THE BLACK HOLE MASS FUNCTION DERIVED FROM LOCAL SPIRAL GALAXIES

• Published in: The Astrophysical journal Vol. 789; no. 2; pp. 1 - 16
• Main Authors: Davis, Benjamin L, Berrier, Joel C, Johns, Lucas, Shields, Douglas W, Hartley, Matthew T, Kennefick, Daniel, Kennefick, Julia, SEIGAR, MARC S, Lacy, Claud H S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 10-07-2014
• Subjects: ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; BARYONS; BLACK HOLES; Black holes (astronomy); Constraining; COSMOLOGY; DENSITY; DISTRIBUTION; DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS; EVOLUTION; GALAXIES; Hemispheres; LUMINOSITY; MASS; Pitch angle; RED SHIFT; Samples; SIMULATION; SPECTRA; Spiral galaxies; Statistical analysis; Statistical methods; UNIVERSE
• ISSN: 0004-637X; 1538-4357
• DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/789/2/124

We present our determination of the nuclear supermassive black hole (SMBH) mass function for spiral galaxies in the local universe, established from a volume-limited sample consisting of a statistically complete collection of the brightest spiral galaxies in the southern ([delta] < 0]degrees]) hemisphere. The sample is defined by a limiting luminosity (redshift-independent) distance, D sub(L) = 25.4 Mpc (z = 0.00572) and a limiting absolute B-band magnitude, M sub(B) = -19.12. We then use an established relationship between the logarithmic spiral arm pitch angle and the mass of the central SMBH in a host galaxy in order to estimate the mass of the 128 respective SMBHs in this volume-limited sample. This result effectively gives us the distribution of mass for SMBHs residing in spiral galaxies over a lookback time, t sub(L) [< or =, slant] 82.1 h super(-1) sub(67.77) Myr and contained within a comoving volume, V sub(C) = 3.37 x 10 super(4) h super(-3) sub(67.77) M sub([middot in circle]) Mpc super(-3).