# Resolved Spectroscopy of the Narrow-Line Region in NGC 1068. II. Physical Conditions Near the NGC 1068 “Hot-Spot”Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. STScI is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. under the NASA contract NAS5-26555.

## 1 Introduction

NGC 1068, one of the initial set of emission line galaxies studied by Seyfert (1943), is the nearest (z=0.0038) and best studied of the Seyfert 2 galaxies. Based on the widths of their emission lines in optical spectra, Seyfert galaxies are generally divided into two types (Khachikian & Weedman 1971). Seyfert 1s possess broad permitted lines, with full widths at half maximum (FWHM) $``$ 10<sup>3</sup> km s<sup>-1</sup>, and narrower forbidden lines, with FWHM $``$ 500 km s<sup>-1</sup>, while Seyfert 2s show only narrow emission lines. The optical continua of Seyfert 1 galaxies are dominated by nonstellar emission that can be characterized by a power-law (Oke & Sargent 1968), whereas this component is much weaker in Seyfert 2 galaxies (Koski 1978). Spectropolarimetric studies (Miller & Antonucci 1983; Antonucci & Miller 1985) revealed the presence of strongly polarized continuum and broad permitted line emission within a 3$`^{\prime \prime }.`$0 aperture centered on the optical nucleus of NGC 1068. These observations were the inspiration for the unified model for Seyfert galaxies, according to which the differences between types 1 and 2 are due to viewing angle, with Seyfert 2 galaxies characterized by obscuration of their broad-line regions and central engines (cf. Antonucci 1994). The polarization is wavelength independent, which implies that the emission from the hidden continuum source and broad-line region is scattered into our line-of-sight by free electrons within a hot ($``$ 3 x 10<sup>5</sup> K) plasma in the inner Narrow-Line Region (NLR) (Miller, Goodrich, & Mathews 1991).

The structure of the nuclear region has been observed extensively with HST, using the Planetary Camera (pre-COSTAR; Lynds et al. 1991), and the Faint Object Camera (Capetti et al. 1995). The peak in the optical continuum is resolved, with a FWHM of approximately 0$`^{\prime \prime }.`$15, roughly centered within a cloud of dimensions 3$`^{\prime \prime }.`$5 x 1$`^{\prime \prime }.`$7 elongated in the NE-SW direction, the latter consisting primarily of starlight (Lynds et al. 1991; Crenshaw & Kraemer 1999, hereafter Paper I). The NE part of the cloud has the physical dimensions and location attributed to the scattering medium modeled by Miller, et al. (1991), which has been revealed in the UV (Kriss et al. 1993; Macchetto et al. 1994) and which we have discussed in detail in Paper I. A bright knot of \[O III\] $`\lambda `$5007 emission, often referred to as Cloud B (Evans et al. 1991), overlaps the continuum emission from the hot spot; its centroid is $``$ 0$`^{\prime \prime }.`$2 north of that of the hot spot.

While Cloud B lies close to the apex of emission-line bicone (Evans et al. 1991), there is evidence that the actual hidden nucleus is further to the south and west (Capetti, Macchetto, & Lattanzi 1997). It has been suggested that a thermal radio source, S1, 0$`^{\prime \prime }.`$3 south of the continuum peak, is the true nucleus (Evans et al. 1991; Gallimore et al 1997). The discovery of an H<sub>2</sub>O megamaser with a velocity width of 600 km s<sup>-1</sup> (Claussen & Lo 1986) associated with S1 (cf. Greenhill & Gwinn 1997), is further evidence that S1 is the nucleus. Even so, the optical continuum peak and a portion of Cloud B are within 30 pc of the nucleus, and therefore exposed to an intense flux of ionizing radiation.

Coronal iron lines have been detected in a number of Seyfert galaxies (Grandi 1978; Osterbrock 1981; Penston et al. 1984; Osterbrock 1985). The following coronal-lines are known to be present in the spectrum of NGC 1068: \[Fe X\] $`\lambda `$6374 (Koski 1976), \[Fe XI\] $`\lambda `$7892 (Penston et al. 1984; Osterbrock & Fulbright 1996), and \[Si X\] 1.430 $`\mu `$m (Thompson 1996). It has been recently suggested (Reynolds et al. 1997) that the coronal-line emission arises in the outer regions of the X-ray absorber present in many Seyfert galaxies (see Reynolds (1997) and George et al. (1998) for a discussion of the properties of X-ray absorbers). Furthermore, Krolik & Kriss (1995) have postulated that the scattering medium in Seyfert 2 galaxies may be the same gas that produces the X-ray absorption in Seyfert 1s. Providing better constraints on the physical conditions in the gas in which the coronal lines arise will help in understanding the connection between the emission-line gas and the scattering medium and, possibly, the X-ray absorber.

In this paper we will examine the physical conditions near Cloud B and the optical hot spot in the nucleus of NGC 1068. Among our results, we report the presence of the highest ionization energy UV/optical lines ever detected in a Seyfert 2 galaxy. In Section 3 we will discuss the observed relationship between ionization potential and the velocity of the emission-lines with respect to the systemic velocity of the host galaxy. In Sections 4 and 5 we will present the details of photoionization models of the emission-line gas. Finally we will discuss the relation between the emission-line gas, the scattering of the continuum radiation, and the structure of the inner NLR.

