Probing the BLR in AGNs using time variability of associated absorption lines

Abstract

It is know that most of the clouds producing associated absorption in the spectra of AGNs and quasars do not completely cover the background source (continuum + broad emission line region, BLR). We note that the covering factor derived for the absorption is the fraction of photons occulted by. The absorbing clouds, and is not necessarily the same as the fractional area covered. We show that the variability in absorption lines can be produced by the changes in the covering factor caused by the variation in the continuum and the finite light travel time across the BLR. We discuss how such avariability can be distinguished from the variability caused by other effects and how one can use the variability in the covering factor to probe the BLR.