Balmer Continuum Research Articles

Various Features of the X-class White-light Flares in Super Active Region NOAA 13664

Super active region NOAA 13664 produced 12 X-class flares (including the largest one so far, an occulted X8.7 flare, in solar cycle 25) during 2024 May 8–15, and 11 of them are identified as white-light flares. Here we present various features of these X-class white-light flares observed by the White-light Solar Telescope (WST) on board the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory. It is found that both the white-light emissions at WST 3600 Å (Balmer continuum) and HMI 6173 Å (Paschen continuum) show up in different regions of the sunspot group in these flares, including outside the sunspots and within the penumbra and umbra of the sunspots. They exhibit a point-, ribbon-, loop-, or ejecta-like shape, which can come from flare ribbons (or footpoints), flare loops, and plasma ejecta depending on the perspective view. The white-light duration and relative enhancement are measured and both parameters for 3600 Å emission have greater values than those for 6173 Å emission. It is also found that these white-light emissions are cospatial well with the hard X-ray (HXR) sources in the on-disk flares but have some offsets with the HXR emissions in the off-limb flares. In addition, it is interesting that the 3600 and 6173 Å emissions show different correlations with the peak HXR fluxes, with the former one more sensitive to the HXR emission. All these greatly help us understand the white-light flares of a large magnitude from a super active region on the Sun and also provide important insights into superflares on Sun-like stars.

Continuum and line emission from accretion shocks at T tauri stars – I. Correlations with shock parameters

ABSTRACT Fourteen models are calculated with the shock velocity ranging from 200 to 330 km s$^{-1}$ and pre-shock hydrogen nucleon density ranging from $2.5\times 10^{12}$ to $4\times 10^{13}$ cm$^{-3}$. Among them the summed emergent flux of all spectral lines accounts for about 0.1–0.3 of the total veiling flux. The hydrogen Balmer continuum accounts for 0.17–0.1, while a nearly constant fraction close to 0.5 comes from emission produced by the stellar atmosphere. The main results derived from the veiling continuum energy distributions are two strong correlations: (1) the Balmer jump (BJ) increases as FK, the shock kinetic energy flux, decreases; and (2) at a fixed fraction of surface coverage by accretion shocks $r_{\lambda }$, the ratio of veiling to photospheric continuum flux at wavelength λ decreases as FK decreases. Using the BJ–FK and $r_{4500\,\mathring{\rm A}}$–FK relations, the observed excess continua of 10 T Tauri stars are modelled. For BP Tau and 3 Orion stars our accretion luminosities are higher than published values by a factor of a few. For the six Chamaeleon I stars, our observed accretion luminosities are about 27–78 per cent higher than corresponding published values. Comparison of model results on the He i λ5876 Å flux with observed data indicates that, while those stars with dominant λ5876 Å narrow components can be readily accounted for by the calculated models, those with much stronger broad components cannot, and suggests that for the latter objects the bulk of their excess continua at 5876 Å do not originate from accretion shocks.

Evidence for an Outer Component in the Continuum Reverberation Mapping of Active Galactic Nuclei

Continuum reverberation mapping is widely used in studying the accretion disks of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Some indirect evidence and simulations have indicated that the diffuse continuum, especially the strong Balmer continuum from the broad-line region, may contribute to the continuum in the u/U band. Here, we present direct evidence for this contribution. In this work, we apply the ICCF-Cut method to continuum reverberation mapping to extract the possible diffuse continuum light curves of six AGNs, using high-cadence, high-quality, and multiband observations. We find the existence of an outer component out of the accretion disk for each of the six AGNs in the Swift U band. Meanwhile, similar results can be derived with the JAVELIN Photometric Reverberation Mapping Model for four of them. The lags of the outer components are consistent with the predicted Balmer continuum lags, which are about half of the Hβ lag values. Our result directly reinforces the understanding that an outer component, especially the Balmer continuum in the rest-frame u/U band, can contribute significantly to the continuum reverberation lags of AGNs.

