Published in

Oxford University Press, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 3(521), p. 3682-3698, 2023

DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stad651

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

Characterising SMSS J2157–3602, the most luminous known quasar, with accretion disc models

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

Full text: Download

Green circle
Preprint: archiving allowed
Green circle
Postprint: archiving allowed
Green circle
Published version: archiving allowed
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

ABSTRACT We develop an accretion disc (AD)-fitting method, utilizing thin and slim disc models and Bayesian inference with the Markov-Chain Monte Carlo approach, testing it on the most luminous known quasar, SMSS J215728.21-360215.1, at redshift z = 4.692. With a spectral energy distribution constructed from near-infrared spectra and broad-band photometry, the AD models find a black hole mass of $\log (M_{\rm {AD}}/{\rm M}_{⊙ }) = 10.31^{+0.17}_{-0.14}$ with an anisotropy-corrected bolometric luminosity of $\log {(L_{\rm {bol}}/\rm {erg\, s^{-1}})} = 47.87 ± 0.10$ and derive an Eddington ratio of $0.29^{+0.11}_{-0.10}$ as well as a radiative efficiency of $0.09^{+0.05}_{-0.03}$. Using the near-infrared spectra, we estimate the single-epoch virial black hole mass estimate to be log (MSE/M⊙) = 10.33 ± 0.08, with a monochromatic luminosity at 3000 Å of $\log {(L(\rm {3000{Å}})/\rm {erg\, s^{-1}})} = 47.66 ± 0.01$. As an independent approach, AD fitting has the potential to complement the single-epoch virial mass method in obtaining stronger constraints on properties of massive quasar black holes across a wide range of redshifts.