VLT/ISAAC spectra of the Hβ region in intermediate-redshift quasars - II. Black hole mass and Eddington ratio

We derive black hole masses for a sample of about 300 AGNs in the redshift range 0 9.5 and suggest that extremely large MBH values (log MBH > 10) may not be realistic. Derived L/LEdd values show no evidence for a significant population of super-Eddington radiators especially after correction is made for sources with extreme orientation to our line of sight. Sources with FWHM(HβBC) < 4000 km s −1 show systematically