paper

Accretion Disc Structure and Orientation in the Lensed and Microlensed Q0957+561 Quasar

arXiv:astro-ph/0504396 · doi:10.1086/427965

Abstract

Because quasars are unresolved in optical imaging, their structures must presently be inferred. Gravitational microlensing offers the possibility to produce information about the luminous structure provided the Einstein ring diameter of the microlensing particle is comparable to or smaller than the radiating quasar components. The long brightness history measured for the Q0957 quasar has been analyzed previously for information about the microlensing particles, and evidence for the existence of a cosmologically significant population of planetary mass particles has been reported. The microlensing results have also directly determined the sizes of the ultraviolet light emitting surfaces in the quasar Autocorrelation analysis of the same brightness record has produced evidence for complex structure in the quasar; if the quasar suddenly brightens today, it is probable that it will brighten again after 129, 190, 540, and 620 days. We interpret these lags as the result of luminous structure around the quasar, and in particular we interpret them in the context of the Elvis (2000) model of the quasar's structure. We find that the autocorrelation peaks imply that beyond the luminous inner edge of the accretion disc, the biconic structures of the Elvis model must lie at a radial distance of 2x10^17 cm from the black hole, and 2x10^16 cm above and below the plane of the accretion disc. The quasar is apparently inclined 55 degrees to the line of sight. A second possible solution with lower inclination and larger structure is also indicated but statistically less probable.

15 pages, 2 postscript illustrations

Cited by in corpus (12)