Abell 1201: detection of an ultramassive black hole in a strong gravitational lens

Author:

Nightingale J W1ORCID,Smith Russell J1ORCID,He Qiuhan1ORCID,O’Riordan Conor M2ORCID,Kegerreis Jacob A3ORCID,Amvrosiadis Aristeidis1,Edge Alastair C1,Etherington Amy1,Hayes Richard G1,Kelly Ash1ORCID,Lucey John R1ORCID,Massey Richard J1ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy, Department of Physics, Durham University , South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK

2. Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics , Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 1, D-85748 Garching bei München, Germany

3. NASA Ames Research Center , Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA

Abstract

ABSTRACTSupermassive black holes (SMBHs) are a key catalyst of galaxy formation and evolution, leading to an observed correlation between SMBH mass MBH and host galaxy velocity dispersion σe. Outside the local Universe, measurements of MBH are usually only possible for SMBHs in an active state: limiting sample size and introducing selection biases. Gravitational lensing makes it possible to measure the mass of non-active SMBHs. We present models of the $z$ = 0.169 galaxy-scale strong lens Abell 1201. A cD galaxy in a galaxy cluster, it has sufficient ‘external shear’ that a magnified image of a $z$ = 0.451 background galaxy is projected just ∼1 kpc from the galaxy centre. Using multiband Hubble Space Telescope imaging and the lens modelling software PYAUTOLENS, we reconstruct the distribution of mass along this line of sight. Bayesian model comparison favours a point mass with MBH = 3.27 ± 2.12 × 1010 M⊙ (3σ confidence limit); an ultramassive black hole. One model gives a comparable Bayesian evidence without an SMBH; however, we argue this model is nonphysical given its base assumptions. This model still provides an upper limit of MBH ≤ 5.3 × 1010 M⊙, because an SMBH above this mass deforms the lensed image ∼1 kpc from Abell 1201’s centre. This builds on previous work using central images to place upper limits on MBH, but is the first to also place a lower limit and without a central image being observed. The success of this method suggests that surveys during the next decade could measure thousands more SMBH masses, and any redshift evolution of the MBH−σe relation. Results are available at https://github.com/Jammy2211/autolens_abell_1201.

Funder

United Kingdom Space Agency

Science and Technology Facilities Council

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

STFC

ERC

Publisher

Oxford University Press (OUP)

Subject

Space and Planetary Science,Astronomy and Astrophysics

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