## 2 Observations and Analysis

We obtained STIS long-slit spectra of NGC 1068 over 1150 – 10,270 Å on 1998 August 15. Paper I shows the slit position and describes the observations and data reduction. The spectra that are analyzed in this paper are from the central 0$`^{\prime \prime }.`$2 x 0$`^{\prime \prime }.`$1 bin in Paper I, which includes the brightest portion of the hot spot in our slit and a portion of knot B south of its centroid. We measured the fluxes of most of the narrow emission lines by direct integration over a local baseline determined by linear interpolation between adjacent continuum regions. For severely blended lines such as H$`\alpha `$ and \[N II\] $`\lambda \lambda `$6548, 6584, we used the \[O III\] $`\lambda `$5007 profile as a template to deblend the lines (see Crenshaw & Peterson 1986). We then determined the reddening of the narrow emission lines from the observed He II $`\lambda `$1640/$`\lambda `$4686 ratio, the Galactic reddening curve of Savage & Mathis (1979), and an intrinsic He II ratio of 7.2, which is expected from recombination (Seaton 1978) at the temperatures and densities typical of the NLR (see also Section 4). We determined errors in the dereddened ratios from the sum in quadrature of the errors from three sources: photon noise, different reasonable continuum placements, and reddening.

Table 1 gives the observed and dereddened narrow-line ratios, relative to H$`\beta `$, and errors in the dereddened ratios for each position. At the end of the table, we give the H$`\beta `$ flux (ergs s<sup>-1</sup> cm<sup>-2</sup>) in the bin and the reddening value that we determined from the He II ratios.

## 3 Spectral Properties of the Gas Near the Hot Spot

Figure 1 shows the UV and optical spectra of the continuum hot spot in NGC 1068. Emission lines are present from a wide range in ionization state for the most numerous elements, such as strong \[N II\] $`\lambda \lambda `$6548, 6484 and N V $`\lambda `$1240, and emission lines from the first four ionization states of oxygen, as seen in the earlier FOS spectra (Kraemer, Ruiz, & Crenshaw; hereafter KRC). The continuum shows no strong evidence of a stellar component, and is clearly the result of scattered continuum radiation from the hidden central source, as we discussed in Paper I. Also, the strongest permitted lines show broad wings, which is due to reflected broad-line emission.

Netzer (1997) attributed the apparent weakness of O III\] $`\lambda `$1663 in the FOS spectra of NGC 1068 to an underabundance of oxygen. On the other hand, we used the ratio of N III\] $`\lambda `$1750/O III\] $`\lambda `$1663 as evidence of an overabundance of nitrogen (KRC). However, it is clear from these STIS data that O III\] $`\lambda `$1663 has been absorbed by Galactic Al II $`\lambda `$1671 (see Figure 1) and, therefore, cannot be used to estimate either the O/H or N/O abundance ratios.

The most intriguing feature of these spectra, which was not readily apparent in the FOS data, is the presence of a number of coronal lines, including those from extremely high ionization states. As shown in Table 1, we have confirmed the presence of \[Fe X\] $`\lambda `$6374 and \[Fe XI\] $`\lambda `$7892, which had been previously detected, as noted in Section 1. Furthermore, we have unambiguously detected \[Fe XIV\] $`\lambda `$5303 (see Figure 1), which previously had only been confirmed to be present in the spectra of the Seyfert 1 galaxies III Zw 77 (Osterbrock 1981) and MCG -6-30-15 (Reynolds et al. 1997) and, possibly, the Seyfert 2 galaxy Tololo 0109 -383 (Fosbury & Samsom 1983; Durret & Bergeron 1988). Perhaps more unexpected is the presence of \[S XII\] $`\lambda `$7611 (see Figure 1). S<sup>+10</sup> has an ionization energy of 504.7 eV, which makes this highest ionization line ever detected in the spectrum of a Seyfert galaxy, outside the X-ray region, and certainly the highest ever seen in the NLR, besting \[Si X\] 1.43 $`\mu `$m, which has an ionization energy of 401.4 eV (Thompson 1996). Since 7611 Å is within one of the O<sub>2</sub> telluric bands, detection is difficult from the ground. In fact, the only confirmed detection of \[S XII\] has been in observations of the solar corona during the total eclipse of 30 May 1965 (Jefferies, Orrall, & Zirker 1971). Osterbrock (1981) detected a line at a measured wavelength of 7613.1 Å in the spectrum of III Zw 77, but did not identify it; we would suggest that this is also \[S XII\].

In addition to the above-mentioned lines, we have identified a number of other coronal lines in these spectra, as indicated by the ionization potentials listed in Table 1 (for the purposes of this paper, we refer to ions with ionization energies greater than 100 eV as “coronal”; this leaves out the \[Ne V\] and \[Fe VII\] lines, which, although detected in the solar corona, are formed under more typical NLR conditions). To our knowledge, these other lines have not been previously identified in the spectra of Seyfert galaxies, although we would expect that they should be present, since their ionization energies are lower than that of Fe<sup>+13</sup>. Exceptions, perhaps, are the tentatively identified nickel lines, \[Ni XV\] $`\lambda `$6702 and \[Ni XIII\] $`\lambda `$5116, since the other lines are from more abundant elements. However, Halpern & Oke (1986) detected \[Ni II\] $`\lambda `$7378 in an off-nuclear spectrum of NGC 1068, and determined that the nickle abundance may be at least 4 times solar. One of the interesting aspects of the coronal lines is that they are blueshifted with respect to the lower ionization lines, an effect first noted in a number of Seyfert galaxies by Penston et al. (1984). In Figure 2, we plot ionization potential versus recession velocity (c$`z`$) for all the observed emission lines. Note that the presence of a blueshifted absorption feature can bias the centroiding of the line redward, as appears to be the case for N V $`\lambda `$1240 and C IV $`\lambda `$1550 (KRC). Similarly, the velocity measurement is more difficult for severly blended lines. Nevertheless, there is a strong correlation between ionization potential and velocity. A simple explanation is that the lines originate in different regions that are superimposed, such that we are viewing components with different velocities along our line-of-sight. Note that most of the lower ionization lines are redshifted with respect to the systemic velocity of the host galaxy.

