Hβ Line Width and the UV-X-ray Spectra of Luminous AGN

The width of the broad Hβ emission line is the primary defining characteristic of the NLS1 class. This parameter is also an important component of Boroson and Green’s optical “Eigenvector 1”(EV1), which links steeper soft X-ray spectra with narrower Hβ emission, stronger Hβ blue wing, stronger optical Fe II emission, and weaker [O III]λ5007. Potentially, EV1 represents a fundamental physical process linking the dynamics of fueling and outflow with the accretion rate. We attempted to understand these relationships by extending the optical spectra into the UV for a sample of 22 QSOs with high quality soft-X-ray spectra, and discovered a whole new set of UV relationships that suggest that high accretion rates are linked to dense gas and perhaps nuclear starbursts. While it has been argued that narrow (BLR) Hβ means low Black Hole mass in luminous NLS1s, the C IVλ1549 and Lyα emission lines are broader, perhaps the result of outflows driven by their high Eddington accretion rates. We present some new trends of optical-UV with X-ray spectral energy distributions. Steeper X-ray spectra appear associated with stronger UV relative to optical continua, but the presence of strong UV absorption lines is associated with depressed soft X-rays and redder optical-UV continua.