Observations and interpretation of the permitted emission line spectra of quasi-stellar objects

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:5332746

Puetter, R C

Combined optical and infrared spectrophotometry of the emission line spectra of 14 QSOs are presented. These observations allow the determination of the hydrogen L..cap alpha../Balmer line ratios in high redshift objects and the P..cap alpha../Balmer line ratios in low redshift objects. An attempt is made to synthesize the intrinsic hydrogen line spectrum of QSOs. The resulting spectrum is inconsistent with optically thin recombination models reddened by dust but agrees qualitatively with recent optically thick radiative transfer calculations (one of which is presented here) with T/sub e/ greater than or equal to 1.5 x 10/sup 4/K in the line emitting region and with perhaps a small amount of reddening (E(B-V) less than or equal to 0.2). Much of the observed continuum structure between 2000 A and 4000 A can be attributed to optically thin Balmer continuum emission from a region with T/sub e/ less than or equal to 10/sup 4/K plus blended optically thick FeII transitions. Since previous published permitted line formation models for QSOs were unable to produce adequate agreement with the observed emission line spectra, a more detailed formalism was developed. The present work describes a formalism for the solution of the frequency-integrated radiative transfer equation and the atomic steady state equation appropriate to an externally-irradiated, semi-infinite medium. The source functions are cast into equivalent two level forms, and the equations linking the emergent flux, the line center source function, the flux divergence coefficient, rho, and the atomic steady state equation are given.

• Research Organization: California Univ., San Diego, La Jolla (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5332746
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640103* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Quasi-Stellar
Radio
& X-Ray Sources-- (-1987)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BALMER LINES
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CONDENSATES
COSMIC DUST
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
DATA
DUSTS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
EMISSION SPECTRA
ENERGY TRANSFER
EQUATIONS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
INFORMATION
INFRARED RADIATION
NUMERICAL DATA
PASCHEN LINES
QUASARS
RADIATIONS
RED SHIFT
SPECTRA
SPECTROPHOTOMETRY
ULTRAHIGH TEMPERATURE
VISIBLE RADIATION