BROAD Ly{alpha} EMISSION FROM THREE NEARBY BL LACERTAE OBJECTS

Journal Article · Tue May 10 04:00:00 EDT 2011 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/732/2/113· OSTI ID:21576857

Stocke, John T; Danforth, Charles W ^[1]

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1. CASA, Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado, 389-UCB, Boulder, CO 80309 (United States)

We present far-UV HST/COS spectra of four nearby BL Lac objects. BL Lac spectra are dominated by a smooth, power-law continuum which arises in a relativistic jet. However, the spectra are not necessarily featureless; weak, broad- and/or narrow-line emission is sometimes seen in high-quality optical spectra. We present detections of Ly{alpha} emission in HST/COS spectra of Mrk 421 (z = 0.030) and PKS 2005-489 (z = 0.071) as well as an archival HST/GHRS observation of Mrk 501 (z = 0.0337). Archival HST/STIS observations of PKS 2155-304 (z = 0.116) show no Ly{alpha} emission to a very low upper limit. Using the assumption that the broad-line region (BLR) clouds are symmetrically placed around the active galactic nucleus (AGN), we use these measured Ly{alpha} emission features to constrain either the relativistic {Gamma} values for the ionizing continuum produced by the jet (in the ionization-bounded case) or the mass of warm gas (in the density-bounded case). While realistic {Gamma} values can be obtained for all four cases, the values for Mrk 421 and PKS 2155-304 are high enough to suggest that covering factors of BLR clouds of {approx}1%-2% might be required to provide consistency with earlier values of Doppler boosting and viewing angles suggested for this class of BL Lacs. This discrepancy also exists in the case of M 87, where the amount of Doppler boosting in our direction is expected to be minimal, again suggestive of a small covering factor of BLR clouds. If, as these small covering factors might suggest, the assumptions of a density-bounded model could be more correct, then the observed Ly{alpha} luminosities require that BL Lac/FR 1 nuclei possess very little warm gas (10{sup -4} to 10{sup -5} M{sub sun}) as suggested by Guilbert et al. If these clouds are in pressure balance with a hotter ({approx}10{sup 6} K) gas, the BLR contains too little mass to power the AGN by accretion alone.

• OSTI ID: 21576857
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 732; ISSN ASJOAB; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
BL LACERTAE OBJECTS
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
EMISSION
GALAXY NUCLEI
LYMAN LINES