Emission line studies of high redshift AGN

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H-alpha emission lines in high-redshift quasars

peer-reviewedInfrared spectra have been obtained of the H-alpha lines in 18 medium- to high-redshift QSOs and optical spectra taken nearly simultaneously to measure the strong UV line. It is found that the H-alpha line is redshifted by an average of 1000 km/s with respect to the lines from high ionization species such as C IV. Low ionization lines from ions like O I and Mg II are shifted by similar, or slightly smaller, amounts with respect to the high ionization lines. These results are difficult to reconcile with any simple models currently available, including those where dust obscuration is solely responsible for the observed velocity shifts. The similarity between the velocities of H-alpha and Mg II, O I provides some support for models in which the Balmer lines are produced predominantly in a warm H I region, while the Lyman lines arise mainly in a population of optically thin clouds. A velocity separation between the two cloud populations, along with some obscuration, could explain the main features

The O IV and S IV intercombination lines in the ultraviolet spectra of astrophysical sources.

New electron density diagnostic line ratios are presented for the O IV 2s(2)2p P-2-2s2p(24)P and S IV 3s(2)3p P-2-3s3p(24)P intercombination lines around 1400 Angstrom comparison of these with observational data for the symbiotic star RR Telescopii (RR Tel), obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS), reveals generally very good agreement between theory and observation. However the S IV P-2(3/2)-P-4(1/2) transition at 1423.824 Angstrom is found to be blended with an unknown feature at 1423.774 Angstrom. The linewidth for the latter indicates that the feature arises from a species with a large ionization potential. In addition, the S IV P-2(1/2)-P-4(3/2) transition at 1398.044 Angstrom is identified for the first time (to our knowledge) in an astrophysical source other than the Sun, and an improved wavelength of 1397.166 Angstrom is measured for the O IV P-2(1/2)-P-4(3/2) line. The O IV and S IV line ratios in a sunspot plume spectrum, obtained with the Solar Ultraviolet Measurements of the Emitted Radiation (SUMER) instrument on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, are found to be consistent, and remove discrepancies noted in previous comparisons of these two ions

Steps toward Determination of the Size and Structure of the Broad-Line Region in Active Galactic Nuclei. XI. Intensive Monitoring of the Ultraviolet Spectrum of NGC 7469

From 1996 June 10 to July 29, the International Ultraviolet Explorer monitored the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 7469 continuously in an attempt to measure time delays between the continuum and emission-line fluxes. From the time delays, one can estimate the size of the region dominating the production of the UV emission lines in this source. We find the strong UV emission lines to respond to continuum variations with time delays of about 2.d3-3.d1 for Lyα, 2.d7 for C IV λ1549, 1.d9-2.d4 for N IV λ 1240, 1.d7-1.d8 for Si IV λ 1400, and 0.d7-1.d0 for He II λ1640. The most remarkable result, however, is the detection of apparent time delays between the different UV continuum bands. With respect to the UV continuum flux at 1315 Å, the flux at 1485 Å, 1740 Å, and 1825 Å lags with time delays of 0.d21, 0.d35, and 0.d28, respectively. Determination of the significance of this detection is somewhat problematic since it depends on accurate estimation of the uncertainties in the lag measurements, which are difficult to assess. We attempt to estimate the uncertainties in the time delays through Monte Carlo simulations, and these yield estimates of ~0.d07 for the 1 σ uncertainties in the interband continuum time delays. Possible explanations for the delays include the existence of a continuum-flux reprocessing region close to the central source and/or a contamination of the continuum flux with a very broad time-delayed emission feature such as the Balmer continuum or merged Fe II multiplets