CIV Emission as a Probe of Accretion Disk Winds

TL;DR

This paper proposes a two-component model for the broad emission line region in quasars, involving a disk and wind, to better understand quasar outflows and estimate black hole properties.

Contribution

It introduces a novel two-component BELR model with luminosity-dependent component strengths supported by spectral analysis.

Findings

Support for a disk and wind BELR model from spectral data

Implications for quasar outflow understanding

Refined estimates of black hole masses and accretion rates

Abstract

We present a brief description of a model for the broad emission line region (BELR) in quasars, which is supported by analysis of CIV and other emission lines in the spectra of high-z SDSS quasars. Specifically we consider a two-component BELR with a disk and wind where the relative strength of each component is a function of luminosity. The implications of such a model for our understanding of quasar outflows and estimates of their black hole masses and accretion rates are discussed.