Abstract
Evidence is presented for correlated variability between the ultraviolet continuum and the Ly-alpha emission line in the luminous quasar 3C273. Using IUE data covering a period of approximately 1000 days, Ly-alpha varied by 15 percent whilst the continuum varied by a factor of two. A time series analysis gives a lag for Ly-alpha relative to the ultraviolet continuum of 74 +/- 35 days. The broad flattopped shape of the cross-correlation function, and the small amplitude of the Ly-alpha variability, indicate that the derived lag is a measure of the inner radius of a geometrically thick BLR.
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© 1991 Springer-Verlag
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O'Brien, P.T., Harries, T.J. (1991). The variability of Ly-alpha in 3C273. In: Duschl, W.J., Wagner, S.J., Camenzind, M. (eds) Variability of Active Galaxies. Lecture Notes in Physics, vol 377. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0030067
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0030067
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