Wavelength-resolved reverberation mapping of quasar CTS C30.10: Dissecting Mg II and Fe II emission regions

Abstract

Context. We present the results of the reverberation monitoring of the Mg II broad line and Fe II pseudocontinuum for the luminous quasar CTS C30.10 (z = 0.90052) with the Southern African Large Telescope in 2012–2021. Aims. We aimed at disentangling the Mg II and UV Fe II variability and the first measurement of UV Fe II time delay for a distant quasar. Methods. We used several methods for the time-delay measurements and determined the Fe II and Mg II time delays. We also performed a wavelength-resolved time delay study for a combination of Mg II and Fe II in the 2700–2900 Å rest-frame wavelength range. Results. We obtain a time delay for Mg II of 275.5−19.5+12.4 days in the rest frame, and we have two possible solutions of 270.0−25.3+13.8 days and 180.3−30.0+26.6 in the rest frame for Fe II. Combining this result with the old measurement of Fe II UV time delay for NGC 5548, we discuss for first time the radius-luminosity relation for UV Fe II with the slope consistent with 0.5 within the uncertainties. Conclusions. Because the Fe II time delay has a shorter time-delay component but the lines are narrower than Mg II, we propose that the line-delay measurement is biased toward the part of the broad line region (BLR) facing the observer. The bulk of the Fe II emission may arise from the more distant BLR region, however, the region that is shielded from the observer.