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The Broad-Line Region in Active Galactic Nuclei

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Book cover Physics of Active Galactic Nuclei at all Scales

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Physics ((LNP,volume 693))

Abstract

We review the basic observed and inferred properties of the broad emission-line region in AGNs, as well as the basics of the reverberation-mapping technique that can be used to determine the size and structure of the region. We argue that the current best evidence points to a multi-component line-emitting region, with a disk-like structure, possibly an extension of the accretion disk itself, and a disk wind being strong candidates for the origin of the broad-line emission.

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Peterson, B. (2006). The Broad-Line Region in Active Galactic Nuclei. In: Alloin, D., Johnson, R., Lira, P. (eds) Physics of Active Galactic Nuclei at all Scales. Lecture Notes in Physics, vol 693. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg . https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-34621-X_3

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