The optical emission line spectrum of Mark 110 ^*,**

¹ Observatoire de Haute Provence, CNRS, 04870 Saint-Michel l'Observatoire, France e-mail: [mira.veron;philippe.veron]@oamp.fr
² Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, CNRS, Université Paris-Diderot, 5 place J. Janssen, 92195 Meudon, France e-mail: Monique.Joly@obspm.fr
³ Institute für Astrophysik, Universität Göttingen, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany e-mail: wkollat@astro.physik.uni-goettingen.de

Received: 19 July 2007
Accepted: 8 August 2007

Abstract

Aims.We analyse in detail the rich emission line spectrum of Mark 110 to determine the physical conditions in the nucleus of this object, a peculiar NLS1 without any detectable Fe II emission associated with the broad line region and with a λ5007/Hβ line ratio unusually large for a NLS1.

Methods.We use 24 spectra obtained with the Marcario Low Resolution Spectrograph attached at the prime focus of the 9.2 m Hobby-Eberly telescope at the McDonald observatory. We fitted the spectrum by identifying all the emission lines (about 220) detected in the wavelength range 4200-6900 Å (at rest).

Results.The narrow emission lines are probably produced in a region with a density gradient in the range 10³-10⁶ cm^-3 with a rather high column density (510²¹ cm^-2). In addition to a narrow line system, three major broad line systems with different line velocity and width are required. We confirm the absence of broad Fe II emission lines. We speculate that Mark 110 is in fact a BLS1 with relatively “narrow” broad lines but with a BH mass large enough compared to its luminosity to have a lower than Eddington luminosity.