The White-light Emissions in Two X-class Flares Observed by ASO-S and CHASE

The white-light continuum emissions in solar flares (i.e., white-light flares) are usually observed on the solar disk but, in a few cases, off the limb. Here we present on-disk as well as off-limb continuum emissions at 3600 Å (in the Balmer continuum) in an X2.1 flare (SOL2023-03-03T17:52) and an X1.5 flare (SOL2023-08-07T20:46), respectively, observed by the White-light Solar Telescope on the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory. These continuum emissions are seen at the ribbons for the X2.1 flare and on loops during the X1.5 event, in which the latter also appears in the decay phase. These emissions also show up in the pseudocontinuum images at Fe i λ6173 from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on the Solar Dynamics Observatory. In addition, the ribbon sources in the X2.1 flare exhibit significant enhancements in the Fe i line at 6569.2 Å and the nearby continuum observed by the Chinese Hα Solar Explorer. It is found that the on-disk continuum emissions in the X2.1 flare are related to a nonthermal electron-beam heating either directly or indirectly, while the off-limb emissions in the X1.5 flare are associated with thermal plasma cooling or due to Thomson scattering. These comprehensive continuum observations provide good constraints on flare energy deposition models, which helps us to better understand the physical mechanism of white-light flares.

Far-ultraviolet Spectroscopy of Active Galactic Nuclei with ASTROSAT/UVIT

We study accretion disk emission from eight Seyfert 1–1.5 active galactic nuclei (AGN) using far-ultraviolet (FUV) (1300–1800 Å) slitless grating spectra acquired with AstroSat/UVIT. We correct for the Galactic and intrinsic extinction, contamination from the host galaxies, narrow and broad-line regions, Fe ii emission, and Balmer continuum, and derive the intrinsic continua. We use Hubble Space Telescope COS/FOS spectra to account for the emission/absorption lines in the low-resolution UVIT spectra. We find generally redder power-law (f ν ∝ ν α ) slopes (α ∼ −1.1 to 0.3) in the FUV band than predicted by the standard accretion disk model in the optical/UV band. We fit accretion disk models such as the multitemperature disk blackbody (DISKBB) and relativistic disk (ZKERRBB, OPTXAGNF) models to the observed intrinsic continuum emission. We measure the inner disk temperatures using the DISKBB model for seven AGN. These temperatures in the range ∼3.6–5.8 eV are lower than the peak temperatures predicted for standard disks around maximally spinning supermassive black holes accreting at Eddington rates. The inner disks in two AGN, NGC 7469, and Mrk 352, appear to be truncated at ∼35–125 and 50–135 r g , respectively. While our results show that the intrinsic FUV emission from the AGN is consistent with the standard disks, it is possible that UV continua may be affected by the presence of soft X-ray excess emission, X-ray reprocessing, and thermal Comptonization in the hot corona. Joint spectral modeling of simultaneously acquired UV/X-ray data may be necessary to further investigate the nature of accretion disks in AGN.

Detection of Paschenβabsorption in the atmosphere of KELT-9 b

Hydrogen and helium transmission signals trace the upper atmospheres of hot gas-giant exoplanets, where the incoming stellar extreme ultraviolet and X-ray fluxes are deposited. Further, for the hottest stars, the near-ultraviolet excitation of hydrogen in the Balmer continuum may play a dominant role in controlling the atmospheric temperature and driving photoevaporation. KELT-9 b is the archetypal example of such an environment as it is the hottest gas-giant exoplanet known to date (Teq ∼ 4500 K) and orbits an A0V-type star. Studies of the upper atmosphere and escaping gas of this ultra-hot Jupiter have targeted the absorption in the Balmer series of hydrogen (n1= 2 →n2> 2). Unfortunately, the lowermost metastable helium state that causes the triplet absorption at 1083 Å is not sufficiently populated for detection. This is due to the low extreme-ultraviolet and X-ray fluxes from the host star, and to its high near-ultraviolet flux, which depopulates this metastable state. Here, we present evidence of hydrogen absorption in the Paschen series in the transmission spectrum of KELT-9 b observed with the high-resolution spectrograph CARMENES. Specifically, we focus on the strongest line covered by its near-infrared channel, Paβat 12 821.6 Å (n1= 3 →n2= 5). The observed absorption shows a contrast of (0.53−0.13+0.12)%, a blueshift of −14.8−3.2+3.5km s−1, and a full width at half maximum of 31.9−8.3+11.8km s−1. The observed blueshift in the absorption feature could be explained by day-to-night circulation within the gravitationally bound atmosphere or, alternatively, by Paβabsorption originating in a tail of escaping gas moving toward the observer as a result of extreme atmospheric evaporation. This detection opens a new window for investigating the atmospheres of ultra-hot Jupiters, providing additional constraints of their temperature structure, mass-loss rates, and dynamics for future modeling of their scorching atmospheres.

