Estimating the masses of Narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxies using damped random walk method

TL;DR

This study uses the damped random walk method to recalibrate black hole mass estimates in Narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies, revealing they generally host smaller black holes than previously thought and linking variability to accretion rates.

Contribution

It introduces a multivariate calibration of variability-based mass estimates for NLSy1s, improving accuracy and understanding of their black hole properties.

Findings

NLSy1s have median black hole mass of log(M/M_sun)=6.25

Inverse correlation between variability amplitude and optical luminosity

Higher accretion rates suppress optical variability

Abstract

Narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLSy1s) are a subclass of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), commonly associated with rapidly accreting, relatively low-mass black holes ($10^6$ - $10^8 M_\odot$) hosted in spiral galaxies. Although typically considered to have high Eddington ratios, recent observations, particularly of $\gamma$-ray-emitting NLSy1s, have raised questions about their true black hole masses, with some estimates approaching those of Broad-line Seyfert 1 (BLSy1) systems. In this work, we present the recalibrated mass estimations for a large sample of NLSy1s galaxies with z $<0.8$. We apply the damped random walk (DRW) formalism to a comparison set of 1,141 NLSy1 and 1,143 BLSy1 galaxies, matched in redshift and bolometric luminosity using SDSS DR17 spectroscopy. Our analysis employs a multivariate calibration that incorporates both the Eddington ratio and the rest-frame wavelength to refine the mass estimates. We obtain median DRW-based black hole masses of $\text{log}(M_{\text{BH}}^{\text{DRW}}/M_\odot) = 6.25 \pm 0.65$ for NLSy1s and $7.07 \pm 0.67$ for BLSy1s, in agreement with their respective virial mass distributions. Furthermore, we identify strong inverse trends between the variability amplitude and both optical luminosity and FeII emission strength, consistent with a scenario where higher accretion rates suppress long-term optical variability. These findings reinforce the view that NLSy1s harbor smaller black holes and highlight the value of variability-based approaches in tracing AGN accretion properties.