The relationship between [OIII]5007A equivalent width and obscuration in AGN

TL;DR

This study investigates how the equivalent width of the [OIII]5007A emission line in AGN correlates with obscuration, revealing that both intrinsic properties and absorption effects shape the observed EW distribution across different AGN types.

Contribution

The paper introduces a combined spectral analysis and numerical modeling approach to explain the EW distribution in AGN, highlighting the role of absorption and intrinsic variability.

Findings

Large EW range explained by intrinsic spread and absorption effects

Absorption significantly impacts EW in type 1 AGN

Model reproduces observed EW distributions in X-ray and optical samples

Abstract

In this paper we study the relationship between the equivalent width (EW) of the [OIII]5007A narrow emission line in AGN and the level of obscuration. To this end, we combine the results of a systematic spectral analysis, both in the optical and in the X-rays, on a statistically complete sample of ~170 X-ray selected AGN from the XMM-Newton Bright Serendipitous Source sample (XBS). We find that the observed large range of [OIII]5007A equivalent widths observed in the sample (from a few A up to 500A) is well explained as a combination of an intrinsic spread, probably due to the large range of covering factors of the Narrow Line Region, and the effect of absorption. The intrinsic spread is dominant for EW below 40-50A while absorption brings the values of EW up to ~100-150A, for moderate levels of absorption (AV~0.5-2 mag) or up to ~500A for AV>2 mag. In this picture, the absorption has a significant impact on the observed EW also in type~1 AGN. Using numerical simulations we find that this model is able to reproduce the [OIII]5007A EW distribution observed in the XBS sample and correctly predicts the shape of the EW distribution observed in the optically selected sample of QSO taken from the SDSS survey.