Figure 3 shows spatial cross-cut profiles of the \[Fe XIV\] $`\lambda `$5303 and \[S XII\] $`\lambda `$7611 lines, along the slit. Clearly, the coronal line emission is concentrated directly on the optical hot spot, in contrast to the suggestion that it extends throughout the NLR in Seyfert galaxies (Korista & Ferland 1989), but in general agreement with Penston et al. (1984) regarding the origin of the \[Fe X\] $`\lambda `$6374 and \[Fe XI\] $`\lambda `$7892 lines, and results from line profile studies (cf. Moore, Cohen, & Marcy 1996). Furthermore, the coronal line emission is clumpier and not as extended as the continuum radiation. Of particular interest is the region NE of the hot spot, where the scattered continuum is strongest (see Paper I). This does not necessarily mean that the coronal lines cannot arise in the same gas that scatters the continuum radiation, but, if they do, conditions in the scatterer must vary such that the lines are often weak. The possible connection between the scatterer and the coronal gas is discussed in Section 7.1.

## 4 Photoionization Models

### 4.1 Abundances and Ionizing Continuum

Our approach in photoionization modeling of NGC 1068 was described in detail in KRC. We will not repeat the details in the current paper, except to point out important differences. As usual, the models are parameterized in terms of the dimensionless ionization parameter, U, which is the number of ionizing photons per hydrogen atom at the illuminated face of the cloud. Since the lines of Ne<sup>+4</sup> and Fe<sup>+6</sup> are quite strong in in the spectrum of NGC 1068, we had assumed that this is in part due to an overabundance of these elements relative to solar (cf. Oliva 1997). We still consider this to be true for iron, since ASCA data indicate a large Fe/O ratio in the X-ray emitting gas (Netzer & Turner 1997). However, there is reason to believe that the Ne/H ratio is not substantially greater than solar at least in the extreme inner NLR. The strength of the \[Ne V\] $`\lambda `$3426 relative to hydrogen is sensitive to the optical thickness of the emission-line gas. That is, if a cloud does not extend much beyond the He<sup>++</sup> zone, \[Ne V\] $`\lambda `$3426/H$`\beta `$ can be quite large ($``$ 5). Also, if the ionizing continuum is somewhat harder than we had assumed, there are more photons capable of ionizing Ne<sup>+3</sup>.

In KRC, we had made the argument for a supersolar abundance of nitrogen in the inner NLR of NGC 1068, based on the strength of N V $`\lambda `$1240 relative to He II $`\lambda `$1640 and C IV $`\lambda `$1550 (cf. Ferland et al. 1996). However, the models significantly overpredicted N IV\] $`\lambda `$1486, which might indicate that that we overestimated the nitrogen abundance. The relative strength of N V $`\lambda `$1240, and other resonance lines, can be boosted somewhat by fluoresence and scattering of ultraviolet continuum radiation from the central source (cf. Grandi 1975a, b). As we will discuss in Section 6.1, continuum scattering and fluorescence cannot fully explain the strength of N V $`\lambda `$1240. However, based on the observed N IV\] $`\lambda `$1486/H$`\beta `$ ratio, there is no reason to believe that the relative abundance of nitrogen is significantly greater than solar.

Thus, other than iron, we have chosen to assume solar abundances (cf. Grevesse & Anders 1989) for these models. The numerical abundances, relative to hydrogen, are as follows: He=0.1, C=3.4x10<sup>-4</sup>, O=6.8x10<sup>-4</sup>, N=1.2x10<sup>-4</sup>, Ne=1.1x10<sup>-4</sup>, S=1.5x10<sup>-5</sup>, Si=3.1x10<sup>-5</sup>, Mg=3.3x10<sup>-5</sup>, Fe=8.0x10<sup>-5</sup>.

In KRC, we assumed an ionizing continuum similar to that proposed by Pier et al. (1994), which is a conservative power-law fit from the UV and to the X-ray, using the 2 keV flux and X-ray continuum derived from the BBXRT data (Marshall et al. 1993). However, fits to the X-ray continuum by combining ROSAT/PSPC and Ginga, or Einstein/IPC and EXOSAT data (see Pier et al. 1994, and references therein) are consistent with a somewhat harder spectral energy distribution (SED). As noted above, the strength of \[Ne V\] $`\lambda `$3426 depends on the hardness of the ionizing continuum. Therefore, we modeled the SED as a broken power-law of the form, F<sub>ν</sub> $`=`$ K$`\nu ^\alpha `$, as follows:

$$\alpha =1.0,h\nu <13.6eV$$
(1)   
$$\alpha =1.4,13.6eVh\nu <1000eV$$
(2)   
$$\alpha =0.5,h\nu 1000eV$$
(3)   
Note that we have assumed a harder EUV - Xray continuum than in KRC (1.4, rather than 1.6) and have positioned the X-ray break at one-half the energy. We have, however, assumed the same intrinsic luminosity above the Lyman limit, Q $`=`$ 4x10<sup>54</sup> photons sec<sup>-1</sup> (Pier et al. 1994), which is typical of Seyfert 1 nuclei .

### 4.2 Component Parameters

As noted in Section 3, these spectra show emission from a wide range of ionization states, which is an indication that we are seeing emission from a range of physical conditions. Also, there is an apparent correlation between the redshift of the emission lines and the ionzation potential of the ion from which they arise. Thus, it is likely that we are observing emission from several distinct components.

