Presentation #106.48 in the session “AGN (Poster)”.
The BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey (BASS) provides a highly complete census of the key physical parameters of the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) that power local AGN (z<0.3) found across the sky at 14-195 keV, including their bolometric luminosity, black hole mass, accretion rates, and line-of-sight gas obscuration, as well as the distinctive properties of their host galaxies (e.g., star formation rates, masses, and gas fractions). We present an overview of the BASS data release 2 (DR2), an unprecedented spectroscopic AGN survey in spectral range, resolution, and sensitivity, including 1475 optical (3200-10000 A) and 233 NIR (1-2.5 um) spectra for the brightest 858 ultra-hard X-ray (14-195 keV) selected AGN across the entire sky and essentially all levels of obscuration. This release provides a highly complete set of key measurements (emission line measurements and central velocity dispersions), with 99.9% measured redshifts and 96% black hole masses estimated (for unbeamed AGN outside the Galactic plane). The BASS DR2 AGN sample represents a unique census of nearby powerful AGN, spanning over 5 orders of magnitude in AGN bolometric luminosity (Lbol ~ 1040–47 erg s-1), black hole mass (MBH ~ 105–1010 Msun), Eddington ratio (Ledd < 10-5), and obscuration (NH ~ 1020–25 cm-2). The public BASS DR2 sample and measurements can thus be used to answer fundamental questions about SMBH growth and its links to host galaxy evolution and feedback in the local universe, as well as open questions concerning SMBH physics. Here we provide a brief overview of the key BASS DR2 measurements, data sets and catalogs, and scientific highlights.