Universität zu Köln

Sturm, E., Dexter, J., Pfuhl, O., Stock, M. R., Davies, R. I., Lutz, D., Clenet, Y., Eckart, A., Eisenhauer, F., Genzel, R., Gratadour, D., Honig, S. F., Kishimoto, M., Lacour, S., Millour, F., Netzer, H., Perrin, G., Peterson, B. M., Petrucci, P. O., Rouan, D., Waisberg, I., Woillez, J., Amorim, A., Brandner, W., Schreiber, N. M. Foerster, Garcia, P. J. V., Gillessen, S., Ott, T., Paumard, T., Perraut, K., Scheithauer, S., Straubmeier, C., Tacconi, L. J. and Widmann, F. (2018). Spatially resolved rotation of the broad-line region of a quasar at sub-parsec scale. Nature, 563 (7733). S. 657 - 668. LONDON: NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. ISSN 1476-4687

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Abstract

The broadening of atomic emission lines by high-velocity motion of gas near accreting supermassive black holes is an observational hallmark of quasars(1). Observations of broad emission lines could potentially constrain the mechanism for transporting gas inwards through accretion disks or outwards through winds(2). The size of regions for which broad emission lines are observed (broad-line regions) has been estimated by measuring the delay in light travel time between the variable brightness of the accretion disk continuum and the emission lines(3)-a method known as reverberation mapping. In some models the emission lines arise from a continuous outflow(4), whereas in others they arise from orbiting gas clouds(5). Directly imaging such regions has not hitherto been possible because of their small angular size (less than 10(-4) arcseconds(3,6)). Here we report a spatial offset (with a spatial resolution of 10(-5) arcseconds, or about 0.03 parsecs for a distance of 550 million parsecs) between the red and blue photo-centres of the broad Paschen-alpha line of the quasar 3C 273 perpendicular to the direction of its radio jet. This spatial offset corresponds to a gradient in the velocity of the gas and thus implies that the gas is orbiting the central supermassive black hole. The data are well fitted by a broad-line-region model of a thick disk of gravitationally bound material orbiting a black hole of 3 x 10(8) solar masses. We infer a disk radius of 150 light days; a radius of 100-400 light days was found previously using reverberation mapping(7-9). The rotation axis of the disk aligns in inclination and position angle with the radio jet. Our results support the methods that are often used to estimate the masses of accreting supermassive black holes and to study their evolution over cosmic time.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Sturm, E. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Dexter, J. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Pfuhl, O. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Stock, M. R. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Davies, R. I. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Lutz, D. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Clenet, Y. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Eckart, A. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Eisenhauer, F. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Genzel, R. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Gratadour, D. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Honig, S. F. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Kishimoto, M. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Lacour, S. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Millour, F. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Netzer, H. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Perrin, G. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Peterson, B. M. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Petrucci, P. O. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Rouan, D. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Waisberg, I. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Woillez, J. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Amorim, A. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Brandner, W. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Schreiber, N. M. Foerster UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Garcia, P. J. V. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Gillessen, S. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Ott, T. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Paumard, T. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Perraut, K. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Scheithauer, S. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Straubmeier, C. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Tacconi, L. J. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Widmann, F. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-165272
DOI:	10.1038/s41586-018-0731-9
Journal or Publication Title:	Nature
Volume:	563
Number:	7733
Page Range:	S. 657 - 668
Date:	2018
Publisher:	NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP
Place of Publication:	LONDON
ISSN:	1476-4687
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language REVERBERATION MAPPING DATA; ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI; BLACK-HOLE MASS; MODEL; JET Multiple languages Multidisciplinary Sciences Multiple languages
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/16527