A Complete Sample of Soft X-Ray-selected AGNs. II. Statistical Analysis

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Abstract
Direct correlations and a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) are presented for a complete sample of 110 soft X-ray selected AGN of which about half are Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s). The direct correlation analyses show that narrower FWHM(H-beta) correlates with steeper X-ray spectrum, stronger optical FeII emission, weaker [OIII] emission and stronger short-term X-ray variability. This direct correlation analysis and the PCA confirm the Boroson & Green (1992) Eigenvector 1 relationship for AGN: FeII strength anti-correlates with [OIII] line strength. Eigenvector 1 is well-correlated with the Eddington luminosity ratio L/L_Edd while Eigenvector 2 shows a very good correlation with the mass of the central black hole and the mass accretion rate. The Eddington ratio L/L_Edd correlates with the X-ray spectral index alpha-X and the black home mass anti-correlates with the X-ray variability chi^2/nu. The Eddington ration L/L_Edd may be interpreted as the age of an AGN: AGN with steep X-ray spectra, strong FeII, and weak [OIII] are AGN in an early phase of their evolution. In this hypothesis NLS1s are young AGN.Comment: Accepted for publication in AJ (April 2004), 21 pages, 13 figure
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