Submitting Campus
Daytona Beach
Department
Physical Sciences
Document Type
Article
Publication/Presentation Date
4-1998
Abstract/Description
Results of a ground-based optical monitoring campaign on 3C 390.3 in 1994-1995 are presented. The broadband fluxes (B, V, R, and I), the spectrophotometric optical continuum flux and the Fλ(5177 Å),integrated emission-line fluxes of Hᵪ Hβ, Hᵧ, He I λ5876 and He II λ4686 all show a nearly monotonic increase with episodes of milder short-term variations superposed. The amplitude of the continuum variations increases with decreasing wavelength (4400-9000 Å). The optical continuum variations follow the variations in the ultraviolet and X-ray with time delays, measured from the centroids of the cross-correlation functions, typically around 5 days, but with uncertainties also typically around 5 days; zero time delay between the high-energy and low-energy continuum variations cannot be ruled out. The strong optical emission lines Hᵪ Hβ, Hᵧ, He I λ5876 respond to the high-energy continuum variations with time delays typically about 20 days, with uncertainties of about 8 days. There is some evidence that He II λ4686 responds somewhat more rapidly, with a time delay of around 10 days, but again, the uncertainties are quite large (~8 days). The mean and rms spectra of the Hᵪ and Hβ line profiles provide indications for the existence of at least three distinct components located at ±4000 and 0 km s-1 relative to the line peak. The emission-line profle variations are largest near line center.
Publication Title
The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1086/306464
Publisher
IOP Publishing
Grant or Award Name
NSF grants AST 94-20080, AST 93-20715, AST 94-17213, NASA grant NAGW-4397, Russian Basic Research Foundation grants N94-02-4885a, N97-02-17625, ESO C&EE grant A-01-057, NSF REU grant AST 94-23922
Scholarly Commons Citation
Dietrich, M., Oswalt, T. D., Peterson, B. M., Albrecht, P., Altmann, M., & al., e. (1998). Steps Toward Determination of the Size and Structure of the Broad-Line Region in Active Galactic Nuclei. XII. Ground-Based Monitoring of 3C 390.3. The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 509(1). https://doi.org/10.1086/306464
Additional Information
Dr. Oswalt was not affiliated with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University at the time this paper was published.