An initial guess at temperature and density of much of the emission-line gas (which we will refer to as the HIGHION component) can be derived from the ratio of \[O III\] $`\lambda \lambda `$5007,4959/\[O III\] $`\lambda `$4363 (Osterbrock 1989). The dereddened observed ratio is $``$ 47, indicating an electron temperature T<sub>e</sub> $``$ 20,000K in the low density limit, and little modification by collisional de-excitation of the <sup>1</sup>D<sub>2</sub> level. \[Fe VII\] lines ratios can also be used to estimate temperature. The ratio \[Fe VII\] $`\lambda `$3759/\[Fe VII\] $`\lambda `$6087 $``$ 0.79, which indicates T<sub>e</sub> $``$ 25,000K, at electron densities, n<sub>e</sub>, $``$ 10<sup>6</sup> cm<sup>-3</sup> (Nussbaumer & Storey 1982). Still, it is possible that much of the \[Fe VII\] and \[O III\] emission arises in different zones within the same gas, particularly since these lines are at the same approximate velocity (see Table 1).

If one kinematic component contributes most of the \[O III\] and \[Fe VII\] emission, and presumably other lines within the same range of ionization energy (see Table 1), it is not likely to contribute the highest ionization lines in these spectra. As we discussed in Section 3, such lines as \[Fe IX\] $`\lambda `$7892, \[Fe XIV\] $`\lambda `$5303, and \[S XII\] $`\lambda `$7611, are blueshifted with respect to the lower ionization lines by several hundred km sec<sup>-1</sup>, which suggests that they arise in a different kinematic component (which we will refer to as CORONAL). It has been previously suggested that a rough estimate of the temperature of the coronal gas can be obtained from the ratio of \[Fe XI\] $`\lambda `$2649/\[Fe XI\] $`\lambda `$7892 (Penston et al. 1984; Osterbrock & Fulbright 1996). The observed ratio is \[Fe XI\] $`\lambda `$2649/\[Fe XI\] $`\lambda `$7892 $`=`$ 1.4 $`{}_{.35}{}^{}{}_{}{}^{+.43}`$. Unfortunately, based on the most recent calculations for effective collision strengths (Tayal 1999), this ratio is not particularly sensitive to temperature at electron densities $``$ 10<sup>8</sup> cm<sup>-3</sup>. Using these collision strengths and the transition probabilities from Mason (1975), the dereddened \[Fe XI\] ratio indicates that T<sub>e</sub> $`>`$ 3 x 10<sup>4</sup> K in the Fe<sup>+10</sup> zone. Since the redshifts of the Balmer lines are similar to those of the \[O III\] lines, we expect CORONAL will contribute little to the total hydrogen recombination line flux.

Since the lowest ionization lines appear redshifted compared to the other emission-lines, it is probable that they arise in a separate component, rather than in the more neutral parts of HIGHION. This component must be of fairly low density, since the ratio of \[S II\] $`\lambda `$6716/\[S II\] $`\lambda `$6731 $``$ 0.81, indicating n<sub>e</sub> $``$ 2 x 10<sup>3</sup> cm<sup>-2</sup> (Osterbrock 1989). The S<sup>+</sup> lines can arise in partially neutral gas and, thus, we estimate that the atomic hydrogen density for this component is somewhat higher, n<sub>H</sub> $``$ a few times 10<sup>4</sup> cm<sup>-2</sup>. The nature of such a component (which we will refer to as LOWION) was discussed extensively in KRC. The fact that the strengths of the low-ionization, collisionally-excited lines must be large relative to the Balmer lines in order for them to appear strong in a composite spectrum led us to believe that the gas was screened and, thus, ionized by an absorbed continuum strongly weighted to the X-ray (KRC). However, the paucity of ionizing photons in the absorbed continuum and the constraint that this component had the same covering factor as the screening gas led to an underprediction of its contribution to the total emission-line flux. In these spectra it is apparent that much of the high ionization gas is optically thin, since the observed He II $`\lambda `$4686/H$`\beta `$ ratio is 0.60, which is unattainable if much of the gas is optically thick near the Lyman limit. Thus, neither of the other components can provide an effective screen for LOWION.

Kraemer et al. (1999a) have modeled the effect on the NLR of an absorber with a high covering factor within a few parsecs of the continuum source, and this effect is clearly evident in the NLR spectrum of NGC 4151 (Alexander et al. 1999; Kraemer et al 1999b). Thus, we suggest the following geometry for the inner NLR of NGC 1068. The components represented by HIGHION and CORONAL are essentially co-located, and are ionized by unabsorbed continuum radiation from the hidden nucleus. The low ionization gas lies out of the plane occupied by HIGHION and CORONAL, and is irradiated by X-rays which penetrate a layer of absorbing gas closer to the nucleus. Also a small fraction of unabsorbed continuum, scattered out of the plane by free electrons, is incident upon the low ionization gas. This simple geometry is illustrated in Figure 4. There is no simple way to quantify the fractions of scattered and direct continuum irradiating LOWION, but it is thought that at least 1% of the continuum radiation in NGC 1068 is scattered into our line of sight (Miller et al. 1991) and there is the example of a large column, X-ray absorber in NGC 4151 (cf. Barr et al. 1977) which may vary in optical depth as a function of angle with respect to the ionization cone (Kraemer et al. 1999b). We have modeled the absorber assuming an ionization parameter, U $`=`$ 0.1, and a column density, N<sub>H</sub> $`=`$ 7.4 x 10<sup>22</sup> cm<sup>-2</sup>, where N<sub>H</sub> is the sum of the columns of ionized and neutral hydrogen. These parameters are similar to those describing the X-ray absorber in NGC 4151 (Yaqoob, Warwick & Pounds 1989; Weaver et al. 1994). Given our estimate of the luminosity of the active nucleus, an absorber of density n<sub>H</sub> $`=`$ 10<sup>7</sup> cm<sup>-3</sup> would lie at a distance of $``$ 1 pc from the central engine, closer to the nucleus than the inner part of hot spot. The ionizing continuum incident upon LOWION is shown in Figure 5. For the purposes of these models, we assume that HIGHION and LOWION are at the same radial distance from the nucleus.

