A Look At What Is (And Isn't) Known About Quasar Broad Line Regions And How Narrow-Line Seyfert 1s Fit In

Authors

C. Martin Gaskell, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

6-1-2000

Comments

Preprint of an article published in New Astronomy Reviews 44, 564 (2000). Published by Elsevier.
Journal homepage: New Astronomy Reviews

Abstract

The evidence is reviewed that the Broad Line Region (BLR) probably has two distinct components located at about the same distance from the central black hole. One component, BLR II, is optically-thick, low-ionization emission at least some of which arises from a disc and the other, BLR I, is probably optically-thin emission from a more spherically symmetric halo or atmosphere. The high Fe II/Hβ ratios seen in Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s) are not due to strong Fe II emission, as is commonly thought, but to unusually weak Balmer emission, probably caused by higher densities. NLS1s probably differ from non-NLS1s because of the higher density of gas near the black hole. This produces a higher accretion rate, a denser BLR, and a view of the central regions that is more face-on.