Abstract
The fundamental plane of black hole activity is a non-linear correlation among radio core luminosity, X-ray luminosity and mass of all accreting black holes, both of stellar mass and supermassive, discovered by Merloni, Heinz, & Di Matteo (2003) and, independently, by Falcke, Körding, & Markoff (2004). Here we discuss with greater detail a number of statistical issues related to the above correlation. In particular, we discuss the issue of sample selection and quantify the bias introduced by the effect of distance. We demonstrate that the fundamental plane relation is not simply a distance artifact, and that its non-linear slope represents a genuine intrinsic characteristics of accreting black holes. We also discuss possible future observational strategies to improve our understanding of this correlation.
