HOLESOM: Constraining the Properties of Slowly-Accreting Massive Black Holes with Self-Organizing Maps

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Autori principali: La Torre, Valentina, Pacucci, Fabio
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2024
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author La Torre, Valentina
Pacucci, Fabio
author_facet La Torre, Valentina
Pacucci, Fabio
contents Accreting massive black holes (MBHs, with M$_\bullet > 10^3$ M$_{\odot}$) are known for their panchromatic emission, spanning from radio to gamma rays. While MBHs accreting at significant fractions of their Eddington rate are readily detectable, those accreting at much lower rates in radiatively inefficient modes often go unnoticed, blending in with other astrophysical sources. This challenge is particularly relevant for gas-starved MBHs in external galaxies and those possibly wandering in the Milky Way. We present HOLESOM, a machine learning-powered tool based on the Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs) algorithm, specifically designed to identify slowly-accreting MBHs using sparse photometric data. Trained on a comprehensive set of $\sim$ 20, 000 spectral energy distributions (SEDs), HOLESOM can (i) determine if the photometry of a source is consistent with slowly-accreting MBHs and (ii) estimate its black hole mass and Eddington ratio, including uncertainties. We validate HOLESOM through extensive tests on synthetic data and real-world cases, including Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), demonstrating its effectiveness in identifying slowly-accreting MBHs. Additionally, we derive analytical relations between radio and X-ray luminosities to further constrain physical parameters. The primary strength of HOLESOM lies in its ability to accurately identify MBH candidates, which can then be targeted for follow-up photometric and spectroscopic observations. Fast and scalable, HOLESOM offers a robust framework for automatically scanning large multi-wavelength datasets, making it a valuable tool for unveiling hidden MBH populations in the local Universe.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2410_11951
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle HOLESOM: Constraining the Properties of Slowly-Accreting Massive Black Holes with Self-Organizing Maps
La Torre, Valentina
Pacucci, Fabio
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Accreting massive black holes (MBHs, with M$_\bullet > 10^3$ M$_{\odot}$) are known for their panchromatic emission, spanning from radio to gamma rays. While MBHs accreting at significant fractions of their Eddington rate are readily detectable, those accreting at much lower rates in radiatively inefficient modes often go unnoticed, blending in with other astrophysical sources. This challenge is particularly relevant for gas-starved MBHs in external galaxies and those possibly wandering in the Milky Way. We present HOLESOM, a machine learning-powered tool based on the Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs) algorithm, specifically designed to identify slowly-accreting MBHs using sparse photometric data. Trained on a comprehensive set of $\sim$ 20, 000 spectral energy distributions (SEDs), HOLESOM can (i) determine if the photometry of a source is consistent with slowly-accreting MBHs and (ii) estimate its black hole mass and Eddington ratio, including uncertainties. We validate HOLESOM through extensive tests on synthetic data and real-world cases, including Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), demonstrating its effectiveness in identifying slowly-accreting MBHs. Additionally, we derive analytical relations between radio and X-ray luminosities to further constrain physical parameters. The primary strength of HOLESOM lies in its ability to accurately identify MBH candidates, which can then be targeted for follow-up photometric and spectroscopic observations. Fast and scalable, HOLESOM offers a robust framework for automatically scanning large multi-wavelength datasets, making it a valuable tool for unveiling hidden MBH populations in the local Universe.
title HOLESOM: Constraining the Properties of Slowly-Accreting Massive Black Holes with Self-Organizing Maps
topic High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.11951