OzDES Reverberation Mapping of Active Galactic Nuclei: Final Data Release, Black-Hole Mass Results, & Scaling Relations

Abstract Over the last decade, the Australian Dark Energy (OzDES) collaboration has used Reverberation Mapping to measure the masses of high redshift supermassive black holes. Here we present the final review and analysis of this OzDES reverberation mapping campaign. These observations use 6 −7 years of photometric and spectroscopic observations of 735 Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) in the redshift range z ε [0.13, 3.85] and bolometric luminosity range log 10 (L bol ) ε [44.3, 47.5] erg/s. Both photometry and spectra are observed in visible wavelengths, allowing for the physical scale of the AGN broad line region to be estimated from reverberations of the H β , MgII and CIV emission lines. We successfully use reverberation mapping to constrain the masses of 62 super-massive black holes, and combine with existing data to fit a power law to the lag-luminosity relation for the H β and MgII lines with a scatter of ∼ 0.25 dex, the tightest yet identified, fit specifically for consistency with high redshift AGN. We fit a similarly constrained relation for CIV, resolving a tension with the low luminosity literature AGN by accounting for selection effects arising from finite survey length. We also examine the impact of emission line width and luminosity (related to accretion rate) in reducing the scatter of these scaling relationships and find no significant improvement over the lag-only approach for any of the three lines. Using these relations, we further estimate the masses and accretion rates of 246 AGN with single epoch methods. We also use these relations to estimate the relative sizes of the H β , MgII and CIV emitting regions, and find evidence that the MgII emission may occur further out than H β . In short, we provide a comprehensive benchmark of high redshift AGN reverberation mapping at the close of this most recent generation of surveys, including light curves, time-delays, and a set of significantly improved radius-luminosity relations for use with high-redshift populations.

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Journal
Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia
Published
2026-06-19
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1017/pasa.2026.10219
Primary Topic
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
Type
preprint
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0.00

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preprint

OzDES Reverberation Mapping of Active Galactic Nuclei: Final Data Release, Black-Hole Mass Results, & Scaling Relations

A Penton, S. Everett, S. R. Hinton, J. Myles et al.
Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
preprint

OzDES Reverberation Mapping of Active Galactic Nuclei: Final Data Release, Black-Hole Mass Results, & Scaling Relations

A Penton, S. Everett, S. R. Hinton, J. Myles, D. Brooks, Paul Martini, U Malik, J. Carretero, J. García-Bellido, S. Bocquet, S. Allam, J. L. Marshall, H. McDougall, L. N. da Costa, M. R. Smith, D. Gruen, Antony M. Carr, Karl Glazebrook, D. Sanchez Cid, E. Suchyta, A. Porredon, Brad E. Tucker, A. R. Walker, Zhefu Yu, N. Weaverdyck, D. J. James, J. Asorey, D. Carollo, Eusebio Sanchez, Benjamin J. S. Pope, G. Gutierrez, J. Mena-Fernández, Tsu‐Yao Cheng, Geraint F. Lewis, A. Carnero Rosell, K. Kuehn, C. To, F. Menanteau, David Bacon, R. Sharp, S. Lee, T. M. Davis, R. L. C. Ogando, K. Herner, M. E. S. Pereira, Christopher E. Lidman, H. T. Diehl, F. Andrade-Oliveira, D. L. Tucker, M. March, P. Doel, M E C Swanson, Ramon Miquel, J. De Vicente
preprint en

Abstract

Abstract Over the last decade, the Australian Dark Energy (OzDES) collaboration has used Reverberation Mapping to measure the masses of high redshift supermassive black holes. Here we present the final review and analysis of this OzDES reverberation mapping campaign. These observations use 6 −7 years of photometric and spectroscopic observations of 735 Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) in the redshift range z ε [0.13, 3.85] and bolometric luminosity range log 10 (L bol ) ε [44.3, 47.5] erg/s. Both photometry and spectra are observed in visible wavelengths, allowing for the physical scale of the AGN broad line region to be estimated from reverberations of the H β , MgII and CIV emission lines. We successfully use reverberation mapping to constrain the masses of 62 super-massive black holes, and combine with existing data to fit a power law to the lag-luminosity relation for the H β and MgII lines with a scatter of ∼ 0.25 dex, the tightest yet identified, fit specifically for consistency with high redshift AGN. We fit a similarly constrained relation for CIV, resolving a tension with the low luminosity literature AGN by accounting for selection effects arising from finite survey length. We also examine the impact of emission line width and luminosity (related to accretion rate) in reducing the scatter of these scaling relationships and find no significant improvement over the lag-only approach for any of the three lines. Using these relations, we further estimate the masses and accretion rates of 246 AGN with single epoch methods. We also use these relations to estimate the relative sizes of the H β , MgII and CIV emitting regions, and find evidence that the MgII emission may occur further out than H β . In short, we provide a comprehensive benchmark of high redshift AGN reverberation mapping at the close of this most recent generation of surveys, including light curves, time-delays, and a set of significantly improved radius-luminosity relations for use with high-redshift populations.

Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia
Australian National University (AU), Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ES), California Institute of Technology (US), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (US), The University of Sydney (AU), Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (US), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (US), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US), Universidad de La Laguna (ES), Universität Hamburg (DE), The University of Queensland (AU), University of Groningen (NL), Institute for High Energy Physics (ES), Princeton University (US), University of Zurich (CH), Universidad de Zaragoza (ES), Lowell Observatory (US), Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KR), Trieste Astronomical Observatory (IT), Mitchell Institute (US), University of Surrey (GB), Loyola Marymount University (US), California University of Pennsylvania (US), University of Chicago (US), Institute of Particle Physics (CA), Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian (US), National Observatory (BR), Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (ES), Laboratoire de Physique Subatomique et de Cosmologie (FR), NSF NOIRLab (US), Laboratório Interinstitucional de e-Astronomia (BR), Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (ES), University College London (GB), The Ohio State University (US), Swinburne University of Technology (AU), University of Portsmouth (GB), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (ES), Lancaster University (GB), Ruhr University Bochum (DE), Texas A&M University (US), University of California, Berkeley (US), Stanford University (US), Macquarie University (AU)
National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, University of Pennsylvania, Ohio State University, University of Chicago, University of Portsmouth, Centres de Recerca de Catalunya, University College London, European Commission, University of Sussex, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, University of Southern Queensland, Generalitat de Catalunya, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, China Scholarship Council, Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Institut de Física d'Altes Energies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Office of Science, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Australian Research Council, European Regional Development Fund, High Energy Physics, Integrated Electronics Engineering Center, Binghamton University, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermilab, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
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