Bibcode
Johns, Lucas; Kennefick, D.; Berrier, J. C.; Davis, B. L.; Shields, D. W.
Bibliographical reference
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #219, #247.02
Advertised on:
1
2012
Citations
0
Refereed citations
0
Description
We present pitch angle measurements of a nearly complete sample of
nearby spiral galaxies. Using these results along with the relationship
between supermassive black hole mass and the pitch angle of the host
galaxy's spiral arms, we have determined the black hole mass function
for local spiral galaxies. The pitch angle measurements were obtained by
applying a two-dimensional fast Fourier transform to optical images.
This technique can be extended to samples of spiral galaxies at higher
redshifts in order to investigate how the black hole mass function has
changed over time. Funding for this project was provided by NASA and NSF
grants.