Based upon the observed physical properties derived from the emission-lines and the simple geometric picture discussed above, we have generated a three-component photoionization model to describe the physical conditions of line emitting gas. Most of the emission arises in the component HIGHION, with n<sub>H</sub> $`=`$ 6 x 10<sup>4</sup> cm<sup>-2</sup>, U $`=`$ 10<sup>-1.52</sup>, and , N<sub>H</sub> $`=`$ 10<sup>21</sup> cm<sup>-2</sup>. The ionization parameter was chosen to produce strong \[Fe VII\] emission with negligible \[Fe XI\] $`\lambda `$7892. The model was truncated at the termination of the He<sup>+2</sup> zone, in order to produce the large He II $`\lambda `$4686/H$`\beta `$ ratio and strong \[Ne V\] described above. The density was constrained on the high end by the presence of strong \[Ne IV\] $`\lambda `$2423, which has a critical density $``$ 10<sup>5</sup> cm<sup>-3</sup>, and on the low end by the ionization parameter. LOWION is characterized by n<sub>H</sub> $`=`$ 3 x 10<sup>4</sup> cm<sup>-2</sup>, U $`=`$ 10<sup>-3.2</sup> (from the combined continuum). Since the size of the partially neutral zone in X-ray ionized gas can be inordinately large, we chose to truncate the model at the same column density as HIGHION. Although not completely radiation bounded, LOWION has a considerable extended zone behind the H<sup>+</sup>/H<sup>0</sup> boundary, from which \[O I\] $`\lambda \lambda `$6300, 6364, Mg II $`\lambda `$2800, and \[S II\] $`\lambda \lambda `$6716, 6731 arise. For LOWION, we used a solar iron abundance, since the enhanced cooling by \[Fe II\] in the extended zone would suppress other lines. The lack of reliable atomic constants for coronal gas at nebular temperatures (i.e., T<sub>e</sub> $``$ 10<sup>5</sup>K) makes it difficult to set the model input parameters for CORONAL on the basis of emission-line ratios. We have generated this component using CLOUDY90 (Ferland et al 1998) since it includes more a complete model for the coronal-line emission, and includes elements, specifically argon and nickel, which are not included in our code. Therefore, we generated a single coronal component to produce the mix of ionization states observed in the blue-shifted emission-lines, assuming the following: n<sub>H</sub> $`=`$ 7 x 10<sup>2</sup> cm<sup>-3</sup>, U = 1.7, N<sub>H</sub> = 4 x 10<sup>22</sup> cm<sup>-2</sup>.

In Table 1, the dereddened L$`\alpha `$/H$`\beta `$ is 30.75, which is roughly equal to the value from recombination plus collisional excitation in low ionization gas (Osterbrock 1989). Thus, there is no evidence for the destruction of trapped L$`\alpha `$ photons by dust. Furthermore, dust is not responsible for scattering of continuum radiation by the hot spot (see Paper I), which is another indication of the absence of dust in this region. Therefore, we have assumed that the emission-line gas is dust-free.

## 5 Model Results

In creating a composite model, we first scaled the contributions from HIGHION to provide a rough fit to the high ionization lines such as C IV $`\lambda `$1550, \[Ne V\] $`\lambda `$3426, and \[Fe VII\] $`\lambda `$6087 and LOWION to fit lines such as \[N II\] $`\lambda `$6584, \[O II\] $`\lambda `$3727, with the result that the contribution of HIGHION to the total H$`\beta `$ flux is 3 times that of LOWION. Due to the uncertainties in the atomic data, we have elected not to include the predicted forbidden line strengths from CORONAL in our scaling. Since the Balmer lines are associated kinematically with the non-coronal emission lines, it seems reasonable to expect that the contribution from CORONAL is $``$ 15% of the total H$`\beta `$ flux, which is only slightly more than the uncertainty in measurement.

In Table 2, we compare the predicted line ratios for HIGHION and LOWION and the composite model to the observed/dereddened values. Given the simplicity of the model, we have obtained very satisfactory fits for the vast majority of the observed emission lines. There is good agreement over nearly the full ionization sequence, for example C IV $`\lambda `$1550, C III\] $`\lambda `$1909, and C II\] $`\lambda `$2325, and O IV\] $`\lambda `$1402, \[O III\] $`\lambda `$5007, \[O II\] $`\lambda `$3727, and \[O I\] $`\lambda `$6300. The predicted \[O III\] $`\lambda \lambda `$5007,4959/\[O III\] $`\lambda `$4363 ratio is 46, which indicates that T<sub>e</sub> in the O<sup>+2</sup>, averaged over the two components, is correct. The \[Fe VII\] $`\lambda `$3759/\[Fe VII\] $`\lambda `$6087 ratio is 0.55, lower than the observed value, which indicates a somewhat higher temperature in the Fe<sup>+6</sup> zone than predicted, which is not surprising since given our model requirement that this zone is co-located with the O<sup>+2</sup> zone. The predicted \[S II\] $`\lambda `$6716/$`\lambda `$6731 ratio is 1.15, identical to that observed within the errors, which confirms our assumptions regarding the density and ionization structure of LOWION. In general, the model predictions demonstrate that our assumptions regarding the elemental abundances are approximately correct. However, the models do underpredict the strengths of the neon lines somewhat, which may indicate that the neon is supersolar, but probably less than a factor of two.

The model prediction for the He II $`\lambda `$4686/H$`\beta `$ and ratio is only slightly higher than observed. The predicted strengths of the lines formed in the partially neutral envelope of the low ionization gas, such as \[S II\] $`\lambda \lambda `$6716, 6731 and \[O I\] $`\lambda `$6300, are in reasonable agreement with the observations. This indicates that the combined effects of SED and column density are well represented by the models. This result is of particular importance, given the assumption that the components are ionized by different continua.

