Probing the Central Engine in Active Galactic Nuclei

AST 0205964 Peterson，B M该计划将探索活动星系核的内部结构，利用连续谱和发射线变化来确定中心黑洞的质量，以探测吸积盘/宽线区环境中的物理过程。 目前正在进行的测量活动星系核的宿主星系的核球速度色散的计划将扩大到测试黑洞质量和核球速度色散之间的关系是否是相同的活动星系和静止星系。 这种关系将被用来估计当地的活动星系核的混响质量尚未测量，最初集中在无线电响亮的活动星系核和窄线塞弗特1星系，对象没有很好地表示在混响映射的样本。 将为多波长监测方案提供地面光学支助，特别是对经过充分研究的塞弗特1号星系NGC 5548进行光学分光光度测定的长期方案。

AST 0205964Peterson, B MThis program will explore the very inner structure of active galactic nuclei, to determine masses of the central black holes using continuum and emission-line variability to probe the physical processes in the accretion-disk/broad-line region environment. The current program in progress to measure the bulge velocity dispersions in the host galaxies of active galactic nuclei will be expanded to test whether the relationship between the black-hole mass and bulge velocity dispersion is the same for active galaxies and quiescent galaxies. This relationship will be used to estimate masses for local AGNs for which reverberation masses have not been measured, concentrating initially on radio-loud AGNs and narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies, objects that are not well represented in reverberation-mapped samples. Optical ground-based support for multiwavelength monitoring programs will be provided, in particular a long-standing program of optical spectrophotometry on the well-studied Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548.