Narrow-Line AGNs: confirming the relationship between metallicity and accretion rate

Abstract

We have selected a sample of 292 SDSS Narrow-Emission-Line galaxies known to have formed and evolved in relative isolation to study the nature and origin of the AGN phenomenon. The galaxies in our sample have line fluxes with S/N>3 and were separated using a standard diagnostic diagram into Star Forming Galaxies (SFGs; 36.0%), Transition type Objects (TOs; 28.4%) and Narrow-Line AGNs (NLAGNs; 35.6%). Having found a strong correlation between the bulge mass and the NLAGN phenomenon, we have applied the same relation as for the Broad-Line AGNs to estimate their black hole (BH) masses. The BH in the NLAGNs are 2 to 3 orders lower in mass than the BHs found in BLAGNs, but are comparable to those observed in Narrow-Line Seyfert~1, although none of our objects can be classified as such. To determine the metallicities, [O/H], of the NLAGNs we calibrated the standard diagnostic diagram [OIII]/Hb vs. [NII]/Ha using similar relation as for the SFGs, which reproduce the values obtained with CLOUDY simulations developed for Bennert et al. [3]. For some individual objects we compared our line ratios with other CLOUDY similations by different authors. This suggests we achieve a typical uncertainty of 0.2 dex on [O/H], increasing to 0.3-0.5 in the Seyfert~2 (S2). This calibration suggests the metallicities of the NLAGNs are subsolar, varying between 1 and 0.3 $Z_\odot$. We find two statistically significant positive correlations: for [O/H] with the BH mass and for [O/H] with the luminosity at 5100\AA, $\lambda L(5100$\AA$)$. No correlation is found between [O/H] and the accretion rate, L_bol/L_Edd. However, comparisons with the BLAGNs suggest the NLAGNs extend the metallicity-accretion rate relationship [24] to the low metallicity regime. Although the NLS1 have similar BH masses as the NLAGNs they show higher accretion rates, which is consistent with their higher metallicities.