Emission-line variability and distance of quasars.

The radius of the line-emitting region in quasars is larger than 1 parsec for the cosmological hypothesis and smaller than 1 parsec for the local hypothesis. Variability in emission lines has been reported but not proved beyond doubt. Its time scale would be a direct observational indicator of this radius and would add an important element to the discussion of the origin of quasars. Objects that are variable in their optical continuum seem to be the most promising ones to look at for line variations, and they should be observed spectroscopically at regular intervals.

Inverse compton effect: some consequences for quasars.

The inverse Compton effect can transform enough energy of relativistic electrons into radiation so that an upper limit to the mean energy of the electrons is set. In quasars, the limit is too small to allow the production of any appreciable amount of synchrotron or inverse Compton radiation, unless either the distances are not cosmological or the lifetimes of the relativistic electrons are extremely short, of the order of hours.