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Full-Text Articles in Physics
Nebular Properties And The Ionizing Radiation Field In The Galactic Center, Joseph C. Shields, Gary J. Ferland
Nebular Properties And The Ionizing Radiation Field In The Galactic Center, Joseph C. Shields, Gary J. Ferland
Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications
Nebulosity in the central parsec of the Milky Way exhibits a low-ionization spectrum that has led previous analyses of this region to conclude that this material is photoionized by a relatively soft continuum. We have reanalyzed the infrared emission-line spectrum of te Galactic center in order to consider whether the data could actually be explained with photoionization by a relatively hard, yet dilute continuum, and additionally to constrain the properties of the reaiating plasma. We conclude that the composite infrared spectrum does not place strong restrictions on the nature of the ionizing continuum and that much of the ionized gas …
Bowen Fluoresence And He Ii Lines In Active Galaxies And Gaseous Nebulae, Hagai Netzer, Moshe Elitzur, Gary J. Ferland
Bowen Fluoresence And He Ii Lines In Active Galaxies And Gaseous Nebulae, Hagai Netzer, Moshe Elitzur, Gary J. Ferland
Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications
We have calculated the intensity of He II and the O III and N III Bowen lines under a variety of astrophysical conditions. Our line-transfer method is based on the escape probability formalism and is especially suitable for combining line fluorescence and photoionization calculations in a simple, straightforward way. It reproduces the results of the more sophisticated line-transfer calculations quite accurately and is much better for producing realistic ionization and thermal structures. An extensive grid of models is presented and discussed, with special emphasis on the case of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Many O III and N III Bowen lines …
Are There Any Shock-Heated Galaxies?, Gary J. Ferland, Hagai Netzer
Are There Any Shock-Heated Galaxies?, Gary J. Ferland, Hagai Netzer
Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications
We study the spectroscopic characteristics of low ionization nuclear emission-line regions (Liners) in galaxies, and compare them with other active galactic nuclei. We show the results of new, extensive photoionization model calculations and use them to investigate line ratio diagrams, such as [O III] λ5007/Hβ versus [O II] λ3727/[O III] λ5007, and [O I] λ6300/[O III] λ5007 versus [O III] λ3727/[O III] λ5007. On the diagrams broad line objects, Seyfert 2 galaxies, and Liners form a continuous smooth sequence of decreasing ionization parameter. This suggests a common origin for line excitation in …
Broad Line Region Clouds And The Absorbing Material In Ngc 4151, Gary J. Ferland, R. F. Mushotzky
Broad Line Region Clouds And The Absorbing Material In Ngc 4151, Gary J. Ferland, R. F. Mushotzky
Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications
The constraints imposed by X-ray, ultraviolet, and optical observations on the absorbing material in the Seyfert 1.5 galaxy NGC 4151 are discussed. These observations are compared to the predictions of photoionization models of both broad line region clouds, which Holt et al. identify as the source of the extinction, and to models of the narrow line region gas. The weakness of both C III] 1909 and the broad component of Hα relative to C IV 1549, together with the absence of an absorption Balmer jump, indicate that the ionization parameter for the broad line region is a factor …