Detection of Flare Multiperiodic Pulsations in Mid-ultraviolet Balmer Continuum, Lyα, Hard X-Ray, and Radio Emissions Simultaneously

Abstract Quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs), which usually appear as temporal pulsations of the total flux, are frequently detected in the light curves of solar/stellar flares. In this study, we present the investigation of nonstationary QPPs with multiple periods during the impulsive phase of a powerful flare on 2017 September 6, which were simultaneously measured by the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (Insight-HXMT), as well as the ground-based BLENSW. The multiple periods, detected by applying a wavelet transform and Lomb–Scargle periodogram to the detrended light curves, are found to be ∼20–55 s in the Lyα and mid-ultraviolet Balmer continuum emissions during the flare impulsive phase. Similar QPPs with multiple periods are also found in the hard X-ray emission and low-frequency radio emission. Our observations suggest that the flare QPPs could be related to nonthermal electrons accelerated by the repeated energy release process, i.e., triggering of repetitive magnetic reconnection, while the multiple periods might be modulated by the sausage oscillation of hot plasma loops. For the multiperiodic pulsations, other generation mechanisms could not be completely ruled out.

Balmer continuum enhancement detected in a mini flare observed with IRIS

Context. Optical and near-UV continuum emissions in flares contribute substantially to the flare energy budget. Two mechanisms play an important role for continuum emission in flares: hydrogen recombination after sudden ionization at chromospheric layers, and transportation of the energy radiatively from the chromosphere to lower layers in the atmosphere, the so-called back-warming. Aims. The aim of the paper is to distinguish between these two mechanisms for the excess of the Balmer continuum observed in a flare. Methods. We combined the observations of the Balmer continuum obtained with the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) (spectra and slit-jaw images (SJIs) 2832 Å) and hard X-ray (HXR) emission detected by the Fermi/Gamma Burst Monitor (GBM) during a mini flare. The calibrated Balmer continuum was compared to non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) radiative transfer flare models, and the radiated energy was estimated. Assuming thick target HXR emission, we calculated the energy of the nonthermal electrons detected by the Fermi/GBM and compared it to the radiated energy. Results. The favorable argument of a relation between the Balmer continuum excess and the HXR emission is that there is a good time coincidence between them. In addition, the shape of the maximum brightness in the 2832 SJIs, which is mainly due to this Balmer continuum excess, is similar to that of the Fermi/GBM light curve. The electron-beam flux estimated from Fermi/GBM between 109 and 1010 erg s−1 cm−2 is consistent with the beam flux required in non-LTE radiative transfer models to obtain the excess of Balmer continuum emission observed in this IRIS spectra. Conclusions. The low-energy input by nonthermal electrons above 20 keV is sufficient to produce the enhancement in the Balmer continuum emission. This could be explained by the topology of the reconnection site. The reconnection starts in a tiny bald-patch region, which is transformed dynamically into an X-point current sheet. The size of the interacting region would be below the spatial resolution of the instrument.