Also listed in Table 2 are the model predictions for the emitted H$`\beta `$ flux, the emitting surface area (the scaled to the reddening-corrected H$`\beta `$ luminosity divided by the emitted flux), and covering factor for each component, assuming a distance of $``$ 25 pc from the hidden continuum source. At the distance of NGC 1068 (14.4 Mpc, Bland-Hawthorne 1997), the 0$`^{\prime \prime }.`$1 slit width corresponds to 7.2 pc, yielding a covering factor for the slit of $``$ 0.05. Since the covering factor of these components are substantially lower than 0.05, there is no evidence that we are seeing substantial effects of superimposition of clouds along our line-of-sight.

Our photoionizaton code does not include pumping of UV resonance lines by scattering of continuum radiation and continuum fluoresence (cf. Ferguson, Ferland, & Pradhan 1994), which may explain the underpredictions of the strengths of several UV resonance lines, including N V $`\lambda `$1240, C II $`\lambda `$1335 and Mg II $`\lambda `$2800. Therefore, we recomputed the LOWION model using CLOUDY90, assuming a turbulent velocity of 50 km s<sup>-1</sup>. Although pumping of UV resonance lines is most efficient for gas with large turbulent velocities ($``$ 1000 km s<sup>-1</sup>; Ferguson et al. 1994), it can still be an important process if the covering factor of the emitting gas is sufficiently large (cf. Hamann & Korista 1996) and/or if the optical depths of the scattered lines are small (Ferland 1992). We derive a relatively large covering factor for LOWION ($``$ 20% that of the slit), and thus it is not surprising that the model predicts a significant contribution to resonance lines from scattered continuum radiation (interestingly, this is all due to direct pumping of the UV resonance line, since there is insufficient ionizing radiation incident upon LOWION to pump the EUV driver lines). The CLOUDY90 predictions for C II $`\lambda `$1335 and Mg II $`\lambda `$2800 are listed in Table 2, alongside those from our code (the predictions for the non-resonance lines were quite similar for the two codes), and the agreement with observed flux ratios is quite good. In addition to the large column densities of C<sup>+</sup> (3.22 x 10<sup>17</sup> cm<sup>-2</sup>) and Mg<sup>+</sup> (1.54 x 10<sup>16</sup> cm<sup>-2</sup>), LOWION predicts a large column density for O<sup>0</sup> (6.02 x 10<sup>17</sup> cm<sup>-2</sup>). O I $`\lambda `$1302 is present in the far-UV spectrum (see Figure 1) and we expect that is also formed by continuum scattering (unfortunately, it is not included in the code output). However, continuum scattering does not appear to have a similarly strong affect in boosting the N V $`\lambda `$1240 line, as we discuss below.

In Table 3, we list the predictions of the CORONAL model for the mean ionization fractions; ions with observed lines are flagged. We elected not to list the predicted emission-line ratios since they may be misleading given the lack of reliable atomic data (cf. Moorwood et al. 1997). The model predicts non-negligible populations for each of the observed ionic states, except Si<sup>+6</sup> and Fe<sup>+6</sup>, however it is clear that the \[Fe VII\] lines arise in lower ionization gas. If we assume that CORONAL contributes 15% of the observed H$`\beta `$ flux, the covering factor is 2.2 x 10<sup>-3</sup>. Assuming isotropic scattering, at small electron scattering optical depths, $`\tau `$<sub>electron</sub> $`<`$ 1, the reflected fraction of continuum radiation, f<sub>refl</sub> $``$ N<sub>e</sub>F<sub>c</sub>$`\sigma _{Thomson}`$, where N<sub>e</sub> is the column density of electrons, F<sub>c</sub> is the covering factor, and $`\sigma _{Thomson}`$ is the Thomson cross-section. For CORONAL, f<sub>refl</sub> $``$ 7.4 x 10<sup>-5</sup>. However, the observed reflected continuum fraction in our spectrum, based on the estimated central source luminosity (Pier et al. 1994), is f<sub>refl</sub> $``$ 1.4 x 10<sup>-3</sup> (the total reflected fraction is f<sub>refl</sub> $``$ 1.5 x 10<sup>-2</sup>, consistent with the larger region sampled; Miller et al. 1991). Thus, the coronal-line emitting gas near the hot spot makes a neglible contribution to the scattered continuum radiation.

## 6 Open Issues

### 6.1 The Nitrogen Problem

In KRC, we attributed the unusual strength of the N V $`\lambda `$1240 line to an overabundance of nitrogen, however, the models significantly overpredicted N IV\] $`\lambda `$1486. Even with solar nitrogen abundance, HIGHION overpredicts N IV\] $`\lambda `$1486 by a factor of nearly 3. A check of HIGHION using CLOUDY90, assuming a turbulent velocity of 500 km s<sup>-1</sup>, produced only a 70% increase in the strength of N V $`\lambda `$1240. The models do not significantly underpredict other lines formed in the same zone as N V $`\lambda `$1240, such as \[Ne V\] $`\lambda `$3426 and \[Fe VII\] $`\lambda `$6087, and the predictions for other UV resonance lines match the data or are well understood (see above). One possible explanation is that N V $`\lambda `$1240 and N IV\] $`\lambda `$1486 are formed in different regions, with much different nitrogen abundances, but we find no evidence for abundance inhomogeneities for elements other than iron. Therefore, the problem with the nitrogen lines remains unresolved.

### 6.2 Coronal Component

The predicted temperatures for CORONAL (T<sub>e</sub> $`=`$ 9.29 x 10<sup>4</sup> K at the ionized face, 3.67 x 10<sup>4</sup> K at the point of truncation), are within the range expected from the \[Fe XI\] $`\lambda `$2649/$`\lambda `$7892 ratio. However, since the \[Fe XI\] ratio is not particularly sensitive to temperature at low density, the estimate of the coronal gas temperature is not well constrained. Hopefully, better estimates may be obtained once more accurate collision strengths are calculated for other coronal lines in the temperature range 10<sup>4</sup> – 10<sup>5</sup> K. In any case, it is clear from our model predictions that the observed ionic states can co-exist in photoionized gas characterized by a single ionization parameter.

