Abstract
We summarise the results of a major Hubble Space Telescope imaging study of the host galaxies of radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars. We find that for absolute magnitudes M-R < -24 the hosts of both types of quasar are massive elliptical galaxies. By applying the relation between galaxy spheroid mass and black-hole mass derived for nearby inactive galaxies we estimate the masses of the central black holes in the quasars and find the first signs of a difference between radio-loud and radio-quiet objects. The black-hole masses of the radio-loud quasars (RLQs) are systematically larger than those of radio-quiet quasars (RQQs) of similar optical luminosity. The implications of this result for the origins of radio loudness are discussed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | MASS OUTFLOW IN ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI: NEW PERSPECTIVES |
| Editors | DM Crenshaw, SB Karemer, IM George |
| Place of Publication | SAN FRANCISCO |
| Publisher | ASTRONOMICAL SOC PACIFIC |
| Pages | 245-250 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| ISBN (Print) | 1-58381-095-1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2002 |
| Event | Workshop on Mass Outflow in Active Galactic Nuclei: New Perspectives - WASHINGTON Duration: 8 Mar 2001 → 10 Mar 2001 |
Conference
| Conference | Workshop on Mass Outflow in Active Galactic Nuclei: New Perspectives |
|---|---|
| City | WASHINGTON |
| Period | 8/03/01 → 10/03/01 |