Strong long-term variability in active galactic nuclei affects virial black hole mass measurements

Nature Communications 2026 Open access

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Authors: Neelesh Amrutha, Christian Wolf, Christopher A. Onken, Wei Jeat Hon, Samuel Lai, David Raithel, Ashley Hai Tung Tan, Rachel Webster
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-69166-w
Cited by: 1
References: 83

Abstract

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) with broad emission line regions (BLRs) contain rapidly growing supermassive black holes. Their masses are typically derived from BLR gas motions inferred from spectra and BLR sizes estimated from the AGN luminosity. The breathing BLR model predicts that the spectral line width should change as luminosity varies, keeping mass estimates constant. Here, we present observations of an AGN sample at redshift

Fields of Study & Subjects

Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations Galaxies: Formation Evolution Phenomena Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena

Publication details

Journal / source
Nature Communications
Volume
17
Issue
1
Publication date
5 February 2026
Language
EN