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

The width of the broad H-beta 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 H-beta emission, stronger H-beta blue wing, stronger optical Fe II emission, and weaker [O III] lambda 5007. 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) H-beta means low Black Hole mass in luminous NLS1s, the C IV, lambda 1549 and Ly alpha 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.