Identification of Intermediate-mass Black Hole Candidates Among a Sample of Sd Galaxies

TL;DR

This study identifies potential intermediate-mass black hole candidates in Sd galaxies by analyzing spiral arm properties and applying a novel scaling relation, revealing that a significant fraction of such galaxies may host IMBHs.

Contribution

Introduces a new method using spiral arm pitch angles and rotational velocities to predict IMBH presence in Sd galaxies, expanding the search for elusive black holes.

Findings

23 galaxies have at least a 50% chance of hosting IMBHs.

Estimated 27.7% of Sd galaxies may host IMBHs.

Over 1.22% of bright galaxies in the local universe likely contain IMBHs.

Abstract

We analyzed images of every northern hemisphere Sd galaxy listed in the Third Reference Catalogue of Bright Galaxies (RC3) with a relatively face-on inclination ($\theta\leq30{\deg}$). Specifically, we measured the spiral arms' winding angle, $\phi$, in 85 galaxies. We applied a novel black hole mass planar scaling relation involving the rotational velocities (from the literature) and pitch angles of each galaxy to predict central black hole masses. This yielded 23 galaxies, each having at least a 50% chance of hosting a central intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH), $10^2<M_\mathrm{BH}\leq10^5\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$. These 23 nearby ($\lesssim$50 Mpc) targets may be suitable for an array of follow-up observations to check for active nuclei. Based on our full sample of 85 Sd galaxies, we estimate that the typical Sd galaxy (which tends to be bulgeless) harbors a black hole with $\log(M_\mathrm{BH}/\mathrm{M}_\odot)=6.00\pm0.14$, but with a 27.7% chance of hosting an IMBH, making this morphological type of galaxy fertile ground for hunting elusive IMBHs. Thus, we find that a $\sim$$10^6\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$ black hole corresponds roughly to the onset of bulge development and serves as a conspicuous waypoint along the galaxy-SMBH coevolution journey. Our survey suggests that $>$1.22% of bright galaxies ($B_{\rm T}\lesssim15.5$ mag) in the local Universe host an IMBH (i.e., the "occupation fraction"), which implies a number density $>$$4.96\times10^{-6}$ Mpc$^{-3}$ for central IMBHs. Finally, we observe that Sd galaxies exhibit an unexpected diversity of properties that resemble the general population of spiral galaxies, albeit with an enhanced signature of the eponymous prototypical traits (i.e., low masses, loosely wound spiral arms, and smaller rotational velocities).