Revealing the Broad Line Region of NGC 1275: The Relationship to Jet Power

NGC 1275 is one of the most conspicuous active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the local universe. The radio jet currently emits a flux density of similar to 10 Jy at similar to 1 mm wavelengths, down from the historic high of similar to 65 Jy in 1980. Yet, the nature of the AGN in NGC 1275 is still controversial. It has been debated whether this is a broad emission line (BEL) Seyfert galaxy, an obscured Seyfert galaxy, a narrow line radio galaxy, or a BL Lac object. We clearly demonstrate a persistent H beta BEL over the last 35 yr with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 4150-6000 km s(-1). We also find a prominent P alpha BEL (FWHM approximate to 4770 km s(-1)) and a weak C IV BEL (FWHM approximate to 4000 km s(-1)), H beta/C IV approximate to 2. A far-UV Hubble Space Telescope observation during suppressed jet activity reveals a low luminosity continuum. The H beta BEL luminosity is typical of broad line Seyfert galaxies with similar far-UV luminosity. X-ray observations indicate a softer ionizing continuum than what would be expected for a broad line Seyfert galaxy with similar far-UV luminosity. This is the opposite of the expectation of advection-dominated accretion. The AGN continuum appears to be thermal emission from a low luminosity, optically thick, accretion flow with a low Eddington ratio, similar to 0.0001. The soft, weak, ionizing continuum is consistent with the relatively weak C IV BEL. Evidence that the BEL luminosity is correlated with the jet millimeter-wave luminosity is presented. It appears that the accretion rate regulates jet power.