Fig. 6.
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Predicted rest-frame EWs of broad Hα, Hβ, He IIλ4686, and C IVλ1549 emission lines as a function of observer inclination angle. The curves represent photoionization calculations performed with CLOUDY using the input SED of Model B (corresponding to ṁ = 12.4) for a range of ionization parameters (log U = −3.0 to −1.0, as labeled). The models assume a BLR gas distribution concentrated near the disk plane – where it is shielded from the full funnel radiation field – and a global covering factor of CBLR = 15%. All calculations adopt a metallicity of 0.1 Z⊙ and a gas density of log(nH/cm−3) = 10, and are stopped at a total hydrogen column of log(NH/cm−2) = 23. The horizontal red line and shaded red region in the top left panel indicate the median EW (570 Å) and the 95% confidence interval for the z > 4 BLAGN sample from Maiolino et al. (2025). Measurements with 1σ uncertainties and 3σ upper limits for broad Hβ, He II, and C IV are from the stacked spectra of z > 5 JWST blue BLAGNs of Zucchi et al. (2026). The sharp decrease in EWs at low inclination angles arises from the geometric collimation of the super-Eddington continuum: face-on observers see an isotropic-equivalent continuum that is significantly brighter than the one ionizing the BLR, resulting in the dilution of line features.
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