Broad line regions behind haze: Intrinsic shape of Br$\gamma$ line and its origin in a type-1 Seyfert galaxy

Abstract

The broad-line region (BLR) of active galactic nuclei (AGN) is an essential component, yet its small size keeps its origin, structure, and kinematics uncertain. Infrared interferometry with VLTI/GRAVITY is now resolving BLR-scale emission, with data for NGC 3783 consistent with a rotating, geometrically thick configuration. However, the processes shaping the spectra remain poorly constrained, and the cloud models are tuned phenomenologically rather than derived from first-principles predictions. We address this by coupling three-dimensional radiation-hydrodynamic (RHD) simulations of gas around a supermassive black hole with radiative-transfer calculations using Cloudy, comparing the results to the SINFONI Br$\gamma$ profile of NGC 3783. We find that Br$\gamma$ arises from ionized gas in the surface of the rotating thin disk, with electron temperatures of approximately $T_e\approx 10^4$ K and number densities of $n_e\approx 10^8-10^{11}$ cm${}^{-3}$. However, the intrinsic line profile produced by the RHD kinematics is narrower than observed and displays substructure. An approximate treatment of the electron scattering suggests that scattering in surrounding diffuse ionized gas significantly broadens and smooths the intrinsic Br$\gamma$ profile, making it consistent with the observed profile. This scattering medium has an electron temperature of $10^4-10^5$ K, and a number density of $n\lesssim 10^8$ cm${}^{-3}$. Although a best-fit viewing angle of $\approx 15$ deg is suggested, the scattered line is notably less sensitive to inclination than the intrinsic line. The observed BLR profiles may be understood as the intrinsic emission viewed through an electron-scattering haze, such that some spectral detail is plausibly redistributed rather than seen directly.

Astrophysical Journal 998, 60 (2006)

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