The Spectrum of the FeLoBAL Quasar FBQS 1214+2803: A Resonance-scattering Interpretation

The usual interpretation of the spectrum of a broad absorption line quasar (BALQSO) is that a broadband continuum from the central engine plus broad emission lines from a surrounding region emerge from near the center of the QSO and that broad absorption lines are superposed in a separate outlying region. For FBQS 1214+2803, designated as an FeLoBAL QSO because its spectrum contains numerous absorption features from excited states of Fe II, we explore an alternative interpretation based on resonance scattering. In this model, line emission and absorption occur in the same line-forming region. A resonance-scattering synthetic spectrum computed with the parameterized supernova synthetic-spectrum code SYNOW fits the spectrum of FBQS 1214+2803 rather well, so the resonance-scattering model merits further study. Some implications of the model and its possible applicability to other QSOs are briefly discussed.