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AbstractIntermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs), with masses between 100–105M⊙, fill the gap between stellar mass black holes and the supermassive black holes that reside in galaxy centers. While IMBHs are crucial to our understanding of black hole seed formation, black holes of less than ≈104M⊙have so far eluded detection by traditional searches. Observations of the infrared coronal lines (CLs) offer us one of the most promising tools to discover IMBHs in galaxies. We have modeled the infrared emission line spectrum that is produced by gas photoionized by an active galactic nucleus (AGN) radiation field and explored, for the first time, the dependence of the infrared CL spectrum on black hole mass over the range of 102–108M⊙. We show that as the black hole mass decreases, the hardening of the spectral energy distribution of the accretion disk causes infrared coronal lines with the highest ionization potentials to become prominent, revealing a powerful probe of black hole mass in AGNs. We identify key emission line ratios that are most sensitive to black hole mass in the 1–30μm range. With the unprecedented sensitivity of theJames Webb Space Telescope, a large number of CLs will be detectable for the first time, providing important insight into the existence and properties of IMBHs in the local universe, and potentially revolutionizing our understanding of this class of object.
Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA), FOS: Physical sciences, Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies
Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA), FOS: Physical sciences, Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies
citations This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 45 | |
popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% | |
influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% |