BAL phosphorus abundance and evidence for immense ionic column densities in quasar outflows: vlt/x-shooter observations of quasar SDSS J1512+1119

Files

TR Number

Date

2012-10

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

IOP Publishing Ltd.

Abstract

We present spectroscopic analysis of the broad absorption line (BAL) outflow in quasar SDSS J1512+1119. In particular, we focus our attention on a kinematic component in which we identify P V and S IV/S IV* absorption troughs. The shape of the unblended phosphorus doublet troughs and the three S IV/S IV* troughs allow us to obtain reliable column density measurements for these two ions. Photoionization modeling using these column densities and those of He I* constrain the abundance of phosphorus to the range of 0.5-4 times the solar value. The total column density, ionization parameter, and metallicity inferred from the P V and S IV column densities lead to large optical depth values for the common transition observed in BAL outflows. We show that the true C IV optical depth is similar to 1000 times greater in the core of the absorption profile than the value deduced from its apparent optical depth.

Description

Keywords

galaxies: individual (sdss j1512+1119), line: formation, quasars:, absorption lines, space-telescope observations, galactic nucleus outflows, absorption-line, quasars, keck hires observations, c-iv absorption, intrinsic absorption, metal abundances, ultraviolet-absorption, chemical abundances, stis, observations

Citation

Benoit C. J. Borguet et al. 2012. "BAL phosphorus abundance and evidence for immense ionic column densities in quasar outflows: vlt/x-shooter observations of quasar SDSS J1512+1119," ApJ 758 69 doi:10.1088/0004-637X/758/1/69