping candidates to complement the existing sample.
- Publication:
-
Chandra Proposal
- Pub Date:
- September 2012
- Bibcode:
- 2012cxo..prop.4262R