Lyman and Balmer Continuum Spectra for Hydrogen Atoms in Strong White Dwarf Magnetic Fields

Abstract We report calculations of photoionization cross sections for hydrogen atoms in white-dwarf magnetic fields. The calculations were implemented using the adiabatic-basis-expansion method and the coupled-channel theory, which are valid for low and high magnetic fields, respectively. The magnetic fields span over a typical white-dwarf strength regime from 23.5 to 2350 MG. Lyman and Balmer continuum spectra for bound–free transitions in magnetic white-dwarf stars are presented with various field strengths. The current results are compared with those from the complex-rotation method. Excellent agreement is shown in the energy region away from Landau thresholds, but the pronounced discrepancies are found in the small vicinity below Landau thresholds. The agreement shown illustrates the reliability of these two theoretical approaches used, while the discrepancies should be attributed to the limitation of the complex-rotation method. The photoionization cross sections presented here should be applicable to the analyses of continuum spectra and their polarization properties observed in the atmospheres of hydrogen-dominated magnetic white dwarfs.

Solar Chromospheric Temperature Diagnostics: A Joint ALMA-Hα Analysis

Abstract We present the first high-resolution, simultaneous observations of the solar chromosphere in the optical and millimeter wavelength ranges, obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) and the Interferometric Bidimensional Spectrometer at the Dunn Solar Telescope. In this paper we concentrate on the comparison between the brightness temperature observed in ALMA Band 3 (3 mm; 100 GHz) and the core width of the Hα 6563 Å line, previously identified as a possible diagnostic of the chromospheric temperature. We find that in the area of plage, network and fibrils covered by our field of view, the two diagnostics are well correlated, with similar spatial structures observed in both. The strength of the correlation is remarkable, given that the source function of the millimeter radiation obeys local thermodynamic equilibrium, while the Hα line has a source function that deviates significantly from the local Planck function. The observed range of ALMA brightness temperatures is sensibly smaller than the temperature range that was previously invoked to explain the observed width variations in Hα. We employ analysis from forward modeling with the Rybicki-Hummer (RH) code to argue that the strong correlation between Hα width and ALMA brightness temperature is caused by their shared dependence on the population number n 2 of the first excited level of hydrogen. This population number drives millimeter opacity through hydrogen ionization via the Balmer continuum, and Hα width through a curve-of-growth-like opacity effect. Ultimately, the n 2 population is regulated by the enhancement or lack of downward Lyα flux, which coherently shifts the formation height of both diagnostics to regions with different temperature, respectively.

Modeling of line and continuum spectral emission of hydrogen for recombining plasma conditions

Balmer line and continuum spectral emission of hydrogen are modeled for detached divertor plasmas (electron density, ne~1020-1021m−3 and electron temperature, Te~1 eV) of Tokamaks. The Stark broadened high-n lines are calculated considering electronic broadening using the impact approximation. Continuum emission is calculated using analytical equations for radiative recombination and bremsstrahlung. Discrete to continuum transition is modeled using a dissolution factor approach.

First Detection of Solar Flare Emission in Mid-ultraviolet Balmer Continuum

Abstract We present the first detection of solar flare emission at mid-ultraviolet wavelengths around 2000 Å by the channel 2 of the Large-Yield RAdiometer (LYRA) on board the PRoject for OnBoard Autonomy 2 mission. The flare (SOL20170906) was also observed in the channel 1 of LYRA centered at the H i Lyα line at 1216 Å, showing a clear non-thermal profile in both channels. The flare radiation in channel 2 is consistent with the hydrogen Balmer continuum emission produced by an optically thin chromospheric slab heated up to 10,000 K. Simultaneous observations in channels 1 and 2 allow the separation of the line emission (primarily from the Lyα line) from the Balmer continuum emission. Together with the recent detection of the Balmer continuum emission in the near-ultraviolet by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrometer, the LYRA observations strengthen the interpretation of broadband flare emission as the hydrogen recombination continua originating in the chromosphere.

AGN mass estimates in large spectroscopic surveys: the effect of host galaxy light

Virial–based methods for estimating active supermassive black hole masses are now commonly used on extremely large spectroscopic quasar catalogs. Most spectral analyses, though, do not pay enough attention to the detailed continuum decomposition. To understand how this affects virial mass estimates, we test the influence of host galaxy light on them, along with a Balmer continuum component. A detailed fit with the new spectroscopic analysis software QSFIT demonstrates that the presence or absence of continuum components does not significantly affect the virial-based results for our sample. Taking a host galaxy component into consideration or not, instead, affects the emission line fitting in a more pronounced way at lower redshifts, where in fact we observe dimmer quasars and more visible host galaxies.

