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[30.06] A Comparison of Nuclear Stellar and Gaseous Kinematics in AGN

J. E. Greene (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA), L. C. Ho (Carnegie Observatories)

In light of the recent discovery of the M_\mathrm{BH}-\sigma_* relation, we revisit the correlation of stellar and gaseous velocity dispersion in the centers of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We directly compare the widths of [\ion{O}{2}]\lambda 3727, [\ion{O}{3}] \lambda 5007, and [\ion{S}{2}] \lambda\lambda 6716,6731 with \sigma_* for ~ 1700 AGN from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. When the blue asymmetric component of the line is removed, we find that (a) the width of the cores of the emission lines tracks the stellar velocity dispersion and (b) deviations from virial motions by the gas are correlated with the accretion rate of the AGN. We derive an empirical correction to remove the systematic bias at high and low accretion rates in the [\ion{O}{3}] line, and discuss implications for studies that assume \sigma_g ~q \sigma_*, particularly in narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies.

The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: jgreene@cfa.harvard.edu

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 36 5
© 2004. The American Astronomical Society.