HST STIS observations of PG 0946+301: The highest quality UV spectrum of a BALQSO

Nahum Arav; Martijn De Kool; Kirk T. Korista; D. Michael Crenshaw; Wil Van Breugel; Michael Brotherton; Richard F. Green; Max Pettini; Bev Wills; Wim De Vries; Bob Becker; W. N. Brandt; Paul Green; Vesa T. Junkkarinen; Anuradha Koratkar; Ari Laor; Sally A. Laurent-Muehleisen; Smita Mathur; Norman Murray

doi:10.1086/323369

HST STIS observations of PG 0946+301: The highest quality UV spectrum of a BALQSO

Nahum Arav^*, Martijn De Kool, Kirk T. Korista, D. Michael Crenshaw, Wil Van Breugel, Michael Brotherton, Richard F. Green, Max Pettini, Bev Wills, Wim De Vries, Bob Becker, W. N. Brandt, Paul Green, Vesa T. Junkkarinen, Anuradha Koratkar, Ari Laor, Sally A. Laurent-Muehleisen, Smita Mathur, Norman Murray

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

100 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We describe deep (40 orbits) Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph observations of the broad absorption line (BAL) quasi-stellar object (QSO) PG 0946+301 and make them available to the community. These observations are the major part of a multiwavelength campaign on this object aimed at determining the ionization equilibrium and abundances (IEAs) in BALQSOs. We present simple template fits to the entire data set, which yield firm identifications for more than two dozen BALs from 18 ions and give lower limits for the ionic column densities. We find that the outflow's metallicity is consistent with being solar, while the abundance ratio of phosphorus to other metals is at least 10 times solar. These findings are based on diagnostics that are not sensitive to saturation and partial covering effects in the BALs, which considerably weakened previous claims for enhanced metallicity. Ample evidence for these effects is seen in the spectrum. We also discuss several options for extracting tighter IEA constraints in future analyses and present the significant temporal changes that are detected between these spectra and those taken by the HST Faint Object Spectrograph in 1992.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	118-130
Number of pages	13
Journal	Astrophysical Journal
Volume	561
Issue number	1 PART 1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1086/323369
Publication status	Published - 1 Nov 2001

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Arav, N., De Kool, M., Korista, K. T., Crenshaw, D. M., Van Breugel, W., Brotherton, M., Green, R. F., Pettini, M., Wills, B., De Vries, W., Becker, B., Brandt, W. N., Green, P., Junkkarinen, V. T., Koratkar, A., Laor, A., Laurent-Muehleisen, S. A., Mathur, S., & Murray, N. (2001). HST STIS observations of PG 0946+301: The highest quality UV spectrum of a BALQSO. Astrophysical Journal, 561(1 PART 1), 118-130. https://doi.org/10.1086/323369

@article{0010d1013ddf41ceaa75f845a81097a4,

title = "HST STIS observations of PG 0946+301: The highest quality UV spectrum of a BALQSO",

abstract = "We describe deep (40 orbits) Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph observations of the broad absorption line (BAL) quasi-stellar object (QSO) PG 0946+301 and make them available to the community. These observations are the major part of a multiwavelength campaign on this object aimed at determining the ionization equilibrium and abundances (IEAs) in BALQSOs. We present simple template fits to the entire data set, which yield firm identifications for more than two dozen BALs from 18 ions and give lower limits for the ionic column densities. We find that the outflow's metallicity is consistent with being solar, while the abundance ratio of phosphorus to other metals is at least 10 times solar. These findings are based on diagnostics that are not sensitive to saturation and partial covering effects in the BALs, which considerably weakened previous claims for enhanced metallicity. Ample evidence for these effects is seen in the spectrum. We also discuss several options for extracting tighter IEA constraints in future analyses and present the significant temporal changes that are detected between these spectra and those taken by the HST Faint Object Spectrograph in 1992.",

keywords = "Ultraviolet: galaxies",

author = "Nahum Arav and {De Kool}, Martijn and Korista, {Kirk T.} and Crenshaw, {D. Michael} and {Van Breugel}, Wil and Michael Brotherton and Green, {Richard F.} and Max Pettini and Bev Wills and {De Vries}, Wim and Bob Becker and Brandt, {W. N.} and Paul Green and Junkkarinen, {Vesa T.} and Anuradha Koratkar and Ari Laor and Laurent-Muehleisen, {Sally A.} and Smita Mathur and Norman Murray",

