Direct observation evidence for the origin of broad emission lines in quasars: Understanding emission via absorption

Abstract

This year marks the 60^th anniversary of quasar discovery in 1963. The kinematics of gaseous clouds in quasars have been the subject of decades-long debate, focusing on two modelsrotation and blowing-wind. The rotation model, wherein gaseous clouds orbit black holes, is widely accepted by astronomers and frequently used to measure supermassive black hole (SMBH) masses in quasars. Another model is blowing-wind model, in which the gaseous clouds are outflows and in linear motion toward all directions. Our study creatively employs the quasar absorption line technique, utilizing atomic hydrogen Balmer absorption lines for identification, especially during eclipses of inner emitting clouds. The ambiguous presence of hydrogen Balmer absorption lines hints at massive eclipse clouds near central black holes, but detection is hindered by obscuration from dusty tori outside the broad emission line-producing region. We conduct an intensive survey among million quasars in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and acquire a small sample of quasars with hydrogen Balmer absorptions on their spectra. Three quasars exhibit significant variabilities over a decade, contradicting the blowing-wind model, which predicts constant motion along the line of sight with no absorption variabilities. The discovery servers as the direct observation evidence for the rotation model of broad emission lines in quasars. Rotation velocities of eclipse clouds, consistent with expected velocities of emission line clouds, confirm homology between absorption and emission clouds.