Line variability and the broad emission line region of quasi-stellar objects. II - Changes in Balmer decrements

Details Line variability and the broad emission line region of quasi-stellar objects. II - Changes in Balmer decrements Line variability and the broad emission line region of quasi-stellar objects. II - Changes in Balmer decrements

Jan 1988

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1988apj...324..801z&link_type=abstract

Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 324, Jan. 15, 1988, p. 801-808.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

17

Balmer Series, Emission Spectra, Line Spectra, Quasars, Spectrum Analysis, Variability, Forbidden Transitions, H Alpha Line, H Beta Line, H Gamma Line, Oxygen, Radiative Transfer

Scientific paper

Evidence is presented for significant variations of broad emission lines in five QSOs supporting an earlier report by Zheng et al. (1987). The Balmer decrements before and after variations are compared in an effort to extract information on the broad-line regions. The broad hydrogen lines are found to vary in step with the underlying continuum, indicating that the continuum is the probable energy source for emission lines. The ratios of H-beta/H-alpha for both the varying and steady parts of the the broad lines are about 0.2, suggesting that the regions in which these line fluxes originate are exposed to similar ionizing flux and are therefore at about the same distance to the central source. The average ratio of H-gamma/H-beta is 0.8 for the variable components, considerably higher than that of the constant components. Thus, the region producing the varying line fluxes may have higher density and lower optical depth.

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