Steps toward determination of the size and structure of the broad-line region in active galactic nuclei. IV - Intensity variations of the optical emission lines of NGC 5548

Wills, D.; Wills, B. J.; Wilkes, B. J.; Wagner, R. M.; Veilleux, S.; Thiele, U.; Sun, W.-H.; Smith, P. S.; Smith, H. A.; Shields, J. C.; Shapovalova, A. I.; Rosenblatt, E. I.; Richmond, M. W.; Pogge, R. W.; Perez, E.; Penston, M. V.; Penfold, J.; Malkan, M. A.; Mendes de Oliveira, C.; Netzer, H.; Laor, A.; MacAlpine, G. M.; Koratkar, A. P.; Korista, K. T.; Lame, N. J.; Huchra, J. P.; Hutchings, J. B.; Filippenko, A. V.; Gaskell, C. M.; Elvis, M.; Carone, T. E.; Boroson, T. A.; Dietrich, M.; Kollatschny, W.; Peterson, B. M.; Bechtold, J.; Bertram, R.; Bochkarev, N. G.
Bibliographical reference

Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 408, no. 2, p. 416-427.

Advertised on:
5
1993
Number of authors
38
IAC number of authors
1
Citations
95
Refereed citations
83
Description
Measurements of optical emission-line flux variations based on spectra of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 5548 obtained between December 1988 and October 1989 are reported. All of the measured optical emission lines, H-alpha, H-beta, H-gamma, He I 5876, and He II 4686, exhibit the same qualitative behavior as the UV and optical continua, but with short time delays, or lags, which are different for the various lines. Cross-correlation analysis is applied to measure the lags between the various lines and the continuum. Similar lags are found with respect to the UV continuum for H-alpha and H-beta, 17 and 19 d, respectively. The lag for H-gamma is shorter (13 d), only somewhat larger than the lag measured for Ly-alpha (about 10 d). The helium lines respond to continuum variations more rapidly than the hydrogen lines, with lags of about 7 d for He II 4686 and 11 d for He I 5876.