Host Galaxies of Nearby Type I AGNs

  • Published : 2011.10.05

Abstract

We present the detailed image decomposition of Hubble Space Telescope archival images for 235 nearby (z < 0.35) unobscured type 1 AGNs. It allows us to perform robust measurements of host galaxy properties and AGN luminosity contribution. We examine how the host properties correlate with AGN properties. Broad line type 1 and radio-loud AGNs are hosted preferentially by early type galaxies. Narrow line type 1 AGNs show a low fraction of tidal interaction, that might suggest the secular evolution may play an important role for triggering AGN activity, while the fraction of merging hosts is rather higher in luminous AGNs. We compare the nucleus luminosity and bulge luminosity and find that either our sample might have a smaller zero point in the M(BH)-L(bulge) relation (i.e. less massive black hole at a given bulge luminosity) relation compared to the normal galaxies or Eddington ratio of our sample could be systematically overestimated.

Keywords