## 7 Discussion

### 7.1 Coronal Gas, the Scattering Medium, and X-ray Absorbers

As we have demonstrated, the ionic states indicated by the coronal emission-lines can co-exist in a large column of highly ionized gas. The ionization parameter, U $`=`$ 1.7, is characteristic of the X-ray absorbers present in many Seyfert 1 galaxies (cf. Reynolds 1997). It is tempting to associate the coronal-line emitting gas with the X-ray absorber, as Reynolds et al. (1997) has done for the case of the Seyfert 1 galaxy, MCG -6-30-15. Based on the fraction of Seyfert 1s that possess an X-ray absorber, it is likely that the covering factor of the absorber is 0.5 – 1 (cf. George et al. 1998). However, we find that the covering factor of the coronal-line gas in NGC 1068 is quite low, and thus different from typical X-ray absorbers.

The low covering factor of the coronal gas also makes it unlikely to be the continuum scattering region. Furthermore, Miller et al. (1991) estimated a temperature for the scattering medium, T<sub>e</sub> $``$ 3 x 10<sup>5</sup> K, which is significantly greater than our model predictions. Therefore, it is likely that the scattering occurs in a component of gas associated with the hot spot that is more highly ionized than our coronal component. If we use the initial conditions, n<sub>H</sub> $`=`$ 200 cm<sup>-3</sup>, U $`=`$ 8, and N<sub>H</sub> $``$ 10<sup>22</sup> cm<sup>-2</sup>, CLOUDY90 predicts a mean T<sub>e</sub> $``$ 4.5 x 10<sup>5</sup> K, which is close to Miller et al.’s value. If we, again, apply the constraint that this additional component contributes $``$ 15% of the total H$`\beta `$, the covering factor for this component is $``$ 0.07 and, thus, f<sub>refl</sub> $``$ 1.2 x 10<sup>-3</sup>, or approximately 85% that observed. We would expect to see some line emission from this component, but only from the most highly ionized species, such as \[S XII\] $`\lambda `$7611. The covering factor for this component is slightly greater than that constrained by the slit width, which would not be surprising if the scatterer is indeed an X-ray absorber viewed across our line-of-sight, as suggested by Krolik & Kriss (1995), and there was some superposition of clouds.

To summarize, we think it is unlikely that the coronal-line gas has a sufficient covering factor to produce the scattered continuum radiation. It is plausible that the scattering occurs in a component of more highly ionized gas, with a high covering factor, which may contribute a fraction of the coronal-line emission. Although the physical conditions of both components are within the range observed for X-ray absorbers (cf. Reynolds 1997), we suggest that while the absorber may be associated with the scatterer, neither are associated with the coronal-line gas that we observe.

### 7.2 Photoionization versus Collisional Processes

The relative contributions of photoionization and collisional processes (e.g., shocks, heating by cosmic rays) to the physical state of the emission-line gas in NGC 1068 has been a matter of some debate. While Kriss et al. (1992) have attributed the strong C III $`\lambda `$977 and N III $`\lambda `$990 seen in HUT spectra to shock heating, Ferguson et al. (1994) suggest that the strength of these lines result from a combination of continuum fluoresence and dielectronic recombination. Given the importance of continuum scattering to O I $`\lambda `$1302, C II $`\lambda `$1335 and Mg II $`\lambda `$2800, it is not surprising that the same process enhances C III $`\lambda `$977 and N III $`\lambda `$990. In fact, the recomputed LOWION predicts relatively strong C III $`\lambda `$977 and N III $`\lambda `$990 (see Table 2). The contribution to both lines from continuum scattering is $``$ 90% for LOWION and $``$ 50% in HIGHION, primarily from zones near the ionized face of the cloud, where the driver lines are optically thin and pumping is most efficient (Ferland 1992). The models predict C III\] $`\lambda `$1909/C III $`\lambda `$977 $``$ 5.2 and N III\] $`\lambda `$1750/N III $`\lambda `$990 $``$ 1.1, compared to 3.15 $`\pm `$ 0.51 and 1.46 $`\pm `$ 0.34, respectively, from the HUT spectra (Kriss et al. 1992), noting that these ratios are quite sensitive to the atomic parameters used in the code. Thus, although we cannot rule out additional heating mechanisms, it is clear that continuum pumping can dramatically enhance these lines in photoionized gas.

Nevertheless, it is interesting to note that turbulent velocities as low as 50 km s<sup>-1</sup> can fully account for the resonance scattering. The full width at half maximum of C II $`\lambda `$1335 is $``$ 1240 km s<sup>-1</sup>, corrected for Galactic absorption, which indicates that the line is broadened by the summation of different kinematic components. Interestingly, the widths of the resolved kinematic components of instrinsic UV absorbers in Seyfert 1 galaxies are also typically $``$ 50 km s<sup>-1</sup> (Crenshaw et al. 1999). The lack of large scale turbulence implies a lack of violent disruption of the gas.

In KRC, we attributed the large H$`\alpha `$/H$`\beta `$ ratio in at least one region to collisional excitation of H$`\alpha `$ by an injection of energetic particles, possibly associated with the radio jet, into the NLR gas. This effect was not as apparent in the optical nucleus, and we find no evidence in our STIS data for enhancement of H$`\alpha `$ beyond the predictions of the photoinization models. However, there may still be examples of jet/cloud interaction at other locations in the inner NLR OF NGC 1068. This will be addressed in a subsequent paper.

