The Featureless Continuum & the Starburst -AGN Connection in Seyfert 2 Nuclei

Details The Featureless Continuum & the Starburst -AGN Connection in Seyfert 2 Nuclei The Featureless Continuum & the Starburst -AGN Connection in Seyfert 2 Nuclei

Jul 1995

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1995hst..prop.5944h&link_type=abstract

HST Proposal ID #5944

Physics

Hst Proposal Id #5944 Agn

Scientific paper

One of the most striking properties of type 2 Seyfert nuclei is a 'featureless' continuum {FC} in the optical and UV that is considerably bluer than the light from an old stellar population. Recent optical spectropolarimetry and our analysis of archival IUE UV spectra show that only a minority of the FC can be produced by scattered light from a hidden type 1 Seyfert nucleus. The majority of the FC {the 'FC2'} may be produced by hot massive stars, or in some heretofore unknown way by the AGN {e.g. free-free emission from fast shocks and/or from the 'mirror' of warm electrons seen in some Seyfert 2's}. We propose a decisive test of the hypothesis that hot stars produce the FC2: such stars should produce a clear spectroscopic signature in the form of broad, blue- shifted NVLambda1240 and SiIVLambda1396 stellar wind absorption features. We show that these should be detectable in high quality GHRS G140L spectra, and we propose to obtain such data {plus a short FOS G160L spectrum to measure the UV spectral-energy distribution} for one or more type 2 Seyfert nuclei selected on the basis of FOC UV images of nine of the brightest-known Seyfert 2 nuclei. If we see the stellar features, it will establish the existence of a close link between the Seyfert and starburst phenomena. If we do not, then the FC2 must represent a truly new phenomenon in the AGN 'bag of tricks'. In either case, this result will have significant implications for our understanding of AGNs.

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