VLT/ISAAC spectra of the Hβ region in intermediate redshift quasars

We present high S/N spectra of the Hbeta region in 17 intermediate redshift (0.85 less than or equal to z less than or equal to 2.5) quasars. The spectra represent first results of our campaign to test the redshift luminosity robustness of the so-called Eigenvector 1 (E1) parameter space as developed for low redshift AGN in Sulentic et al. (2000, ApJ, 536, L5). The new quasars span the luminosity range -26 greater than or equal to M-B greater than or equal to -29 while most of our low redshift sample (n = 215) involve sources in the range -19 greater than or equal to M-B greater than or equal to -26. The high redshift sources show E1 parameter values and domain occupation that are similar to our low redshift sample supporting earlier findings that E1 parameters are uncorrelated with source luminosity. Elementary accretion theory can account for a systematic increase of the minimum observed Hbeta profile width with Source luminosity. Narrow line Seyfert 1 sources with M-B = -28 show FWHM(Hbeta) as much as 2000 km s(-1) broader than those with M-B = -22. A possible change in the higher redshift/lummosity sources involves systematically weaker [OIII]lambdalambda4959,5007 narrow line emission.