The variability of the broad emission lines in the spectra of active galactic nuclei reveals fundamental information about the structure and kinematics of the line-emitting region and about the nature of the central source that cannot be obtained in any other way. This program determines the structure and kinematics of the broad-line emitting regions in active galactic nuclei through repeated observations of a limited number of sources. We greatly improve the temporal resolution of our on-going monitoring project by making use of a Remote Observing Facility which has been developed for use with the Perkins 1.8 m telescope. Furthermore, the quality of the individual observations will be greatly improved through the use of a new CCD spectrograph. The CCD spectrograph is interfaced to the telescope with a fiber- optic feed which enables us to use the spectrograph for partial nights without a complete change of instrumentation at the Casse- grain focus of the telescope. This allows us to observe a few selected sources frequently with minimal impact on other scien- tific programs.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Astronomical Sciences (AST)
Application #
8915258
Program Officer
Millissa J. Evans
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
1990-02-15
Budget End
1993-01-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
1989
Total Cost
$106,000
Indirect Cost
Name
Ohio State University
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Columbus
State
OH
Country
United States
Zip Code
43210