Probing spectral properties of radio-quiet quasars searched for optical microvariability
Hum Chand (1), Paul J. Wiita (2,3), Alok C. Gupta (1)((1) ARIES,, Nainital, India; (2) GSU, Atlanta, USA; (3) School of Natural Sciences,, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, USA)
TL;DR
This study investigates the spectral properties of radio-quiet quasars that exhibit optical microvariability, analyzing emission lines to understand their black hole characteristics and testing the jet hypothesis.
Contribution
It provides the first detailed spectral analysis linking emission line features to microvariability in radio-quiet quasars, challenging the jet-related variability hypothesis.
Findings
Line widths used to estimate black hole masses and Eddington ratios.
No evidence supporting weak jets as the cause of microvariability.
Inverse correlation between emission line equivalent widths and Eddington ratios.
Abstract
We obtained SDSS spectra for a set of 37 radio-quiet quasars (RQQSOs) that had been previously examined for rapid small scale optical variations, or microvariability. Their H-beta and Mg II emission lines were carefully fit to determine line widths (FWHM) as well as equivalent widths (EW) due to the broad emission line components. The line widths were used to estimate black hole masses and Eddington ratios, ell. Both EW and FWHM are anticorrelated with ell. The EW distributions provide no evidence for the hypothesis that a weak jet component in the RQQSOs is responsible for their microvariability.
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