M. Yu. Piotrovich

A polarimetric method for measuring black hole masses in Active Galactic Nuclei

The structure of the broad emission line region (BLR) in active galactic nuclei (AGN) remains unclear. We test in this paper a flattened configuration model for BLR. The virial theorem, by taking into account the disc shape of BLR, allows us to get a direct connection between the mass of a supermassive black hole (SMBH) and the inclination angle of the accretion flow. The inclination angle itself is derived from the spectropolarimetric data on broad emission lines using the theory for the generation of polarized radiation developed by Sobolev and Chandrasekhar. As the result, the new estimates of SMBH masses in AGN with measured polarization of BLR are presented. It is crucial that the polarimetric data allow also to determine the value of the virial coefficient that is essential for determining SMBH masses.

Magnetic fields and quasi-periodic oscillations of black hole radiation

Various relations are found between the key parameters of black holes and active galactic nuclei. Some have a statistical property, others follow from the theoretical consideration of the evolution of these objects. In this paper we use a recently discovered empirical relation between the characteristic frequency of quasi-periodic oscillations of radiation νbr of black holes, their masses and matter accretion rates to determine the magnetic field strength BH at the black hole event horizon. Since the characteristic frequency can be determined from observations, the use of a new relation for the estimations of magnetic field BH can yield more definite results, since we are decreasing the number of the unknown or poorly-determined parameters of objects (it especially concerns the accretion rate Ṁ). The typical values which we have found are BH ≃ 108G for the stellar mass black holes, and BH ≃ 104G for the supermassive black holes. Besides, we demonstrate that if the linear polarization of an object is caused by the radiation of a magnetized accretion disk, then the degree of observable polarization is p ∼ νbr−1/2.

New mechanism of radiation polarization in type 1 Seyfert active galactic nuclei

In most of Seyfert-1 active galactic nucei (AGN) the optical linear continuum polarization degree is usually small (less than 1%) and the polarization position angle is nearly parallel to the AGN radio-axis. However, there are many types-1 AGNs with unexplained intermediate values for both positional angles and polarization degrees. Our explanation of polarization degree and positional angle of Seyfert-1 AGNs focuses on the reflection of non-polarized radiation from sub-parsec jets in optically thick accretion discs. The presence of a magnetic field surrounding the scattering media will induce Faraday rotation of the polarization plane that may explain the intermediate values of positional angles if there is a magnetic field component normal to the accretion disc. The Faraday rotation depolarization effect in disc diminishes the competition between polarization of the reflected radiation with the parallel component of polarization and the perpendicular polarization from internal radiation of disc (the Milne problem) in favor of polarization of reflected radiation. This effect allows us to explain the observed polarization of Seyfert-1 AGN radiation even though the jet optical luminosity is much lower than the luminosity of disc. We present the calculation of polarization degrees for a number of Seyfert-1 AGNs.

The Supermassive Black Hole at the Center of Our Galaxy: Determination of Its Main Physical Parameters

We have used two astrometric methods developed at the Main Astronomical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences—the method of apparent-motion parameters (AMP) and a direct geometrical method (DGM)—to derive the orbit of the star S2 around the Galactic center, and thereby the mass of the supermassive black hole at the Galactic center. The AMP method, which is based on measurements of the curvature of a fairly short orbital arc, is efficient if observational data on the relative radial velocity are available. The mass of the supermassive black hole was also estimated using astrophysical methods, based on the empirical relation between the masses of the supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies and quasars and the radio and X-ray luminosities of these regions. We estimate the magnetic-field strength near the event horizon of the supermassive black hole at the Galactic center using a synchrotron self-absorption model.

Criteria for retrograde rotation of accreting black holes

Rotating supermassive black holes produce jets and their origin is connected to magnetic field that is generated by accreting matter flow. There is a point of view that electromagnetic fields around rotating black holes are brought to the hole by accretion. In this situation the prograde accreting disks produce weaker large-scale black hole threading magnetic fields, implying weaker jets that in retrograde regimes. The basic goal of this paper is to find the best candidates for retrograde accreting systems in observed active galactic nuclei. We show that active galactic nuclei with low Eddington ratio are really the best candidates for retrograde systems. This conclusion is obtained for kinetically dominated FRII radio galaxies, flat spectrum radio loud narrow line Seyfert I galaxies and a number of nearby galaxies. Our conclusion is that the best candidates for retrograde systems are the noticeable population of active galactic nuclei in the Universe. This result corresponds to the conclusion that in the merging process the interaction of merging black holes with a retrograde circumbinary disk is considerably more effective for shrinking the binary system.

New results in searching for axions by astronomical methods

We discuss the astronomical methods of searching for light Goldstone bosons (axions and arions). The basic idea is to use processes of coupling between axions and photons: a) the axion decay into two photons; b) the transformation process of photons into axions (arions) in the magnetic fields of stars and also of interstellar and intergalactic media; c) the inverse process of transformations of axions (arions) which are generated into cores of stars into X-ray photons. The decaying axions affect upon the diffuse extragalactic background radiation, the brightness of the night sky and especially on the intergalactic light of clusters of galaxies due to generation of the axion radiative decay emission line. The processes (b) and (c) are strongly dependent on polarization state of photon and may produce a noticeable amount of linear polarization.

Spectropolarimetric Observations of the Unique White Dwarf GD 356 on the 6-m BTA

The results of spectropolarimetric observations of a unique magnetic white dwarf with emission lines, GD 356, on the 6-m BTA are presented. The stars magnetic field is estimated and it is shown not to rotate over times of ≥5 yr. Allowance for magnetic deformation of the stars surface, resulting an a nonuniform temperature distribution over its surface, showed that in the region of the magnetic poles the conditions may be satisfied for a “radiative diskon” in the form of a plasma jet, originating from the action of cyclotron radiation pressure. It is shown that the effect of nonuniformity of the surface temperature distribution of the white dwarf can produce the observed broad-band and resonance polarization of the stellar emission.

Polarization of broad line emission from AGNs with determined virial factors

We calculated the polarization degree of hydrogen Balmer broad emission lines from a number of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with determined virial factors. The objects were selected from the sample presented by Decarli et al.(2008). In our calculations, we used the model of the flattened disc-like structure of the broad-line emission region (BLR). In this model, the expression for the virial factor makes it possible to determine the inclination angle for the flattened BLR, which in turn yields the polarization degree of the broad emission lines. As a result, we obtained the direct relation between the polarization degree and the virial factor. We also compared the determined values of the polarization degree with those obtained in polarimetric observations.