X-ray/UV/optical variability of NGC 4593 with Swift: reprocessing of X-rays by an extended reprocessor

We report the results of intensive X-ray, UV, and optical monitoring of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4593 with Swift. There is no intrinsic flux-related spectral change in any variable component with small apparent variations being due to contamination by a constant hard (reflection) component in the X-rays and the red host galaxy in the UV/optical. Relative to the shortest wavelength band, UVW2, the lags of the other UV/optical bands mostly agree with the predictions of reprocessing of high energy emission by an accretion disc. The U-band lag is, however, larger than expected, probably because of reprocessed Balmer continuum emission from the distant broad line region (BLR). The UVW2 band is well correlated with the X-rays but lags by ∼6× more than expected if the UVW2 results only from reprocessing of X-rays by the disc. However, if the light curves are filtered to remove variations on time-scales >5 d, the lag approaches the expectation from disc reprocessing. memecho analysis shows that direct X-rays can be the driver of most of the UV/optical variations if the response functions have tails up to 10 d, from BLR reprocessing, together with strong peaks at short lag (<1 d) from disc reprocessing. For the 5 AGN monitored so far, the observed UVW2 to V-band lags are |$\rm{\, \stackrel{\lt }{_\sim }}2$| of disc reprocessing expectations and vary little between AGN. However, the X-ray to UVW2 lags greatly exceed disc reprocessing expectations and differ between AGN. The two most absorbed AGN have the largest excesses, so absorption and scattering may affect these lags, but there is no simple relationship between excess and absorption.

Consistent Iron Abundances Derived from Neutral and Singly Ionized Iron Lines in Ultraviolet and Optical Spectra of Six Warm Metal-poor Stars∗

Abstract Neutral Fe lines in metal-poor stars yield conflicting abundances depending on whether and how deviations from local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) are considered. We have collected new high-resolution and high signal-to-noise ultraviolet (UV) spectra of three warm dwarf stars with [Fe/H] ≈ −2.9 with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope. We locate archival UV spectra for three other warm dwarfs with [Fe/H] ≈ −3.3, −2.2, and −1.6, supplemented with optical spectra for all six stars. We calculate stellar parameters using methods that are largely independent of the spectra, adopting broadband photometry, color–temperature relations, Gaia parallaxes, and assumed masses. We use the LTE line analysis code MOOG to derive Fe abundances from hundreds of Fe i and Fe ii lines with wavelengths from 2290 to 6430 Å. The [Fe/H] ratios derived separately from Fe i and Fe ii lines agree in all six stars, with [Fe ii/H]–[Fe i/H] ranging from +0.00 ± 0.07 to −0.12 ± 0.09 dex, when strong lines and Fe i lines with lower excitation potential &lt;1.2 eV are excluded. This constrains the extent of any deviations from LTE that may occur within this parameter range. While our result confirms non-LTE calculations for some warm, metal-poor dwarfs, it may not be generalizable to more metal-poor dwarfs, where deviations from LTE are predicted to be larger. We also investigate trends of systematically lower abundances derived from Fe i lines in the Balmer continuum region (≈3100–3700 Å), and we conclude that no proposed explanation for this effect can fully account for the observations presently available.

HYDRO2GEN: Non-thermal hydrogen Balmer and Paschen emission in solar flares generated by electron beams

