Comparison of The UV and Optical Fe II Emission in Type 1 AGNs

TL;DR

This study compares UV and optical Fe II emission in 223 Type 1 AGNs, revealing correlations and differences in line widths and shifts that inform the structure and kinematics of the broad line region.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the kinematic properties of UV and optical Fe II emission lines, highlighting their similarities and differences across AGNs with varying line widths.

Findings

Strong correlation between UV and optical Fe II line widths.

Different trends in line widths depending on Fe II width category.

Evidence of inflow and complex gas kinematics in the broad line region.

Abstract

We present the kinematical properties of the UV and optical \FeII\ emission gas based on the velocity shift and line width measurements of a sample of 223 Type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at 0.4 $<$ z $<$ 0.8. We find a strong correlation between the line widths of the UV and optical \FeII\ emission lines, indicating that both \FeII\ emission features arise from similar distances in the broad line region (BLR). However, in detail we find differing trends, depending on the width of \FeII. While the velocity shifts and dispersions of the UV Fe II (\FeUV) and optical Fe II (\FeOPT) emission lines are comparable to each other for AGNs with relatively narrow \FeOPT\ line widths (i.e., FWHM < 3200 \kms; Group A), \FeOPT\ is broader than \FeUV\ for AGNs with relatively broad \FeOPT\ (i.e., FWHM > 3200 \kms; Group B). \FeII\ emission lines are on average narrower than \Hb\ and \MgII\ for Group A, indicating the \FeII\ emission region is further out in the BLR, while for Group B AGNs \FeOPT\ is comparable to \Hb\ and broader than \MgII. While \FeII\ emission lines are on average redshifted ($40\pm141$ \kms\ and $182\pm95$, respectively for \FeUV\ and \FeOPT), indicating inflow, the sample as a whole shows a large range of velocity shifts, suggesting complex nature of gas kinematics.