Consistency of accretion discs with Seyfert 1 UV fluxes and H beta emission-line profiles

This paper presents accretion disc fits to the UV continuum and H beta emis sion line in a complete sample of broad-emission-line AGN sources. Disc fit s to the UV continuum emission leave an ambiguity between the central mass and the orientation of the disc in that more massive black holes mimic more edge-on discs. The opposite dependence between mass and orientation is der ived from disc fits to the broad-line profile. Fitting both continuum shape and Line profile consistently can thus lead to a unique determination of t he two parameters. Models consistent with the two emission components have a low inclination (with means equal to similar to 25 degrees and 35 degrees for extreme Kerr and Schwarzschild black holes respectively), supporting o rientation-dependent unification schemes. The derived masses confirm the no n-linearity between mass and luminosity for AGN, and rule out a pure lumino sity evolution of distant quasars to nearby Seyfert 1 nuclei, Finally, the disc irradiation and the size of the H beta emission region are estimated.