Kirk T. Korista

Atomic data for astrophysics. II. New analytic fits for photoionization cross sections of atoms and ions

We present a complete set of analytic fits to the nonrelativistic photoionization cross sections for the ground states of atoms and ions of elements from H through Si, and S, Ar, Ca, and Fe. Near the ionization thresholds, the fits are based on the Opacity Project theoretical cross sections interpolated and smoothed over resonances. At higher energies, the fits reproduce calculated Hartree-Dirac-Slater photoionization cross sections. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Astronomical Society.}

An Atlas of Computed Equivalent Widths of Quasar Broad Emission Lines

We present graphically the results of several thousand photoionization calculations of broad emission-line clouds in quasars, spanning 7 orders of magnitude in hydrogen ionizing flux and particle density. The equivalent widths of 42 quasar emission lines are presented as contours in the particle density-ionizing flux plane for a typical incident continuum shape, solar chemical abundances, and cloud column density of N(H) = 1023 cm-2. Results are similarly given for a small subset of emission lines for two other column densities (1022 and 1024 cm-2), five other incident continuum shapes, and a gas metallicity of 5 Z☉. These graphs should prove useful in the analysis of quasar emission-line data and in the detailed modeling of quasar broad emission-line regions. The digital results of these emission-line grids and many more are available over the Internet.

Steps toward determination of the size and structure of the broad-line region in active galactic nuclei. XI. Intensive monitoring of the ultraviolet spectrum of NGC 7469

From 1996 June 10 to July 29, the International Ultraviolet Explorer monitored the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 7469 continuously in an attempt to measure time delays between the continuum and emission-line fluxes. From the time delays, one can estimate the size of the region dominating the production of the UV emission lines in this source. We find the strong UV emission lines to respond to continuum variations with time delays of about 23-31 for Lyα, 27 for C IV λ1549, 19-24 for N V λ1240, 17-18 for Si IV λ1400, and 07-10 for He II λ1640. The most remarkable result, however, is the detection of apparent time delays between the different UV continuum bands. With respect to the UV continuum flux at 1315 A, the flux at 1485 A, 1740 A, and 1825 A lags with time delays of 021, 035, and 028, respectively. Determination of the significance of this detection is somewhat problematic since it depends on accurate estimation of the uncertainties in the lag measurements, which are difficult to assess. We attempt to estimate the uncertainties in the time delays through Monte Carlo simulations, and these yield estimates of ~007 for the 1 σ uncertainties in the interband continuum time delays. Possible explanations for the delays include the existence of a continuum-flux reprocessing region close to the central source and/or a contamination of the continuum flux with a very broad time-delayed emission feature such as the Balmer continuum or merged Fe II multiplets.

Dynamics of Broad Emission-Line Region in NGC 5548: Hydromagnetic Wind Model versus Observations

We analyze the results of long-term observations of the broad-line region (BLR) in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548 and provide a critical comparison with the predictions of a hydromagnetically driven outflow model of Emmering, Blandford, & Shlosman. We use this model to generate a time series of C IV line profiles that have responded to a time-varying continuum. Our modifications to the model include cloud emission anisotropy, cloud obscuration, a CLOUDY-generated emissivity function, and a narrow-line component which is added to the BLR component to generate the total line profiles. The model is driven with continuum input based on the monitoring campaigns of NGC 5548 reported in Clavel et al. and Korista et al., and the line strengths, profiles, and lags are compared with the observations. Our model is able to reproduce the basic features of C IV line variability in this active galactic nucleus, i.e., time evolution of the profile shape and strength of the C IV emission line without varying the model parameters. The best-fit model provides the effective size, the dominant geometry, the emissivity distribution, and the three-dimensional velocity field of the C IV BLR and constrains the mass of the central black hole to ~3 × 107 M☉. The inner part of the wind in NGC 5548 appears to be responsible for the anisotropically emitted C IV line, while its outer part remains dusty and molecular, thus having similar spectral characteristics to a molecular torus, although its dynamics is fundamentally different. In addition, our model predicts a differential response across the C IV line profile, producing a red-side-first response in the relative velocity interval of 3000 km s-1 to 6000 km s-1 followed by the blue mid-wing and finally by the line core. Based on the comparison of data and model cross-correlation functions and one- and two-dimensional transfer functions, we find that the rotating outflow model is compatible with observations of the BLR in NGC 5548.

