- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/871/35
- Title:
- HST/COS spectra of QSOs with SiIV data
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/871/35
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Every quasar (quasi-stellar object; QSO) spectrum contains absorption-line signatures from the interstellar medium, disk-halo interface, and circumgalactic medium (CGM) of the Milky Way (MW). We analyze Hubble Space Telescope/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) spectra of 132 QSOs to study the significance and origin of SiIV absorption at |v_LSR_|<=100km/s in the Galactic halo. The gas in the north predominantly falls in at -50<~v_LSR_<~0km/s, whereas in the south, no such pattern is observed. The SiIV column density has an average and a standard deviation of <N_SiIV_>=(3.8+/-1.4)x10^13^cm^-2^. At |b|>~30{deg}, N_SiIV_ does not significantly correlate with b, which cannot be explained by a commonly adopted flat-slab geometry. We propose a two-component model to reconstruct the N_SiIV_-b distribution: a plane-parallel component N_DH_^{perp}^ to account for the MW's disk-halo interface and a global component N_G_ to reproduce the weak dependence on b. We find N_DH_^{perp}^=1.3_-0.7_^+4.7^x10^12^cm^-2^ and N_G_=3.4+/-0.3)x10^13^cm^-2^ on the basis of Bayesian analyses and block bootstrapping. The global component is most likely to have a Galactic origin, although its exact location is uncertain. If it were associated with the MW's CGM, we would find M_gas,all_>~ 4.7x10^9^M_{sun}_(C_f_/1)(R/75kpc)^2^(f_SiIV_/0.3)^-1^(Z/0.3Z_{sun}_)^-1^ for the cool gas at all velocities in the Galactic halo. Our analyses show that there is likely a considerable amount of gas at |v_LSR_|<=100km/s hidden in the MW's CGM.
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- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/230/6
- Title:
- HST -COS & -STIS absorption-line spectroscopy. II.
- Short Name:
- J/ApJS/230/6
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present basic data and modeling for a survey of the cool, photoionized circumgalactic medium (CGM) of low-redshift galaxies using far-UV QSO absorption-line probes. This survey consists of "targeted" and "serendipitous" CGM subsamples, originally described in Stocke+ (Paper I, 2013ApJ...763..148S). The targeted subsample probes low-luminosity, late-type galaxies at z<0.02 with small impact parameters (<{rho}>=71kpc), and the serendipitous subsample probes higher luminosity galaxies at z<~0.2 with larger impact parameters (<{rho}>=222kpc). Hubble Space Telescope and FUSE UV spectroscopy of the absorbers and basic data for the associated galaxies, derived from ground-based imaging and spectroscopy, are presented. We find broad agreement with the COS-Halos results, but our sample shows no evidence for changing ionization parameter or hydrogen density with distance from the CGM host galaxy, probably because the COS-Halos survey probes the CGM at smaller impact parameters. We find at least two passive galaxies with HI and metal-line absorption, confirming the intriguing COS-Halos result that galaxies sometimes have cool gas halos despite no on-going star formation. Using a new methodology for fitting HI absorption complexes, we confirm the CGM cool gas mass of Paper I, but this value is significantly smaller than that found by the COS-Halos survey. We trace much of this difference to the specific values of the low-z metagalactic ionization rate assumed. After accounting for this difference, a best-value for the CGM cool gas mass is found by combining the results of both surveys to obtain log(M/M_{sun}_)=10.5+/-0.3, or ~30% of the total baryon reservoir of an L>=L^*^, star-forming galaxy.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/140/143
- Title:
- HST FOS spectral atlas
- Short Name:
- J/ApJS/140/143
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We analyzed the absorption line spectra of all quasars observed with the high-resolution gratings of the Faint Object Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope. We examined 788 spectra for 334 quasars and present line lists and identifications of absorption lines in the spectra of 271 of them. Analysis of the statistics of the Ly{alpha} and metal absorption systems are presented in companion papers. The data and several analysis products are available on the authors' Web site, http://lithops.as.arizona.edu/~jill/QuasarSpectra .
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/818/113
- Title:
- HST observations of QSOs with medium spectra
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/818/113
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We use the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) archive of ultraviolet (UV) quasar spectroscopy to conduct the first blind survey for damped Ly{alpha} absorbers (DLAs) at low redshift (z<1.6). Our statistical sample includes 463 quasars with spectral coverage spanning a total redshift path {Delta}z=123.3 or an absorption path {Delta}X=229.7. Within this survey path, we identify 4 DLAs defined as absorbers with HI column density N_HI_>=10^20.3^/cm2, which implies an incidence per absorption length lDLA(X)=0.017_-0.008_^+0.014^ at a median survey path redshift of z=0.623. While our estimate of l_DLA_(X) is lower than earlier estimates at z~0 from HI 21cm emission studies, the results are consistent within the measurement uncertainties. Our data set is too small to properly sample the N_HI_ frequency distribution function f(N_HI_,X), but the observed distribution agrees with previous estimates at z>2. Adopting the z>2 shape of f(N_HI_, X), we infer an HI mass density at z~0.6 of {rho}_HI_^DLA^=0.25_-0.12_^+0.20^. This is significantly lower than previous estimates from targeted DLA surveys with the HST, but consistent with results from low-z HI 21cm observations, and suggests that the neutral gas density of the universe has been decreasing over the past 10Gyr.
