HST-COS OBSERVATIONS OF AGNs. I. ULTRAVIOLET COMPOSITE SPECTRA OF THE IONIZING CONTINUUM AND EMISSION LINES
The ionizing fluxes from quasars and other active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are critical for interpreting the emission-line spectra of AGNs and for photoionization and heating of the intergalactic medium. Using ultraviolet spectra from the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), we have directly measured the rest-frame ionizing continua and emission lines for 22 AGNs. Over the redshift range 0.026 < z < 1.44, COS samples the Lyman continuum and many far-UV emission lines (Ly{alpha} {lambda}1216, C IV {lambda}1549, Si IV/O IV] {lambda}1400, N V {lambda}1240, O VI {lambda}1035). Strong EUV emission lines with 14-22 eV excitation energies (Ne VIII {lambda}{lambda}770, 780, Ne V {lambda}569, O II {lambda}834, O III {lambda}833, {lambda}702, O IV {lambda}788, 608, 554, O V {lambda}630, N III {lambda}685) suggest the presence of hot gas in the broad emission-line region. The rest-frame continuum, F{sub {nu}}{proportional_to}{nu}{sup {alpha}{sub {nu}}}, shows a break at wavelengths {lambda} < 1000 A, with spectral index {alpha}{sub {nu}} = -0.68 {+-} 0.14 in the FUV (1200-2000 A) steepening to {alpha}{sub {nu}} = -1.41 {+-} 0.21 in the EUV (500-1000 A). The COS EUV index is similar to that of radio-quiet AGNs in the 2002 HST/FOS survey ({alpha}{sub {nu}} = -1.57 {+-} 0.17). We see no Lyman edge ({tau}{sub HI} < 0.03) or He I {lambda}584 emission in the AGN composite. Our 22 AGNs exhibit a substantial range of FUV/EUV spectral indices and a correlation with AGN luminosity and redshift, likely due to observing below the 1000 A spectral break.
- OSTI ID:
- 22036987
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 752, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
ULTRAVIOLET EMISSION-LINE CORRELATIONS IN HST/COS SPECTRA OF ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI: SINGLE-EPOCH BLACK HOLE MASSES
UNCOVERING THE SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTION IN ACTIVE GALAXIES USING HIGH-IONIZATION MID-INFRARED EMISSION LINES