Steps toward determination of the size and structure of the broad-line region in active galactic nuclei. IX. Ultraviolet observations of Fairall 9

An 8 month monitoring campaign on the Seyfert 1 galaxy Fairall 9 has been conducted with the International Ultraviolet Explorer in an attempt to obtain reliable estimates of continuum-continuum and continuum-emission-line delays for a high-luminosity active galactic nucleus (AGN). While the results of this campaign are more ambiguous than those of previous monitoring campaigns on lower luminosity sources, we find general agreement with the earlier results: (1) there is no measurable lag between ultraviolet continuum bands, and (2) the measured emission-line time lags are very short. It is especially notable that the Ly? + N V emission-line lag is about 1 order of magnitude smaller than determined from a previous campaign by Clavel, Wamsteker, & Glass (1989) when Fairall 9 was in a more luminous state. In other well-monitored sources, specifically NGC 5548 and NGC 3783, the highest ionization lines are found to respond to continuum variations more rapidly than the lower ionization lines, which suggests a radially ionization-stratified broad-line region. In this case, the results are less certain, since none of the emission-line lags are very well determined. The best-determined emission line lag is Ly? + N V, for which we find that the centroid of the continuum-emission-line cross-correlation function is ?cent ? 14-20 days. We measure a lag ?cent 4 days for He II ?1640; this result is consistent with the ionization-stratification pattern seen in lower luminosity sources, but the relatively large uncertainties in the emission-line lags measured here cannot rule out similar lags for Ly? + N V and He II ?1640 at a high level of significance. We are unable to determine a reliable lag for C IV ?1550, but we note that the profiles of the variable parts of Ly? and C IV ?1550 are not the same, which does not support the hypothesis that the strongest variations in these two lines arise in the same region.

Hubble Space Telescope Observations of the Broad Absorption Line QuasarPG 0946+301

We analyze HST and ground based spectra of the brightest BALQSO in the UV: PG~0946+301. A detailed study of the absorption troughs as a function of velocity is presented, facilitated by the use of a new algorithm to solve for the optical depth as a function of velocity for multiplet lines. We find convincing evidence for saturation in parts of the troughs. This supports our previous assertion that saturation is common in BALs and therefore cast doubts on claims for very high metallicity in BAL flows. Due to the importance of BAL saturation we also discuss its evidence in other objects. In PG~0946+301 large differences in ionization as a function of velocity are detected and our findings supports the hypothesis that the line of sight intersects a number of flow components that combine to give the appearance of the whole trough. Based on the optical depth profiles, we develop a geometrical-kinematical model for the flow. We have positively identified 16 ions of 8 elements (H~I, C~III, C~IV, N~III, N~IV, N~V, O~III, O~IV, O~V, O~VI, Ne~V, Ne~VIII, P~V, Si~IV, S~V, S~VI) and have a probable identifications of Mg~X and S~IV. Unlike earlier analysis of IUE data, we find no evidence for BALs arising from excited ionic states in the HST spectrum of PG~0946+301.

Numerical Simulations of Fe II Emission Spectra

This paper describes the techniques that we have used to incorporate a large-scale model of the Fe+ ion and resulting Fe II emission into CLOUDY, a spectral synthesis code designed to simulate conditions within a plasma and model the resulting spectrum. We describe the numerical methods we use to determine the level populations, mutual line overlap fluorescence, collisional effects, and the heating-cooling effects of the atom on its environment. As currently implemented, the atom includes the lowest 371 levels (up to 11.6 eV) and predicts intensities of 68,635 lines. We describe our data sources, which include the most recent transition probabilities and collision strengths. Although we use detailed fits to temperature-dependent collision strengths where possible, in many cases the uncertain approximation is the only source for collision data. The atom is designed to be readily expanded to include more levels and to incorporate more accurate sets of collision and radiative data as computers grow faster and the atomic databases expand. We present several test cases showing that the atom goes to LTE in the limits of high particle and radiation densities. We give an overview of general features of the Fe II spectra as their dependencies on the basic parameters of our models (density, flux, microturbulent velocity, the Fe abundance, and Lyα pumping). Finally, we discuss several applications to active galactic nuclei to illustrate the diagnostic power of the Fe II spectrum and make some predictions for UV observations.

