OzDES reverberation mapping of Active Galactic Nuclei: Final data release, black-hole mass results, and scaling relations
Year: 2026
Type: article
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 minus 7 6 − 7 $6-7$ years of photometric and spectroscopic observations of 735 Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) in the redshift range z element of left bracket 0.13 comma 3.85 right bracket z ∈ [ 0.13 , 3.85 ] $z\in [0.13, 3.85]$ and bolometric luminosity range log Subscript 10 Baseline left parenthesis upper L Subscript normal b normal o normal l Baseline right parenthesis element of left bracket 44.3 comma 47.5 right bracket normal e normal r normal g divided by normal s log 10 ( L b o l ) ∈ [ 44.3 , 47.5 ] e r g / s $\log_{10}(L_{\mathrm{bol}})\in [44.3, 47.5] \; \mathrm{erg/s}$ . 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 beta β $\beta$ , Mg II and C IV 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 beta β $\beta$ and Mg II lines with a scatter of tilde 0.25 ∼ 0.25 $\sim0.25$ dex, the tightest yet identified, fit specifically for consistency with high redshift AGN. We fit a similarly constrained relation for C IV , resolving a tension with the low luminosity literature AGN by accounting for selection effects arising from finite survey length
Authors: Hugh Gareth McDougall, Tamara M. Davis, Zhefu Yu, Paul Martini, Chris Lidman, Umang Malik, Andrew Penton, Geraint Lewis, Brad E. Tucker, Benjamin Pope, Sahar Allam, Felipe Andrade-Oliveira, Jacobo Asorey, David Bacon, Sebastian Bocquet, David Brooks, Aurelio Carnero Rosell, Daniela Carollo, Anthony Carr, Jorge Carretero, Ting-Yun Cheng, Luiz Da Costa, Maria Elidaiana da Silva Pereira, Juan De Vicente, H. Thomas Diehl, Peter Doel, Spencer Everett, Juan Garcia-Bellido, Karl Glazebrook, Daniel Gruen, Gaston Gutierrez, Kenneth Herner, Samuel R. Hinton, Daniel Hollowood, David James, Alex Kim, Kyler Kuehn, Sujeong Lee, Marisa March, Jennifer Marshall, Juan Mena-Fernandez, Ramon Miquel, Justin Myles, Robert Nichol, Ricardo Ogando, Anna Porredon, Eusebio Sanchez, David Sanchez Cid, Rob Sharp, Mathew Smith, Eric Suchyta, Molly Swanson, Chun-Hao To, Douglas Tucker, Alistair Walker, Noah Weaverdyck
Institutions: The University of Queensland, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, The Ohio State University, Australian National University, ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics, The University of Sydney, Macquarie University, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universidad de Zaragoza, University of Portsmouth, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, University College London, Universidad de La Laguna, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Laboratório Interinstitucional de e-Astronomia, National Institute for Astrophysics, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, University of Groningen, Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas, California Institute of Technology, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Instituto de Física Teórica, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Swinburne University of Technology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lowell Observatory, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania, Texas A&M University, Laboratoire de Physique Subatomique et de Cosmologie, Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Princeton University, University of Surrey, National Observatory, Ruhr University Bochum, Lancaster University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Chicago, Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, University of California, Berkeley
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,550
Funders: 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
Awards: G1054097061, G1336129044, G1746333638, G2011917337, G2233160401, G2376186588, G2554159582, G302750986, G3154116105, Illuminating the dark universe, G3439265645, The Dark Energy Survey Data Management Operations, G3870743921, G3906089732, G454676879, G4655338613, G5574724152, G6471802762, G6513613686, G656518222, ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery, G6676276723, Getting to Know the Neighbours: Naked-Eye Stars and Their Planets, G6941735741, G7788408655, G7835623888, Collaborative Research: The Dark Energy Survey Data Management Operations, G8920660035, G946511789
OpenAlex ID: W4416959388