Exploring Variation of Double-peak Broad-line Profile in Strongly Variable AGNs
The geometry and kinematics of the broad-line region (BLR) in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are still unclear, which is crucial for studying the physics and evolution of supermassive black holes and AGNs. The broad-line profile provides valuable information on BLR geometry and kinematics. In this wo...
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ada271 |
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| author | Jiancheng Wu Qingwen Wu Kai-Xing Lu Xinwu Cao Xiangli Lei Mengye Wang Xiao Fan |
| author_facet | Jiancheng Wu Qingwen Wu Kai-Xing Lu Xinwu Cao Xiangli Lei Mengye Wang Xiao Fan |
| author_sort | Jiancheng Wu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The geometry and kinematics of the broad-line region (BLR) in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are still unclear, which is crucial for studying the physics and evolution of supermassive black holes and AGNs. The broad-line profile provides valuable information on BLR geometry and kinematics. In this work, we explore the evolution of line profiles in variable AGNs based on the BLR model of Czerny and Hryniewicz, where the BLR is driven by the radiation pressure acting on dust at the surface layers of the accretion disk. The line profiles in the low-Eddington-ratio regime show a double-peak profile, which will become a single peak at high Eddington ratios. The high metallicity of Z ≳ 5 Z _⊙ is required to reproduce the observational anticorrelation between the peak separation of broad lines and the Eddington ratio for a sample of AGNs. For the broad lines in variable AGNs, it will take several years to several decades to change their line profile if the disk luminosity suffers strong variation in a much shorter timescale. More monitoring of the broad line and continuum in strongly variable AGNs can shed special light on BLR physics. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
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| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-11aea3d0400c4e5382a57af54bf603af2025-01-22T08:38:59ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-01979212510.3847/1538-4357/ada271Exploring Variation of Double-peak Broad-line Profile in Strongly Variable AGNsJiancheng Wu0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2581-8154Qingwen Wu1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4773-4987Kai-Xing Lu2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2310-0982Xinwu Cao3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2355-3498Xiangli Lei4https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0516-5074Mengye Wang5https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5019-4729Xiao Fan6https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7350-8380Department of Astronomy, School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology , Luoyu Road 1037, Wuhan, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Astronomy, School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology , Luoyu Road 1037, Wuhan, People’s Republic of ChinaYunnan Observatories , Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650011, People’s Republic of China; Key Laboratory for the Structure and Evolution of Celestial Objects, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Kunming 650011, People’s Republic of ChinaInstitute for Astronomy, School of Physics, Zhejiang University , 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou 310058, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Astronomy, School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology , Luoyu Road 1037, Wuhan, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Astronomy, School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology , Luoyu Road 1037, Wuhan, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Astronomy, School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology , Luoyu Road 1037, Wuhan, People’s Republic of ChinaThe geometry and kinematics of the broad-line region (BLR) in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are still unclear, which is crucial for studying the physics and evolution of supermassive black holes and AGNs. The broad-line profile provides valuable information on BLR geometry and kinematics. In this work, we explore the evolution of line profiles in variable AGNs based on the BLR model of Czerny and Hryniewicz, where the BLR is driven by the radiation pressure acting on dust at the surface layers of the accretion disk. The line profiles in the low-Eddington-ratio regime show a double-peak profile, which will become a single peak at high Eddington ratios. The high metallicity of Z ≳ 5 Z _⊙ is required to reproduce the observational anticorrelation between the peak separation of broad lines and the Eddington ratio for a sample of AGNs. For the broad lines in variable AGNs, it will take several years to several decades to change their line profile if the disk luminosity suffers strong variation in a much shorter timescale. More monitoring of the broad line and continuum in strongly variable AGNs can shed special light on BLR physics.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ada271Supermassive black holesActive galactic nucleiQuasarsAccretion |
| spellingShingle | Jiancheng Wu Qingwen Wu Kai-Xing Lu Xinwu Cao Xiangli Lei Mengye Wang Xiao Fan Exploring Variation of Double-peak Broad-line Profile in Strongly Variable AGNs The Astrophysical Journal Supermassive black holes Active galactic nuclei Quasars Accretion |
| title | Exploring Variation of Double-peak Broad-line Profile in Strongly Variable AGNs |
| title_full | Exploring Variation of Double-peak Broad-line Profile in Strongly Variable AGNs |
| title_fullStr | Exploring Variation of Double-peak Broad-line Profile in Strongly Variable AGNs |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring Variation of Double-peak Broad-line Profile in Strongly Variable AGNs |
| title_short | Exploring Variation of Double-peak Broad-line Profile in Strongly Variable AGNs |
| title_sort | exploring variation of double peak broad line profile in strongly variable agns |
| topic | Supermassive black holes Active galactic nuclei Quasars Accretion |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ada271 |
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