Locally optimally-emitting clouds and the narrow emission lines in seyfert galaxies

The narrow emission line spectra of active galactic nuclei are not accurately described by simple photoionization models of single clouds. Recent Hubble Space Telescope images of Seyfert 2 galaxies show that these objects are rich with ionization cones, knots, filaments, and strands of ionized gas. Here we extend to the narrow-line region the locally optimally emitting cloud (LOC) model, in which the observed spectra are predominantly determined by powerful selection effects. We present a large grid of photoionization models covering a wide range of physical conditions and show the optimal conditions for producing many of the strongest emission lines. We show that the integrated narrow-line spectrum can be predicted by an integration of an ensemble of clouds, and we present these results in the form of diagnostic line ratio diagrams making comparisons with observations. We also predict key diagnostic line ratios as a function of distance from the ionizing source and compare these with observations. The predicted radial dependence of the [O III]/[O II] ratio may be matched to the observed one in NGC 4151, if the narrow-line clouds see a more intense continuum than we see. The LOC scenario when coupled with a simple Keplerian gravitational velocity field will quite naturally predict the observed line width versus critical density relationship. The influence of dust within the ionized portion of the clouds is discussed, and we show that the more neutral gas is likely to be dusty, although a high-ionization dust-free region is most likely present too. This argues for a variety of narrow-line region cloud origins.

Do the broad emission line clouds see the same continuum that we see

Recent observations of quasars, Mrk 335 and the HST quasar composite spectrum, have indicated that many of them have remarkably soft ionizing continua (f� / � 2 , 13.6 eV – 100 eV). We point out that the number of h� > 54.4 eV photons is insufficient to create the observed strengths of the He ii emission lines. While the numbers of photons which energize C iv �1549 and O vi �1034 are sufficient, even the most efficiently emitting clouds f or these two lines must each cover at least 20% – 40% of the source. If the typical quasar ionizing continuum is indeed this soft, then we must conclude that the broad emission line clouds must see a very different (harder) continuum than we see. The other viable possibility is that the UV – EUV SED is double-peaked, with the second peaking near 54 eV, its Wien tail the observed soft X-ray excess. Subject headings: line: formation — quasars: emission lines and general — ultraviolet

The Variability and Spectrum of NGC 5548 in the Extreme Ultraviolet

We have measured the light curve and spectrum of NGC 5548 obtained with the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) during a period when the galaxy was also intensively monitored with the Hubble Space Telescope, the International Ultraviolet Explorer, and ground-based telescopes. NGC 5548 was observed with EUVE for a total of about 20 days spread over a period of 2 months. The broadband extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light curve showed several factor of 2 variations on 0.5 day timescales and one factor of 4 decrease over 2 days. The normalized variability index was smaller than in the EUVE observation of Mrk 478. Cross-correlation of the EUV light curve with the contemporaneous ultraviolet light curve indicates that the EUV and UV/optical variations are, to within the limitations of these data, simultaneous, although the amplitude in the EUV is twice that in the UV. The shape of the EUVE spectrum is consistent with a gradual steepening from the UV through the soft X-rays. Contrary to reports by others, we do not detect any emission lines in the EUV spectrum that would arise in optically thin spectral models. We believe that the reported line detections were, in fact, due to a low-level fixed pattern in the detector background. Models of the spectrum may be constrained by the time-averaged flux in the broadband detector combined with the weakly constrained spectral shape. A thermal model best describes the EUVE spectrum and its variations.