Hubble Space Telescope observations of nearby type 1 quasars. I. Characterization of the extended [O iii] 5007 Å emission

Trindade Falcão, Anna; Kraemer, S. B; Fischer, T. C; Schmitt, H. R; Feuillet, L; Crenshaw, D. M; Revalski, M; Maksym, W. P; Vestergaard, M; Elvis, M; Gaskell, C. M; Ho, L. C; Netzer, H; Storchi-Bergmann, T; Turner, T. J; Ward, M. J.

Abstract

We use the Hubble Space Telescope to analyse the extended [O iii] 5007 Å emission in seven bright radio-quiet type 1 quasars (QSO1s), focusing on the morphology and physical conditions of their extended Narrow-Line Regions (NLRs). We find NLRs extending 3–9 kpc, with four quasars showing roughly symmetrical structures (⁠=1.2–1.5) and three displaying asymmetric NLRs (⁠=2.4–5.6). When included with type 1 and type 2 AGNs from previous studies, the sizes of the extended [O iii] regions scale with luminosity as⁠, consistent with photoionization. However, when analysed separately, type 1s exhibit a steeper slope (⁠= 0.57 0.05) compared to type 2 AGNs (⁠= 0.48 0.02). We use photoionization modelling to estimate the maximum NLRs sizes, assuming a minimum ionization parameter of log, an ionizing luminosity based on the -derived bolometric luminosity, and a minimum gas number density cm⁠, assuming that molecular clouds provide a reservoir for the ionized gas. The derived sizes agree well with direct measurements for a sample of type 2 quasars, but are underestimated for the current sample of QSO1s. A better agreement is obtained for the QSO1s using bolometric luminosities derived from the 5100 Å continuum luminosity. Radial mass profiles for the QSO1s show significant extended mass in all cases, but with less [O iii]-emitting gas near the central AGN compared to QSO2s. This may suggest that the QSO1s are in a later evolutionary stage than QSO2s, further past the blow-out stage.

Citation

Trindade Falcão, A., Kraemer, S. B., Fischer, T. C., Schmitt, H. R., Feuillet, L., Crenshaw, D. M., Revalski, M., Maksym, W. P., Vestergaard, M., Elvis, M., Gaskell, C. M., Ho, L. C., Netzer, H., Storchi-Bergmann, T., Turner, T. J., & Ward, M. J. (2024). Hubble Space Telescope observations of nearby type 1 quasars. I. Characterization of the extended [O iii] 5007 Å emission. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 535(1), 621-633. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stae2412

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 21, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Oct 22, 2024
• Publication Date: Oct 25, 2024
• Deposit Date: Dec 4, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 4, 2024
• Journal: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• Print ISSN: 0035-8711
• Electronic ISSN: 1365-2966
• Publisher: Royal Astronomical Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 535
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 621-633
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stae2412
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3200654