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In the era of massive photometric surveys, we explore several approaches to estimate the masses of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in active galactic nuclei (AGN) from optical ground-based imaging, in each case comparing to the independent SMBH mass measurement obtained from spectroscopic data. We select a case-study sample of 28 type 1 AGN hosted by nearby galaxies from the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey. We perform multi-component spectral decomposition, extract the AGN component and calculate the SMBH mass from the broad H$\alpha$ emission line width and luminosity. The photometric $g$ and $i$ band data is decomposed into AGN+spheroid(+disc)(+bar) components with careful surface brightness fitting. From these, the SMBH mass is estimated using its relation with the spheroid S\'ersic index or effective radius (both used for the first time on ground-based optical imaging of AGN); and the more widely used scaling relations based on bulge or galaxy stellar mass. We find no correlation between the H$\alpha$-derived SMBH masses and those based on the spheroid S\'ersic index or effective radius, despite these being the most direct methods involving only one scaling relation. The bulge or galaxy stellar mass based methods both yield significant correlations, although with considerable scatter and, in the latter case, a systematic offset. We provide possible explanations for this and discuss the requirements, advantages and drawbacks of each method. These considerations will be useful to optimise stategies for upcoming high quality ground-based and space-borne sky surveys to estimate SMBH masses in large numbers of AGN., Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

In this study, a refined approach for multicomponent fitting of active galactic nuclei (AGN) spectra is presented utilizing the newly developed Python code $fantasy$ (fully automated python tool for AGN spectra analysis). AGN spectra are modeled by simultaneously considering the underlying broken power-law continuum, predefined emission line lists, and an Fe II model, which is here extended to cover the wavelength range 3700 - 11000 A. The Fe II model, founded solely on atomic data, effectively describes the extensive emission of the complex iron ion in the vicinity of the H$\gamma$ and H$\beta$ lines, as well as near the H$\alpha$ line, which was previously rarely studied. The proposed spectral fitting approach is tested on a sample of high-quality AGN spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 17. The results indicate that when Fe II emission is present near H$\beta$, it is also detected redward from H$\alpha$, potentially contaminating the broad H$\alpha$ line wings and thus affecting the measurements of its flux and width. The production of Fe II emission is found to be strongly correlated with Eddington luminosity and appears to be controlled by the similar mechanism as the hydrogen Balmer lines. The study highlights the benefits of fitting AGN type 1 spectra with the $fantasy$ code, pointing that it may be used as a robust tool for analyzing a large number of AGN spectra in the coming spectral surveys., Comment: Accepted in ApJS

Here we investigate the kinematics of the part of the broad line region (BLR) in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) emitting H$\beta$ and H$\alpha$ emission lines. We explore the widths and asymmetries of the broad H$\beta$ and H$\alpha$ emission lines in a sample of high quality (i.e. high signal to noise ratio) spectra of type 1 AGN taken from the Data Release 16 of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, in order to explore possible deviation from the gravitationally bound motion. To find only the broad component of H$\beta$ and H$\alpha$ we use the FANTASY (Fully Automated pythoN Tool for AGN Spectra analYsis) code for the multi-component modeling of the AGN spectra and for careful extraction of the broad emission line parameters. We show that based on the broad line profiles widths and asymmetries, the BLR gas emitting H$\beta$ and H$\alpha$ lines follows similar kinematics, and seems to be virialized in our sample of type 1 AGN., Comment: 11 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

The intrinsic Baldwin effect is an anti-correlation between the line equivalent width and the flux of the underlying continuum detected in a single variable active galactic nucleus (AGN). This effect, in spite of the extensive research, is still not well understood, and might give us more information about the physical properties of the line and continuum emission regions in AGNs. Here we present preliminary results of our investigation of the intrinsic Baldwin effect of the broad H$\beta$ line in several Narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLSy 1) galaxies, for which data were taken from the long-term monitoring campaigns and from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping project., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, proceeding of the conference "revisiting narrow-line Seyfert 1 and their place in the Universe"

The grand challenges of contemporary fundamental physics---dark matter, dark energy, vacuum energy, inflation and early universe cosmology, singularities and the hierarchy problem---all involve gravity as a key component. And of all gravitational phenomena, black holes stand out in their elegant simplicity, while harbouring some of the most remarkable predictions of General Relativity: event horizons, singularities and ergoregions. The hitherto invisible landscape of the gravitational Universe is being unveiled before our eyes: the historical direct detection of gravitational waves by the LIGO-Virgo collaboration marks the dawn of a new era of scientific exploration. Gravitational-wave astronomy will allow us to test models of black hole formation, growth and evolution, as well as models of gravitational-wave generation and propagation. It will provide evidence for event horizons and ergoregions, test the theory of General Relativity itself, and may reveal the existence of new fundamental fields. The synthesis of these results has the potential to radically reshape our understanding of the cosmos and of the laws of Nature. The purpose of this work is to present a concise, yet comprehensive overview of the state of the art in the relevant fields of research, summarize important open problems, and lay out a roadmap for future progress., Comment: White Paper for the COST action "Gravitational Waves, Black Holes, and Fundamental Physics", 272 pages, 12 figures; v4: updated references and author list. Overall improvements and corrections. To appear in Classical and Quantum Gravity

We present the results of the long-term optical monitoring campaign of active galactic nuclei (AGN) coordinated by the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Science. This campaign has produced a remarkable set of optical spectra, since we have monitored for several decades different types of broad-line (type 1) AGN, from a Seyfert 1, double-peaked line, radio loud and radio quiet AGN, to a supermassive binary black hole candidate. Our analysis of the properties of the broad line region (BLR) of these objects is based on the variability of the broad emission lines. We hereby give a comparative review of the variability properties of the broad emission lines and the BLR of seven different type 1 AGNs, emphasizing some important results, such as the variability rate, the BLR geometry, and the presence of the intrinsic Baldwin effect. We are discussing the difference and similarity in the continuum and emission line variability, focusing on what is the impact of our results to the supermassive black hole mass determination from the BLR properties., Comment: Published in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Science

We investigate the intrinsic Baldwin effect (Beff) of the broad H$\alpha$ and H$\beta$ emission lines for six Type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with different broad line characteristics: two Seyfert 1 (NGC 4151 and NGC 5548), two AGNs with double-peaked broad line profiles (3C 390.3 and Arp 102B), one narrow line Seyfert 1 (Ark 564), and one high-luminosity quasar with highly red asymmetric broad line profiles (E1821+643). We found that a significant intrinsic Beff was present in all Type 1 AGNs in our sample. Moreover, we do not see strong difference in intrinsic Beff slopes in different types of AGNs which probably have different physical properties, such as inclination, broad line region geometry, or accretion rate. Additionally, we found that the intrinsic Beff was not connected with the global one, which, instead, could not be detected in the broad H$\alpha$ or H$\beta$ emission lines. In the case of NGC 4151, the detected variation of the Beff slope could be due to the change in the site of line formation in the BLR. Finally, the intrinsic Beff might be caused by the additional optical continuum component that is not part of the ionization continuum., Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, Accepted for publication in A&A