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Quasars As Cosmological Probes: The Ionizing Continuum, Gas Metallicity, And The WΛ-L Relation, Kirk Korista, Jack Baldwin, Gary J. Ferland

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Using a realistic model for line emission from the broad emission line regions of quasars, we are able to reproduce the previously observed correlations of emission-line ratios with the shape of the spectral energy distribution (SED). In agreement with previous studies, we find that the primary driving force behind the Baldwin effect (W_λ ~ L^β, β < 0) is a global change in the SED with quasar luminosity, in that more luminous quasars must have characteristically softer ionizing continua. This is completely consistent with observations that show (1) a correlation between L_uv, α_ox, and α_uvx (2) correlations of SED shape-sensitive line ratios with α_ox, α_uvx, and L_uv; and (3) correlations between line equivalent widths and α_ox, α_{uvx …}