One piece of evidence that heating processes other than photoionization are present is that the electron temperatures predicted by the models are somewhat lower than those estimated from the \[Fe VII\]. However, the underprediction of the \[Fe VII\] ratio is probably due to our assumption that these lines arise in the same gas as the \[O III\] lines. Therefore, while it is possible that collisional effects are important in some of the high ionization gas in the inner NLR, most of the observed properties are consistent with photoionization by the central source.

### 7.3 Geometry of the Inner NLR

While there is no additional evidence to support our proposed geometry for the inner NLR in NGC 1068, assuming that the low ionization gas is screened by a large column absorber resolves a problem with the KRC model regarding the covering factor of the screened gas. Also, it is apparent that conditions in the NLR of NGC 4151 are due to absorption of the ionizing continuum by intervening gas (Alexander et al. 1999; Kraemer et al. 1999b). If a column of extremely optically thick gas is present, it may have an important effect in the collimation of the ionizing radiation. However, in order to do so, the absorber must have a large covering factor (i.e., 0.5). In addition to NGC 4151, a large column of X-ray absorbing gas has been detected in the Seyfert 1.5, Mrk 6 (Feldmeier et al. 1999), but there are not enough examples to make a statistical determination of the covering factor of the absorber, or its column density as a function of scale-height. Nevertheless, if this component has a large covering factor, it will be important, along with the putative molecular torus and any intrinsic anisotropy of the radiation field, in determining the distribution of ionized gas in the NLR.

## 8 Conclusions

We have analyzed the STIS UV and optical spectra of the inner nuclear region of NGC 1068, near the optical continuum peak or hot spot. We have contructed photoionization models of the narrow-line gas and have been able to successfully match nearly all the observed dereddened emission-line ratios. From our analysis and modeling of these spectra, we can report the following discoveries regarding the physical conditions near the hot spot.

1. We report the detection of a number of strong coronal emission lines, including \[Fe XIV\] $`\lambda `$5303 and \[S XII\] $`\lambda `$7611. The latter is the highest ionization UV/optical line ever identified in the NLR of a Seyfert galaxy. The coronal lines are blueshifted with respect to both the systemic velocity of the host galaxy and the lower ionization lines in these spectra. This indicates that the coronal lines arise in a distinct component of narrow-line gas. The lower velocities of other emission-lines may be due to contributions from gas at larger radial distances along our line-of-sight, but it is also possible that much of this gas is co-located with the coronal component, which implies that the velocity of the gas is related to its ionization state and/or density. If this gas is in radial outflow from the nucleus, these observations may provide important constraints for models of cloud acceleration (the kinematics of the inner NLR of NGC 1068 will be the subject of a later paper).

2. We have used a three-component model to match the narrow emission-line flux ratios, since the kinematics and range of physical conditions clearly indicate that we are sampling distinct emission-line clouds. Most of the high ionization lines, such as C IV $`\lambda `$1550, \[Ne V\] $`\lambda `$3426 and \[Fe VII\] $`\lambda `$6087, arise in a component, HIGHION, which is directly ionized by the hidden continuum source and is optically thin at the Lyman limit. Low ionization lines, such as Mg II $`\lambda `$2800, \[O II\] $`\lambda `$3727, and \[N II\] $`\lambda `$6584, are formed in a component, LOWION, which is screened from the central source by an optically thick layer of gas (N<sub>H</sub> $`=`$ 7.4 x 10<sup>22</sup> cm<sup>-2</sup>), similar to that seen in NGC 4151.

Several of the UV resonance lines formed in the low ionization gas (O I $`\lambda `$1302, C II $`\lambda `$1335, and Mg II $`\lambda `$2800) are enhanced by the scattering of continuum radiation. The turbulent velocities required to produce this effect are low, $``$ 50 km s<sup>-1</sup>. Although this is greater than the thermal velocities within the emitting clouds, it is much less than one might expect if the clouds were being disrupted (e.g., by fast shocks). Also, it is an interesting coincidence that the required turbulent velocities are similar to those measured in the resolved kinematic components of the intrinsic UV absorbers in Seyfert 1s.

Unlike our previous study (KRC), we find no strong evidence for a large overabundance of neon and nitrogen, although the Fe/H ratio in the higher ionization gas appears to be approximately twice solar. Interestingly, there cannot be significant iron enhancement in the low ionization gas, otherwise the model underpredicts the electron temperature in the partially neutral zone. Although iron could be depleted onto dust grains in the neutral gas, we find no evidence of the effects of dust mixed in with the emission-line gas.

Assuming solar abundances, the models underpredict N V $`\lambda `$1240 and overpredict N IV\] $`\lambda `$1486. Resonance scattering and continuum fluoresence cannot sufficiently pump the N V line to match the observed flux, and, in any case, these processes do not affect the N IV\] strength. Although extremely inhomogeneous nitrogen abundances could cause this effect, we think that this is quite unlikely.

3. Although the atomic data is not sufficiently reliable to predict coronal-line flux ratios, we have generated a component, CORONAL, in which all the observed ions are present. Hence, it is plausible that these lines form in photoionized gas. We do not believe that this component is responsible for the scattered continuum radiation, since its covering factor and electron temperature are too low. As such, we postulate that a more highly ionized, co-located component is the scatterer. This component has a covering factor and ionization state similar to the X-ray absorbers detected in Seyfert 1 galaxies.

S.B.K would like to thank Swaraj Tayal, Don Osterbrock, Anand Bhatia, Dick Fisher, and Bruce Woodgate for illuminating conversations about coronal emission-lines. S.B.K. would also like to thank Gary Ferland for useful discussions about resonance scattering and continuum pumping of emission lines. We also thank Cherie Miskey for help with the figures. S.B.K. and D.M.C. acknowledge support from NASA grant NAG 5-4103.