A transition mass for black holes to show broad emission lines

TL;DR

This study investigates why low-mass black holes below 10^5 solar masses lack broad emission lines, suggesting a transition around 10^6-10^8 solar masses where BELs become intrinsically faint due to BELR size constraints.

Contribution

The paper introduces a model explaining the absence of broad emission lines in low-mass black holes based on BELR size and ionizing spectral energy distribution effects.

Findings

BEL equivalent widths peak at ~10^8 M_sun

BELs become faint below ~10^6 M_sun

Absence of low-mass AGN in SDSS may be due to BELFaintness

Abstract

Although the super-massive (AGN) and stellar mass (XRBs) black holes have many properties in common, the broad emission lines (BELs) are exclusively signatures of the AGN. Based on the detection of these lines from SDSS data bases, there seems to be no AGN with mass M_BH \lesssim 10^5 M_sun. In this paper we investigate if such low mass black holes are really non-existent or they are undetected because the BELs in them are not produced efficiently. Using the ionizing spectral energy distribution for a wide range of black hole mass, 10 - 10^9 M_sun, spanning XRBs to AGN, we calculate the equivalent widths (EWs) of ultraviolet and optical lines Ly\alpha 1216 \AA, H\beta 4861 \AA, CIV 1549 \AA and MgII 2798 \AA. The LOC (locally optimally emitting cloud) model has been used to describe the broad emission line region (BELR) for the calculations. We find that the hardening of the SED shape with decreasing mass do not decrease the BEL EWs. However, finite size of the BELR, as measured by the line widths, which is controlled by the mass of the black hole, regulates the production of these emission lines. There seems to be a peak in the EWs of the emission lines for typical AGN black holes of ~ 10^8 M_sun, below which the lines become intrinsically fainter with a sharp fall-off below ~ 10^6 M_sun. This may be the cause of the absence of low mass AGN in SDSS.