Abstract

We fitted Spitzer/IRS ~ 2-35 μm spectra of 26 luminous quasi-stellar objects in an attempt to define the main emission components. Our model has three major components: a clumpy torus, dusty narrow-line region (NLR) clouds, and a blackbody-like dust. The models utilize the clumpy torus of Nenkova et al. and are the first to allow its consistent check in type-I active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Single torus models and combined torus-NLR models fail to fit the spectra of most sources, but three-component models adequately fit the spectra of all sources. We present torus inclination, cloud distribution, covering factor, and torus mass for all sources and compare them with bolometric luminosity, black hole mass, and accretion rate. The torus mass is found to be correlated with the bolometric luminosity of the sources. Torus-covering factor may also be (anti-)correlated, if some possibly anomalous points are omitted. We find that a substantial amount of the ~2-7 μm radiation originates from a hot dust component, which is likely situated in the innermost part of the torus. The luminosity radiated by this component and its covering factor are comparable to those of the torus. We quantify the emission by the NLR clouds and estimate their distance from the center. The distances are ~700 times larger than the dust sublimation radius, and the NLR-covering factor is about 0.07. The total covering factor by all components is in good agreement with the known AGN type-I:type-II ratio.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-1-2009

Notes/Citation Information

Published in The Astrophysical Journal, v. 705, no. 1, p. 298-313.

© 2009. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.

The copyright holder has granted permission for posting the article here.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/705/1/298

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