Archived
This content is available here strictly for research, reference, and/or recordkeeping and as such it may not be fully accessible. If you work or study at University of Kentucky and would like to request an accessible version, please use the SensusAccess Document Converter.
Abstract
In this paper, we show that if the broad-line region clouds are in approximate energy equipartition between the magnetic field and gravity, as hypothesized by Rees, there will be a significant effect on the shape and smoothness of broad emission-line profiles in active galactic nuclei. Linewidths of contributing clouds or flow elements are much wider than their thermal widths, because of the presence of non-dissipative magnetohydrodynamic waves and their collective contribution produce emission-line profiles broader and smoother than would be expected if a magnetic field were not present. As an illustration, a simple model of isotropically emitting clouds, normally distributed in velocity, is used to show that smoothness can be achieved for less than ∼8×104 clouds and may even be as low as a few hundred. We conclude that magnetic confinement has far-reaching consequences for observing and modelling active galactic nuclei.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2000
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-8711.2000.03465.x
Repository Citation
Bottorff, M. C. and Ferland, Gary J., "Magnetic Confinement, Magnetohydrodynamic Waves and Smooth Line Profiles in Active Galactic Nuclei" (2000). Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications. 49.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/physastron_facpub/49
Notes/Citation Information
Published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, v. 316, issue 1, p. 103-106.
This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ©: 2000 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
The copyright holder has granted the permission for posting the article here.