Evidence for a supermassive black hole in the nucleus of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 5548
- Computer Sciences Corp., Lanham, MD (USA)
The international campaign to monitor the variable Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548 with the IUE has provided an extensive and well-sampled set of spectroscopic observations. These observations are used to study the response of the C IV 1550 A emission-line profile to changes in the photoionizing continuum. Near the end of the IUE campaign, the continuum flux at 1440 A and the total C IV flux dopped by factors of 2.9 and 1.8, respectively, in 16 days. The red wing of the C IV profile responded more rapidly to the sharp continuum drop than the blue wing, indicating that clouds in the inner broad-line region (BLR) are undergoing gravitational infall. These results provide direct evidence that the central engine is a supermassive object, presumably a black hole, with a mass on the order of 10 to the 7th solar masses. Analysis of the profile variations also demonstrates that excess emission in the blue wing of C IV is from a component that is physically distinct from the bulk of the BLR. 16 refs.
- OSTI ID:
- 6478769
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal; (USA), Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal; (USA) Vol. 358; ISSN ASJOA; ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BLACK HOLES
CARBON
DETECTION
DISTRIBUTION
ELEMENTS
EMISSION SPECTRA
GALAXIES
GALAXY NUCLEI
GRAVITATIONAL COLLAPSE
MASS DISTRIBUTION
NONMETALS
SEYFERT GALAXIES
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
SPECTRA
STARS
SUPERMASSIVE STARS
VARIATIONS