Line Shape Variability in a Sample of AGN with Broad Lines

The spectral variability of active galactic nuclei (AGN) is one of the key features that enables us to study in more detail, the structure of AGN emitting regions. Especially, the broad line profiles that vary both in flux and shape, give us invaluable information about the kinematics and geometry of the broad line region (BLR) where these lines are originating from. We give here a comparative review of the line shape variability in a sample of five type 1 AGNs, those with broad emission lines in their spectra, of the data obtained from the international long-term optical monitoring campaign coordinated by the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Science. The main aim of this campaign is to study the physics and kinematics of the BLR on a uniform data set, focusing on the problems of the photoionization heating of the BLR and its geometry, where, in this paper, we give for a first time, a comparative analysis of the variabilty of five type 1 AGNs, discussing their complex BLR physics and geometry in the framework of the estimates of the supermassive black hole mass in AGN.

[1]  G. A. Reichert,et al.  Steps toward Determination of the Size and Structure of the Broad-Line Region in Active Galactic Nuclei. XIII. Ultraviolet Observations of the Broad-Line Radio Galaxy 3C 390.3 , 1998, astro-ph/9806216.

[2]  Christopher F. McKee,et al.  Reverberation mapping of the emission line regions of Seyfert galaxies and quasars. , 1982 .

[3]  Bradley M. Peterson,et al.  The Radius-Luminosity Relationship for Active Galactic Nuclei: The Effect of Host-Galaxy Starlight on Luminosity Measurements , 2006, 0812.2283.

[4]  W. Kollatschny,et al.  Spectral optical monitoring of the double peaked emission line AGN Arp 102B: II. Variability of the broad line properties , 2014, 1408.6955.

[5]  Hongyan Zhou,et al.  A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF OPTICAL/ULTRAVIOLET VARIABILITY OF NARROW-LINE SEYFERT 1 AND BROAD-LINE SEYFERT 1 ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI , 2013, 1301.4739.

[6]  Astronomy,et al.  THE RADIUS–LUMINOSITY RELATIONSHIP FOR ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI: THE EFFECT OF HOST-GALAXY STARLIGHT ON LUMINOSITY MEASUREMENTS. II. THE FULL SAMPLE OF REVERBERATION-MAPPED AGNs , 2008, 0812.2283.

[7]  Luis Carrasco,et al.  SPECTRAL OPTICAL MONITORING OF THE NARROW-LINE SEYFERT 1 GALAXY Ark 564 , 2012, 1207.1782.

[8]  Paul S. Smith,et al.  Reverberation Measurements for 17 Quasars and the Size-Mass-Luminosity Relations in Active Galactic Nuclei , 1999 .

[9]  S. Gezari,et al.  Long-Term Profile Variability of Double-peaked Emission Lines in Active Galactic Nuclei , 2007, astro-ph/0702594.

[10]  Bradley M. Peterson,et al.  THE LOW-LUMINOSITY END OF THE RADIUS–LUMINOSITY RELATIONSHIP FOR ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI , 2013, 1303.1742.

[11]  L. Carrasco,et al.  Spectral optical monitoring of 3C 390.3 in 1995–2007 - I. Light curves and flux variation in the continuum and broad lines , 2010, 1003.2098.

[12]  W. Kollatschny,et al.  Spectral line variability amplitudes in active galactic nuclei , 2006 .

[13]  V. M. Lyuty,et al.  Intermediate resolution Hβ spectroscopy and photometric monitoring of 3C 390.3 I. Further evidence of a nuclear accretion disk , 2001, astro-ph/0106423.

[14]  V. Afanasiev,et al.  THREE-DIMENSIONAL SPECTROSCOPIC STUDY OF THE LINE-EMITTING REGIONS OF Mrk 493 , 2008, 0812.4817.

[15]  E. Mediavilla,et al.  Contribution of a Disk Component to Single Peaked Broad Lines of Active Galactic Nuclei , 2009, 0908.2939.

[16]  S. Klimanov,et al.  BLR kinematics and Black Hole Mass in Markarian 6 , 2012, 1203.2084.

[17]  L M Branscomb,et al.  Women in science. , 1979, Science.

[18]  T. Alexander,et al.  Is AGN Variability Correlated with Other AGN Properties?—ZDCF Analysis of Small Samples of Sparse Light Curves , 1997 .

[19]  D. Osterbrock,et al.  Astrophysics of Gaseous Nebulae and Active Galactic Nuclei , 1989 .

[20]  L. Carrasco,et al.  Long-term variability of the optical spectra of NGC 4151. I. Light curves and flux correlations , 2008, 0804.0910.

[21]  L. Popović,et al.  Time series analysis of active galactic nuclei: The case of Arp 102B, 3C 390.3, NGC 5548 and NGC 4051 , 2014, 1406.5898.

[22]  W. Kollatschny,et al.  Broad-line region structure and kinematics in the radio galaxy 3C 120 , 2014, 1405.1588.

[23]  Z.Zheng,et al.  Multiwavelength Monitoring of the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy Arakelian 564. III. Optical Observations and the Optical-UV-X-Ray Connection , 2001, astro-ph/0107075.

[24]  W. Kollatschny,et al.  Spectral optical monitoring of 3C 390.3 in 1995-2007 II. Variability of the spectral line parameters , 2011, 1101.4867.

[25]  L. Popović,et al.  Contribution of the disk emission to the broad emission lines in AGNs: Two-component model , 2004, astro-ph/0405447.

[26]  E. Wright.  A Cosmology Calculator for the World Wide Web , 2006, astro-ph/0609593.

[27]  D. Osterbrock.  Emission Line Spectra and the Nature of Active Galactic Nuclei , 1988 .

[28]  B. M. Peterson,et al.  Central Masses and Broad-Line Region Sizes of Active Galactic Nuclei. II. A Homogeneous Analysis of a Large Reverberation-Mapping Database , 2004, astro-ph/0407299.

[29]  L. Popović,et al.  VARIABILITY OF THE Hβ LINE PROFILES AS AN INDICATOR OF ORBITING BRIGHT SPOTS IN ACCRETION DISKS OF QUASARS: A CASE STUDY OF 3C 390.3 , 2010, 1005.5039.

[30]  C. Gaskell.  Direct Evidence for Gravitational Domination of the Motion of Gas within One Light-Week of the Central Object in NGC 4151 and the Determination of the Mass of the Probable Black Hole , 1988 .

[31]  P. Marziani,et al.  Phenomenology of Broad Emission Lines in Active Galactic Nuclei , 2000 .

[32]  L. Popović,et al.  Complex emission line region of Mrk 817 , 2006, astro-ph/0607253.

[33]  L. Popović,et al.  Long-term variability of the optical spectra of NGC 4151 - II. Evolution of the broad Hα and Hβ emission-line profiles , 2009, 0910.2980.

[34]  Bradley M. Peterson,et al.  REVERBERATION MAPPING OF ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI , 1993 .

[35]  Luis Carrasco,et al.  Spectral optical monitoring of a double-peaked emission line AGN Arp 102B Variability of spectral lines and continuum , 2013, 1308.2407.

[36]  A. I. Shapovalova,et al.  THE FIRST SPECTROSCOPICALLY RESOLVED SUB-PARSEC ORBIT OF A SUPERMASSIVE BINARY BLACK HOLE , 2012, 1209.4524.

[37]  M. Gaskell,et al.  What broad emission lines tell us about how active galactic nuclei work , 2009, 0908.0386.