On the nature of the Broad Line Region clouds

This note draws attention to the possibility that the Broad Line Region (BLR) clouds in quasars and active galactic nuclei may be irradiated stellar chromospheres. Arguments in favour include (i) that stars are known to exist, (ii) that the same line spectrum is seen as in symbiotic stars, (iii) tha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 1988-08, Vol.233 (3), p.601-609
Main Author: Penston, M. V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astronomy
Astrophysics
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Quasars
Quasars. Active or peculiar galaxies, objects, and systems
Stellar systems. Galactic and extragalactic objects and systems. The universe
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Summary:This note draws attention to the possibility that the Broad Line Region (BLR) clouds in quasars and active galactic nuclei may be irradiated stellar chromospheres. Arguments in favour include (i) that stars are known to exist, (ii) that the same line spectrum is seen as in symbiotic stars, (iii) that a medium to confine the BLR clouds is then unnecessary and (iv) that the general form of the line profiles can be explained. The biggest difficulty with this picture is the inefficient use of mass since most of the stellar mass does not fall in the emission line region. To avoid excessive stellar collision rates, mass requirements and stellar continuum luminosity, the irradiated stars should be dwarfs which have ‘bloated’ in response to the radiation field rather than normal giants.
ISSN:0035-8711
1365-2966
DOI:10.1093/mnras/233.3.601