X-Ray Variability and Spectral Scaling: A Measure of BLR Sizes in AGN

Abstract

We developed a new method of determination of the size of the broad emission-line region (BLR) in active galactic nuclei. This method relates the radius of the broad-line region of AGN to the soft X-ray luminosity and spectral index. Comparing the BLR distances calculated from our model to the BLR distances determined by reverberation mapping shows that our scaling law agrees with the R ~ L ^1/2 empirical relation. Here we investigate a complimentary method of estimating the BLR distance — based on the Keplerian broadening of the emission lines and the central mass estimated from X-ray variability.