Aim.Sharp rises of hard X-ray (HXR) emission accompanied by Hαline profiles with strong red-shifts up to 4 Å from the central wavelength, often observed at the onset of flares with the Specola Solare Ticinese Telescope (STT) and the Swedish Solar Telescope (SST), are not fully explained by existing radiative models. Moreover, observations of white light (WL) and Balmer continuum emission with the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRISH) reveal strong co-temporal enhancements and are often nearly co-spatial with HXR emission. These effects indicate a fast effective source of excitation and ionisation of hydrogen atoms in flaring atmospheres associated with HXR emission. In this paper, we investigate electron beams as the agents accounting for the observed hydrogen line and continuum emission.Methods.Flaring atmospheres are considered to be produced by a 1D hydrodynamic response to the injection of an electron beam defining their kinetic temperatures, densities, and macro velocities. We simulated a radiative response in these atmospheres using a fully non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) approach for a 5-level plus continuum hydrogen atom model, considering its excitation and ionisation by spontaneous, external, and internal diffusive radiation and by inelastic collisions with thermal and beam electrons. Simultaneous steady-state and integral radiative transfer equations in all optically thick transitions (Lyman and Balmer series) were solved iteratively for all the transitions to define their source functions with the relative accuracy of 10−5. The solutions of the radiative transfer equations were found using the L2 approximation. Resulting intensities of hydrogen line and continuum emission were also calculated for Balmer and Paschen series.Results.We find that inelastic collisions with beam electrons strongly increase excitation and ionisation of hydrogen atoms from the chromosphere to photosphere. This leads to an increase in Lyman continuum radiation, which has high optical thickness, and after the beam is off it governs hydrogen ionisation and leads to the long lasting orders of magnitude enhancement of emission in Balmer and Paschen continua. The ratio of Balmer-to-other-continuum head intensities are found to be correlated with the initial flux of the beam. The height distribution of contribution functions for Paschen continuum emission indicate a close correlation with the observations of heights of WL and HXR emission reported for limb flares. This process also leads to a strong increase of wing emission (Stark’s wings) in Balmer and Paschen lines, which is superimposed on large red-shifted enhancements of Hα-Hγline emission resulting from a downward motion by hydrodynamic shocks. The simulated line profiles are shown to fit closely the observations for various flaring events.

The dusty aftermath of SN Hunt 248: merger-burst remnant?

SN Hun248 was classified as a nonterminal eruption (a SN "impostor") from a directly identified and highly variable cool hypergiant star. The 2014 outburst achieved peak luminosity equivalent to that of the historic eruption of luminous blue variable (LBV) Eta Car, and exhibited a multipeaked optical light curve that rapidly faded after ~100 days. We report ultraviolet (UV) through optical observations of SN Hunt248 with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) about 1 yr after the outburst, and mid-infrared observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope before the burst and in decline. The HST data reveal a source that is a factor of ~10 dimmer in apparent brightness than the faintest available measurement of the precursor star. The UV-optical spectral energy distribution (SED) requires a strong Balmer continuum, consistent with a hot B4-B5 photosphere attenuated by grey circumstellar extinction. Substantial mid-infrared excess of the source is consistent with thermal emission from hot dust with a mass of 10^{-6} - 10^{-5} MSun and a geometric extent that is comparable to the expansion radius of the ejecta from the 2014 event. SED modeling indicates that the dust consists of relatively large grains (>0.3 um), which could be related to the grey circumstellar extinction that we infer for the UV-optical counterpart. Revised analysis of the precursor photometry is also consistent with grey extinction by circumstellar dust, and suggests that the initial mass of the star could be twice as large as previously estimated (nearly ~60 MSun). Reanalysis of the earlier outburst data shows that the peak luminosity and outflow velocity of the eruption are consistent with a trend exhibited by stellar merger candidates, prompting speculation that SN Hunt248 may also have stemmed from a massive stellar merger or common-envelope ejection.

On the Nature of Off-limb Flare Continuum Sources Detected by SDO/HMI

Abstract The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory has provided unique observations of off-limb flare emission. White-light continuum enhancements were detected in the “continuum” channel of the Fe 6173 Å line during the impulsive phase of the observed flares. In this paper we aim to determine which radiation mechanism is responsible for such enhancement being seen above the limb, at chromospheric heights around or below 1000 km. Using a simple analytical approach, we compare two candidate mechanisms, the hydrogen recombination continuum (Paschen) and the Thomson continuum due to scattering of disk radiation on flare electrons. Both mechanisms depend on the electron density, which is typically enhanced during the impulsive phase of a flare as the result of collisional ionization (both thermal and also non-thermal due to electron beams). We conclude that for electron densities higher than 1012 cm−3, the Paschen recombination continuum significantly dominates the Thomson scattering continuum and there is some contribution from the hydrogen free–free emission. This is further supported by detailed radiation-hydrodynamical (RHD) simulations of the flare chromosphere heated by the electron beams. We use the RHD code FLARIX to compute the temporal evolution of the flare-heating in a semi-circular loop. The synthesized continuum structure above the limb resembles the off-limb flare structures detected by HMI, namely their height above the limb, as well as the radiation intensity. These results are consistent with recent findings related to hydrogen Balmer continuum enhancements, which were clearly detected in disk flares by the IRIS near-ultraviolet spectrometer.

