Quasar H-beta profiles and discs

Jackson, N.; Perez, E.; Penston, M. V.
Bibliographical reference

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (ISSN 0035-8711), vol. 249, April 15, 1991, p. 577-583.

Advertised on:
4
1991
Number of authors
3
IAC number of authors
1
Citations
23
Refereed citations
21
Description
High signal-to-noise spectra of the H-beta region of eight radio-loud quasars are presented in an investigation seeking evidence for the emission of this line from a disk. Although the double-humped profile expected in simple versions of the disk hypothesis is not found, shoulders are found in the profile expected in a modified form of this idea. A model in which the radiation is scattered back from above the disk plane can reproduce the observed spectra, provided that the disk is sufficiently large. The paper discusses whether this model can explain why other H-beta profiles are shoulderless, and whether it is consistent with variability data.