Nature 305, 407 - 409 (29 September 1983); doi:10.1038/305407a0

Broad emission lines of QSOs are consistent with rotating supermassive stars

G. A. Shields

Department of Astronomy, University of Texas at Austin, Texas 78712, USA

Quasars and Seyfert galaxies typically have optical and UV spectra characterized by a largely nonthermal continuum, narrow emission lines, and broad emission lines (full widths at zero intensity 10⁴ km s^-1) observed only in permitted and inter-combination transitions. The broad lines come from a small amount of dense, fast-moving gas, in a region 10¹⁸ cm across near the continuum source¹. The origin, geometry, and dynamics of the broad line gas are uncertain. I suggest here that the basic properties of the broad emission-line profiles are consistent with emission from the surface of a rotating, super-massive star.

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