Abstract
Detailed line profile variability studies of the narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 110 are presented. We obtained the spectra in a variability campaign carried out with the 9.2 m Hobby-Eberly Telescope at McDonald Observatory. The integrated Balmer and helium (He i, ii) emission lines are delayed by 3 to 33 light days to the optical continuum variations respectively. The outer wings of the line profiles respond much faster to continuum variations than the central regions. The comparison of the observed profile variations with model calculations of different velocity fields indicates an accretion disk structure of the broad line emitting region in Mrk 110. Comparing the velocity-delay maps of the different emission lines among each other a clear radial stratification in the BLR can be recognized. Furthermore, delays of the red line wings are slightly shorter than those of the blue wings. This indicates an accretion disk wind in the BLR of Mrk 110. We determine a central black hole mass of . Because of the poorly known inclination angle of the accretion disk this is a lower limit only.
Highlights
The central broad emission line region (BLR) in active galactic nuclei is unresolved
In this paper we present new velocity delay maps of several Balmer and helium emission lines in the spectrum of Mrk 110 to verify the accretion disk scenario in the BLR of this galaxy
We concentrated on integrated line intensity variations of the broad emission lines as well as on line profile variations in the Hβ line in our Papers I and II
Summary
The central broad emission line region (BLR) in active galactic nuclei is unresolved. A study of the variable ionizing continuum source and the delayed response of the broad emission lines provides indirect information about size and structure of the line emitting region and their internal kinematics. In this paper we present a detailed study of continuum and emission line profile variations in the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 110. Our goal is to determine the structure and kinematics of its broad-line region on the one hand and its central black hole mass on the other hand. The study of the kinematics in the central broad-line region of AGN requires the acquisition of high S /N spectra for analyzing in detail velocity resolved line profiles. A comparison of the evolution of line profiles with theoretical models (e.g. Welsh & Horne 1991) can give us information on the kinematics in the broadline region i.e. whether radial inflow or outflow motions, turbulent/chaotic velocity fields, or Keplerian orbits are dominant
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