9913(  1) - 04/04/03 10:13  - [  1]

    PROPOSAL FOR HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS   ST ScI Use Only
                                                       ID:      9913
                                                       Version: 1
                                                       Check-in Date: 04-Apr-2003
                                                                      10:13:10

1.Proposal Title:
A Decade of AGN SEDs
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2. Proposal For  3. Cycle
AR               11
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4. Investigators
                                                                                     Contact?
    PI: Michael Brotherton                University of Wyoming
   CoI: Dr. Richard Green                 National Optical Astronomy Observatories,     N
                                          AURA
   CoI: Dr. Ivan Hubeny                   NASA Goddard Space Flight Center              N
   CoI: Dr. Gerard Kriss                  Space Telescope Science Institute             N

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5. Abstract

Over the last decade, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has obtained ultraviolet
spectra of hundreds of AGNs. We propose to combine HST spectra with those from the
Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) and ground-based telescopes to produce
detailed spectral energy distributions (SEDs) spanning a decade in wavelength, from
below the Lyman limit to the optical Balmer lines, for 40-60 Seyfert galaxies and
quasars. The properties of these AGNs span over a decade in luminosity, accretion
fraction, and 2-3 orders of magnitude in black hole mass and radio-loudness. We will
determine how the SEDs (particularly the slope at far-UV wavelengths) depend on
these properties (particularly black hole mass and accretion rate). Finally, we will
compare the behavior of observed AGN SEDs with that of state-of-the-art accretion
disk models -- preliminary results are surprisingly encouraging that some of the
accretion physics may be understood. The SEDs will be made public from a website and
will be available to test continuum models of all sorts.
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                                                9913(  1) - 04/04/03 10:13  - [  2]

            Summary Form for Proposal  9913

  Item                         Used in this proposal
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  Proposal Category            AR
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