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State-of-the-art AGN SEDs for Photoionization Models: BLR Predictions Confront the Observations

Ward, M.J.; Landt, H.; Jin, C.; Done, C.; Ferland, G.J.

State-of-the-art AGN SEDs for Photoionization Models: BLR Predictions Confront the Observations Thumbnail


Authors

H. Landt

C. Jin

G.J. Ferland



Contributors

Abstract

The great power offered by photoionization models of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) emission line regions has long been mitigated by the fact that very little is known about the spectral energy distribution (SED) between the Lyman limit, where intervening absorption becomes a problem, and 0.3 keV, where soft x-ray observations become possible. The emission lines themselves can, to some degree, be used to probe the SED, but only in the broadest terms. This paper employs a new generation of theoretical SEDs which are internally self-consistent, energy conserving, and tested against observations, to infer properties of the emission-line regions. The SEDs are given as a function of the Eddington ratio, allowing emission-line correlations to be investigated on a fundamental basis. We apply the simplest possible tests, based on the foundations of photoionization theory, to investigate the implications for the geometry of the emission-line region. The SEDs become more far-ultraviolet bright as the Eddington ratio increases, so the equivalent widths of recombination lines should also become larger, an effect which we quantify. The observed lack of correlation between Eddington ratio and equivalent width shows that the cloud covering factor must decrease as Eddington ratio increases. This would be consistent with recent models proposing that the broad-line region is a failed dusty wind off the accretion disc.

Citation

Ward, M., Landt, H., Jin, C., Done, C., & Ferland, G. (2020). State-of-the-art AGN SEDs for Photoionization Models: BLR Predictions Confront the Observations. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 494(4), 5917-5922. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staa1207

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Apr 16, 2020
Online Publication Date May 5, 2020
Publication Date Jun 30, 2020
Deposit Date May 6, 2020
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Print ISSN 0035-8711
Electronic ISSN 1365-2966
Publisher Royal Astronomical Society
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 494
Issue 4
Pages 5917-5922
DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staa1207

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Copyright Statement
This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. ©: 2020 The Author(s) . Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.






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