year = "2001",

month = nov,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1086/323369",

language = "English",

volume = "561",

pages = "118--130",

journal = "Astrophysical Journal",

issn = "0004-637X",

publisher = "American Astronomical Society",

number = "1 PART 1",

}

Arav, N, De Kool, M, Korista, KT, Crenshaw, DM, Van Breugel, W, Brotherton, M, Green, RF, Pettini, M, Wills, B, De Vries, W, Becker, B, Brandt, WN, Green, P, Junkkarinen, VT, Koratkar, A, Laor, A, Laurent-Muehleisen, SA, Mathur, S & Murray, N 2001, 'HST STIS observations of PG 0946+301: The highest quality UV spectrum of a BALQSO', Astrophysical Journal, vol. 561, no. 1 PART 1, pp. 118-130. https://doi.org/10.1086/323369

TY - JOUR

T1 - HST STIS observations of PG 0946+301

T2 - The highest quality UV spectrum of a BALQSO

AU - Arav, Nahum

AU - De Kool, Martijn

AU - Korista, Kirk T.

AU - Crenshaw, D. Michael

AU - Van Breugel, Wil

AU - Brotherton, Michael

AU - Green, Richard F.

AU - Pettini, Max

AU - Wills, Bev

AU - De Vries, Wim

AU - Becker, Bob

AU - Brandt, W. N.

AU - Green, Paul

AU - Junkkarinen, Vesa T.

AU - Koratkar, Anuradha

AU - Laor, Ari

AU - Laurent-Muehleisen, Sally A.

AU - Mathur, Smita

AU - Murray, Norman

PY - 2001/11/1

Y1 - 2001/11/1

N2 - We describe deep (40 orbits) Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph observations of the broad absorption line (BAL) quasi-stellar object (QSO) PG 0946+301 and make them available to the community. These observations are the major part of a multiwavelength campaign on this object aimed at determining the ionization equilibrium and abundances (IEAs) in BALQSOs. We present simple template fits to the entire data set, which yield firm identifications for more than two dozen BALs from 18 ions and give lower limits for the ionic column densities. We find that the outflow's metallicity is consistent with being solar, while the abundance ratio of phosphorus to other metals is at least 10 times solar. These findings are based on diagnostics that are not sensitive to saturation and partial covering effects in the BALs, which considerably weakened previous claims for enhanced metallicity. Ample evidence for these effects is seen in the spectrum. We also discuss several options for extracting tighter IEA constraints in future analyses and present the significant temporal changes that are detected between these spectra and those taken by the HST Faint Object Spectrograph in 1992.

AB - We describe deep (40 orbits) Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph observations of the broad absorption line (BAL) quasi-stellar object (QSO) PG 0946+301 and make them available to the community. These observations are the major part of a multiwavelength campaign on this object aimed at determining the ionization equilibrium and abundances (IEAs) in BALQSOs. We present simple template fits to the entire data set, which yield firm identifications for more than two dozen BALs from 18 ions and give lower limits for the ionic column densities. We find that the outflow's metallicity is consistent with being solar, while the abundance ratio of phosphorus to other metals is at least 10 times solar. These findings are based on diagnostics that are not sensitive to saturation and partial covering effects in the BALs, which considerably weakened previous claims for enhanced metallicity. Ample evidence for these effects is seen in the spectrum. We also discuss several options for extracting tighter IEA constraints in future analyses and present the significant temporal changes that are detected between these spectra and those taken by the HST Faint Object Spectrograph in 1992.

KW - Ultraviolet: galaxies

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0035511127&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1086/323369

DO - 10.1086/323369

M3 - Article

SN - 0004-637X

VL - 561

SP - 118

EP - 130

JO - Astrophysical Journal

JF - Astrophysical Journal

IS - 1 PART 1

ER -

HST STIS observations of PG 0946+301: The highest quality UV spectrum of a BALQSO

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