_version_ 1866909519850766336
author Fang, Feng-Na
Du, Pu
Brotherton, Michael S.
McLane, Jacob N.
Zastrocky, T. E.
Olson, Kianna A.
Bao, Dong-Wei
Zhai, Shuo
Bai, Hua-Rui
Fu, Yi-Xin
Zhao, Bi-Xuan
Chen, Yong-Jie
Peng, Yue-Chang
Songsheng, Yu-Yang
Li, Yan-Rong
Hu, Chen
Xiao, Ming
Jiang, Bo-Wei
Wang, Yi-Lin
Zhang, Hao
Zhao, Yu
Feng, Jia-Qi
Zhao, Yi-Peng
Kasper, David H.
Chick, William T.
Nguyen, My L.
Maithil, Jaya
Kobulnicky, H. A.
Dale, D. A.
Hand, Derek
Adelman, C.
Carter, Z.
Murphree, A. M.
Oeur, M.
Schonsberg, S.
Roth, T.
Winkler, Hartmut
Marziani, Paola
D'Onofrio, Mauro
Horne, Keith
Ho, Luis C.
Bai, Jin-Ming
Wang, Jian-Min
author_facet Fang, Feng-Na
Du, Pu
Brotherton, Michael S.
McLane, Jacob N.
Zastrocky, T. E.
Olson, Kianna A.
Bao, Dong-Wei
Zhai, Shuo
Bai, Hua-Rui
Fu, Yi-Xin
Zhao, Bi-Xuan
Chen, Yong-Jie
Peng, Yue-Chang
Songsheng, Yu-Yang
Li, Yan-Rong
Hu, Chen
Xiao, Ming
Jiang, Bo-Wei
Wang, Yi-Lin
Zhang, Hao
Zhao, Yu
Feng, Jia-Qi
Zhao, Yi-Peng
Kasper, David H.
Chick, William T.
Nguyen, My L.
Maithil, Jaya
Kobulnicky, H. A.
Dale, D. A.
Hand, Derek
Adelman, C.
Carter, Z.
Murphree, A. M.
Oeur, M.
Schonsberg, S.
Roth, T.
Winkler, Hartmut
Marziani, Paola
D'Onofrio, Mauro
Horne, Keith
Ho, Luis C.
Bai, Jin-Ming
Wang, Jian-Min
contents The physical origins of the diverse emission-line asymmetries observed in the spectra of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) remain incompletely understood. Monitoring the temporal variations of line profiles offers a promising approach to investigating the underlying physics. In this study, we present an analysis of the broad H$β$ emission line profiles of eight AGNs observed from the end of 2016 to May 2023 as part of the reverberation mapping campaign titled "Monitoring AGNs with H$β$ Asymmetry" (MAHA), utilizing data obtained from the Wyoming Infrared Observatory (WIRO) 2.3-meter telescope. We measure the temporal variations of line asymmetry, width, and central velocity shift for the eight objects. Our findings reveal that the variation in asymmetry is positively correlated with H$β$ flux in five of the eight objects, while the remaining objects exhibit negative or complex correlations. Furthermore, we observe anti-correlations between line width and H$β$ flux for most objects, indicating the presence of the "breathing" phenomenon in their H$β$ emission lines. In contrast, two objects demonstrate an "anti-breathing" phenomenon or complex behavior. We discuss the physical origins of the temporal variations in line profiles and propose the possibility of decomposing the variations in H$β$ asymmetry and width into components: one that corresponds to short-term variations in H$β$ flux and another that reflects long-term variations in continuum light curves, perhaps driven by radiation pressure.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_00398
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Monitoring AGNs with H$β$ Asymmetry. V. Long-term Variation and Evolution of the Broad H$β$ Emission-Line Profiles
Fang, Feng-Na
Du, Pu
Brotherton, Michael S.
McLane, Jacob N.
Zastrocky, T. E.
Olson, Kianna A.
Bao, Dong-Wei
Zhai, Shuo
Bai, Hua-Rui
Fu, Yi-Xin
Zhao, Bi-Xuan
Chen, Yong-Jie
Peng, Yue-Chang
Songsheng, Yu-Yang
Li, Yan-Rong
Hu, Chen
Xiao, Ming
Jiang, Bo-Wei
Wang, Yi-Lin
Zhang, Hao
Zhao, Yu
Feng, Jia-Qi
Zhao, Yi-Peng
Kasper, David H.
Chick, William T.
Nguyen, My L.
Maithil, Jaya
Kobulnicky, H. A.
Dale, D. A.
Hand, Derek
Adelman, C.
Carter, Z.
Murphree, A. M.
Oeur, M.
Schonsberg, S.
Roth, T.
Winkler, Hartmut
Marziani, Paola
D'Onofrio, Mauro
Horne, Keith
Ho, Luis C.
Bai, Jin-Ming
Wang, Jian-Min
Astrophysics of Galaxies
The physical origins of the diverse emission-line asymmetries observed in the spectra of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) remain incompletely understood. Monitoring the temporal variations of line profiles offers a promising approach to investigating the underlying physics. In this study, we present an analysis of the broad H$β$ emission line profiles of eight AGNs observed from the end of 2016 to May 2023 as part of the reverberation mapping campaign titled "Monitoring AGNs with H$β$ Asymmetry" (MAHA), utilizing data obtained from the Wyoming Infrared Observatory (WIRO) 2.3-meter telescope. We measure the temporal variations of line asymmetry, width, and central velocity shift for the eight objects. Our findings reveal that the variation in asymmetry is positively correlated with H$β$ flux in five of the eight objects, while the remaining objects exhibit negative or complex correlations. Furthermore, we observe anti-correlations between line width and H$β$ flux for most objects, indicating the presence of the "breathing" phenomenon in their H$β$ emission lines. In contrast, two objects demonstrate an "anti-breathing" phenomenon or complex behavior. We discuss the physical origins of the temporal variations in line profiles and propose the possibility of decomposing the variations in H$β$ asymmetry and width into components: one that corresponds to short-term variations in H$β$ flux and another that reflects long-term variations in continuum light curves, perhaps driven by radiation pressure.
title Monitoring AGNs with H$β$ Asymmetry. V. Long-term Variation and Evolution of the Broad H$β$ Emission-Line Profiles
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.00398