Related papers: Calibrating Emission Lines as Quasar Bolometers
Current estimates of the normalized accretion rates of quasars (L/L_Edd), rely on measuring the velocity widths of broad optical-UV emission lines (e.g., H$\beta$ and Mg II $\lambda2800$). However, such lines tend to be weak or inaccessible…
We demonstrate a new technique for determining the physical conditions of the broad line emitting gas in quasars, using near-infrared hydrogen emission lines. Unlike higher ionisation species, hydrogen is an efficient line emitter for a…
We study the broad emission line blazars detected in the gamma-ray band by the Large Area Telescope onboard the Fermi satellite and with the optical spectrum studied by Shaw et al. (2012, 2013). The observed broad line strength provides a…
Weak emission-line quasars (WLQs) are a subset of Type 1 quasars that exhibit extremely weak Ly$\alpha +$N V $\lambda$1240 and/or C IV $\lambda$1549 emission lines. We investigate the relationship between emission-line properties and…
In this Letter, the broad emission line (BEL) profiles of superluminal quasars with apparent jet velocities, $\beta_{a}>10$, (ultraluminal QSOs, or ULQSOs hereafter) are studied as a diagnostic of the velocity field of the BEL emitting gas…
We review recent results on quasars from the SDSS as they relate to our understanding of the UV/optical continuum, the broad emission line region, and the broad absorption line region. The ensemble average colors of large numbers of quasars…
We present high S/N UV spectra for eight quasars at $z\sim3$\ obtained with VLT/FORS. The spectra enable us to analyze in detail the strongest emission features in the rest-frame range 1400-2000 \AA\ of each source (\ciii, \siiii, \aliii,…
An empirical relation between the broad line region (BLR) size and optical continuum luminosity is often adopted to estimate the BLR size and then the black hole mass of AGNs. However, optical luminosity may not be a good indicator of…
We present Gemini-North K-band spectra of two representative members of the class of high-redshift quasars with exceptionally weak rest-frame ultraviolet emission lines (WLQs), SDSS J114153.34+021924.3 at z=3.55 and SDSS J123743.08+630144.9…
Absorption lines of H$_2$ and HD molecules observed at high redshift in the line of sight towards quasars are a test ground to search for variation of the proton-to-electron mass ratio $\mu$. For this purpose, results from astronomical…
Bolometric corrections are used in quasar studies to quantify total energy output based on a measurement of a monochromatic luminosity. First, we enumerate and discuss the practical difficulties of determining such corrections, then we…
We review past work using broad emission lines as virial estimators of black hole masses in quasars. Basically one requires estimates of the emitting region radius and virial velocity dispersion to obtain black hole masses. The three major…
We study the degree of chemical enrichment in the Broad Emission Line Regions (BELRs) of two QSOs with unusually strong nitrogen emission lines. The N V 1240/ C IV 1549 intensity ratio is often used as a metallicity indicator for QSOs. The…
Quasar broad emission lines are largely powered by photoionization from the accretion continuum. Increased central luminosity will enhance line emissivity in more distant clouds, leading to increased average distance of the…
(Abridged) We attempt to infer the accretion mechanism and radiative processes giving rise to the SEDs of a well-defined optically-selected sample of LINERs showing a definite detection of broad Halpha emission (LINER 1s). We construct SEDs…
Blazars are currently separated into BL Lacertae objects (BL Lacs) and flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQ) based on the strength of their emission lines. This is done rather arbitrarily by defining a diagonal line in the Ca H&K break value…
We studied the spectra of six $z \sim 2.2$ quasars obtained with the X-shooter spectrograph at the Very Large Telescope. The redshift of these sources and X-shooter's spectral coverage allow us to cover the rest spectral range $\sim1200 -…
A combined analysis of the profiles of the main broad quasar emission lines in both Hubble Space Telescope and optical spectra shows that while the profiles of the strong UV lines are quite similar, there is frequently a strong increase in…
We present bolometric luminosity ($L_{\rm bol}$) and black hole (BH) mass ($M_{\rm BH}$) estimators based on mid-infrared (MIR) continuum luminosity (hereafter, $L_{\rm MIR}$) that are measured from infrared (IR) photometric data. The…
We perform a systematic study of outflow in the narrow-line region (NLR) of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at $z\sim0.4-0.8$ basing upon a large sample of $\sim900$ quasars at $z\sim 0.4-0.8$. The sample is extracted from the Sloan Digital…