9549(  1) - 12/06/01 12:53  - [  1]

    PROPOSAL FOR HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS   ST ScI Use Only
                                                       ID:      9549
                                                       Version: 1
                                                       Check-in Date: 06-Dec-2001
                                                                      11:51:16

1.Proposal Title:
Iron Emission: A Powerful Probe of the Quasar Central Engine
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2. Proposal For  3. Cycle
AR               11
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4. Investigators
                                                                                     Contact?
    PI: Marianne Vestergaard              The Ohio State University
   CoI: Dr. Ian Evans                     Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory         N
   CoI: Dr. Anuradha Koratkar             Space Telescope Science Institute             N
   CoI: Dr. Smita Mathur                  The Ohio State University                     N
   CoI: Prof. Bradley M. Peterson         The Ohio State University                     N

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5. Abstract

We will study the optical and UV feii emission in a large sample of low-z active
galaxies with the primary goal to constrain the origin of this emission and to gain
insight into the unknown feii excitation mechanisms. This will enable significant
progress to be made in the theoretical modeling of the complex feii spectrum.
Understanding this spectrum is key as feii is THE major coolant of the broad line
region (BLR), which is expected to be energetically important for the central
engine. We will use mostly hst archival data but also available X-ray and ground-
based data. We will apply our own improved version of the successful feii template
fitting method to extract, accurately measure, and study the complicated feii
emission spectrum, which is hard to measure with traditional methods. We will
analyze the resulting unique database of feii emission spectra in two ways: (1) We
will perform multivariate analyses to quantify how the UV feii relates to the X-ray
and UV continuum properties and to the optical feii emission. (2) We will analyze
the archival hst UV and available optical data from the AGN Watch monitoring program
of NGC 5548 to assess how the UV and optical feii interrelate and respond to
variations in the UV continuum, one of the potential feii drivers. Our broad goal is
to ultimately quantify the conditions favorable for the generation of feii emission.
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                                                9549(  1) - 12/06/01 12:53  - [  2]

            Summary Form for Proposal  9549

  Item                         Used in this proposal
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  Proposal Category            AR
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