QSFit: automatic analysis of optical AGN spectra

We present QSFit, a new software package to automatically perform the analysis of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) optical spectra. The software provides luminosity estimates for the AGN continuum, the Balmer continuum, both optical and UV iron blended complex, host galaxy and emission lines, as well as width, velocity offset and equivalent width of 20 emission lines. Improving on a number of previous studies on AGN spectral analysis, QSFit fits all the components simultaneously, using an AGN continuum model which extends over the entire available spectrum, and is thus a probe of the actual AGN continuum whose estimates are scarcely influenced by localized features (e.g. emission lines) in the spectrum. We used QSFit to analyze 71,251 optical spectra of Type 1 AGN at z < 2 (obtained by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, SDSS) and to produce a publicly available catalog of AGN spectral properties. Such catalog allowed us (for the first time) to estimate the AGN continuum slope and the Balmer continuum luminosity on a very large sample, and to show that there is no evident correlation between these quantities the redshift. All data in the catalog, the plots with best fitting model and residuals, and the IDL code we used to perform the analysis, are available on a dedicated website. The whole fitting process is customizable for specific needs, and can be extended to analyze spectra from other data sources. The ultimate purpose of QSFit is to allow astronomers to run standardized recipes to analyze the AGN data, in a simple, replicable and shareable way.

The 1600 Å Emission Bump in Protoplanetary Disks: A Spectral Signature of H2O Dissociation∗

Abstract The FUV continuum spectrum of many accreting pre-main sequence stars, Classical T Tauri Stars (CTTSs), does not continue smoothly from the well-studied Balmer continuum emission in the NUV, suggesting that additional processes contribute to the short-wavelength emission in these objects. The most notable spectral feature in the FUV continuum of some CTTSs is a broad emission approximately centered at 1600 Å, which has been referred to as the “1600 Å Bump.” The origin of this feature remains unclear. In an effort to better understand the molecular properties of planet-forming disks and the UV spectral properties of accreting protostars, we have assembled archival FUV spectra of 37 disk-hosting systems observed by the Hubble Space Telescope-Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. Clear 1600 Å Bump emission is observed above the smooth, underlying 1100–1800 Å continuum spectrum in 19/37 Classical T Tauri disks in the HST-COS sample, with the detection rate in transition disks (8/8) being much higher than that in primordial or non-transition sources (11/29). We describe a spectral deconvolution analysis to separate the Bump (spanning 1490–1690 Å) from the underlying FUV continuum, finding an average Bump luminosity L(Bump) ≈ 7 × 1029 erg s−1. Parameterizing the Bump with a combination of Gaussian and polynomial components, we find that the 1600 Å Bump is characterized by a peak wavelength λ o = 1598.6 ± 3.3 Å, with FWHM = 35.8 ± 19.1 Å. Contrary to previous studies, we find that this feature is inconsistent with models of H2 excited by electron -impact. We show that this Bump makes up between 5%–50% of the total FUV continuum emission in the 1490–1690 Å band and emits roughly 10%–80% of the total fluorescent H2 luminosity for stars with well-defined Bump features. Energetically, this suggests that the carrier of the 1600 Å Bump emission is powered by Lyα photons. We argue that the most likely mechanism is Lyα-driven dissociation of H2O in the inner disk, r ≲ 2 au. We demonstrate that non-thermally populated H2O fragments can qualitatively account for the observed emission (discrete and continuum) and find that the average Lyα-driven H2O dissociation rate is 1.7 × 1042 water molecules s−1.