Type 1 AGN at low z- I. Emission properties

We analyse the emission properties of a new sample of 3579 type 1 AGN, selected from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 7 based on the detection of broad Ha emission. The sample extends over a broad Ha luminosity LbHa of and a broad Ha full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of , which covers the range of black hole mass 106 < MBH/M? < 109.5 and luminosity in Eddington units 10-3 < L/LEdd < 1. We combine ROSAT, GALEX and 2MASS observations to form the spectral energy distribution (SED) from 2.2 m to 2 keV. We find the following. (1) The distribution of the Ha FWHM values is independent of luminosity. (2) The observed mean opticalultraviolet (opticalUV) SED is well matched by a fixed-shape SED of luminous quasars, which scales linearly with LbHa, and a host galaxy contribution. (3) The host galaxy r-band (fibre) luminosity function follows well the luminosity function of inactive non-emission-line galaxies (NEGs), consistent with a fixed fraction of 3 per cent of NEGs hosting an AGN, regardless of the host luminosity. (4) The hosts of lower luminosity AGN have a mean z-band luminosity and u-z colour which are identical to NEGs with the same redshift distribution. With increasing LbHa the AGN hosts become bluer and less luminous than NEGs. The implied increasing star formation rate with LbHa is consistent with the relation for SDSS type 2 AGN of similar bolometric luminosity. (5) The opticalUV SED of the more luminous AGN shows a small dispersion, consistent with dust reddening of a blue SED, as expected for thermal thin accretion disc emission. (6) There is a rather tight relation between and LbHa, which provides a useful probe for unobscured (true) type 2 AGN. (7) The primary parameter that drives the X-ray to UV emission ratio is luminosity, rather than MBH or L/LEdd.