| |
 |
| Paper: |
Unveiling Intermediate-Mass Black Holes through Reverberation Mapping with the Habitable Worlds Observatory |
| Monograph: |
11, HWO25 Proceedings Part II: Mission Framework, Technology, and Broader Contributions |
| Page: |
79 |
| Authors: |
Vivian U, Ed Cackett, Aaron Barth, and Varoujan Gorjian |
| DOI: |
10.26624/WTAO5252 |
| Abstract: |
Intermediate-Mass Black Holes (IMBHs) represent the crucial yet elusive link connecting stellar-mass remnants to supermassive black Holes. Constraining this population will achieve the primary scientific objective to understand black hole seeding scenarios and anchor the low-mass end of black hole scaling relations. Reverberation Mapping (RM) provides a robust technique to probe the sub-parsec accretion physics of these systems, but its application is currently limited by the inherent challenges of low-mass active galactic nuclei, including minute-scale variability and complex host-galaxy contamination. This proceeding establishes the study of IMBHs via RM as a compelling science case that motivates key technical requirements for the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), such as the necessity for high-sensitivity UV capability, a large-aperture mirror for host decomposition, and a stable observing platform for high-cadence, high-precision spectrophotometric observations to resolve the short variability timescales. A successful IMBH census study would not only advance accretion disk physics but also provide technical considerations for HWO’s architectural design. |
|
|
|
|
|
