Eigenspectra of the SDSS DR1 quasars

Abstract

We construct eigenspectra from the DR1 quasars in the SDSS using the Karhunen-Loève (KL) transform (or Principal Component Analysis, PCA) in different redshift and luminosity bins. We find that the quasar spectra can be classified, by the first two eigenspectra, into a continuous sequence in the variation of the spectral slope. We also find a dependence on redshift and luminosity in the eigencoefficients. The dominant redshift effect is the evolution of the blended Fe~II emission (optical) and the Balmer continuum (the ``small-bump'', $λ_{rest} \approx 2000-4000$Å), while the luminosity effect is related to the Baldwin effect. Correlations among several major broad emission lines are found, including the well-known ``Eigenvector-1''.