345. HST QSO Catalog
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/736/42
- Title:
- HST QSO Catalog
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/736/42
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present a survey for optically thick Lyman limit absorbers at z<2.6 using archival Hubble Space Telescope observations with the Faint Object Spectrograph and Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. We identify 206 Lyman limit systems (LLSs), increasing the number of cataloged LLSs at z<2.6 by a factor of ~10.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/PASP/106/646
- Title:
- HST quasar absorption-line key project. VIII.
- Short Name:
- J/PASP/106/646
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present an analysis of CCD images (obtained at the Palomar 1.5m telescope) of more than 100 quasars; many of the objects have been or will be observed in the HST Key Project Quasar Absorption-Line Survey. The data set consists of B, g, and i photometry of 117 quasars and deeper g (limiting magnitude of ~22) images of 101 quasar fields. Positions accurate to ~1", measured with the Space Telescope Science Institute's Astrometric Support Program, are listed for all of the quasars in this study. Positions, magnitudes, and classifications of stars and galaxies located within ~100" of the quasars are given for all of the deep g data. The positions of the stars and galaxies relative to the quasar are accurate to ~0.5". The results presented here can be used to prepare spectroscopic programs designed to obtain redshifts of galaxies in the fields of these quasars.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/97/1
- Title:
- HST Quasar Absorption Line Key Project. X.
- Short Name:
- J/ApJS/97/1
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Sensitive H I 21cm emission line spectra have been measured for the directions to 143 quasars and AGNs chosen from the observing lists for the HST Quasar Absorption Line Key Project. Narrow-band and wide-band data were obtained with the NRAO 43m radio telescope for each object. The narrow-band data have a velocity resolution of 1km/s, extend from -220 to +170km/s, and are corrected for stray 21cm radiation. The wide-band data have a resolution of 4km/s and extend from -1000 to +1000km/s. The data are important for the interpretation of ultraviolet absorption lines near zero redshift in Key Project spectra. Twenty-two percent of the quasars lie behind Galactic high-velocity H I clouds with |VLSR|>100km/s whose presence can increase the equivalent width of interstellar absorption lines significantly. This paper contains the emission spectra and measures of the H I velocities and column densities along the sight line to each quasar. We discuss how the measurements can be used to estimate the visual and ultraviolet extinction toward each quasar and to predict the approximate strength of the strong ultraviolet resonance lines of neutral gas species in the HST Key Project spectra.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/195/16
- Title:
- HST survey for Lyman limit systems. I.
- Short Name:
- J/ApJS/195/16
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present a set of 71 quasars observed in the near ultraviolet with the PR200L prism on the Advanced Camera for Surveys and the G280 grism on the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) on board the Hubble Space Telescope. The quasars were selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data to search for intervening Lyman limit system (LLS) absorption. The sample was subjected to the constraints that the quasars have AB magnitude g'<18.5, quasar emission redshift 2.3<z_em_<2.6, and lack strong BAL or z~z_em_ absorption. The median emission redshift of the sample is {bar}z=2.403. The data were all processed using custom data reduction pipelines, and the one-dimensional spectra have sufficient signal-to-noise ratio and resolution to easily identify absorption from LLS over the redshift range 1.2<z<2.5. The WFC3 data presented here are the first non-calibration spectra from the G280 grism.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/765/137
- Title:
- HST survey for Lyman limit systems. II.
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/765/137
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present the first science results from our Hubble Space Telescope survey for Lyman limit absorption systems (LLS) using the low dispersion spectroscopic modes of the Advanced Camera for Surveys and the Wide Field Camera 3. Through an analysis of 71 quasars, we determine the incidence frequency of LLS per unit redshift and per unit path length, l(z) and l(X), respectively, over the redshift range 1<z<2.6, and find a weighted mean of l(X)=0.29+/-0.05 for 2.0<z<2.5 through a joint analysis of our sample and that of Ribaudo et al. (2011, J/ApJ/736/42). Through stacked spectrum analysis, we determine a median (mean) value of the mean free path to ionizing radiation at z=2.4 of {lambda}^912^_mfp_=243(252)h^-1^_72_Mpc, with an error on the mean value of +/-43h^-1^_72_Mpc. We also re-evaluate the estimates of {lambda}^912^_mfp_ from Prochaska et al. (2010, J/ApJ/718/392) and place constraints on the evolution of {lambda}^912^_mfp_ with redshift, including an estimate of the "breakthrough" redshift of z=1.6. Consistent with results at higher z, we find that a significant fraction of the opacity for absorption of ionizing photons comes from systems with N_HI_<=10^17.5^cm^-2^ with a value for the total Lyman opacity of {tau}^Lyman^_eff_=0.40+/-0.15. Finally, we determine that at minimum, a 5-parameter (4 power law) model is needed to describe the column density distribution function f(N_HI_,X) at z~2.4, find that f(N_HI_,X) undergoes no significant change in shape between z~2.4 and z~3.7, and provide our best fit model for f(N_HI_,X).
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/873/132
- Title:
- ICRF3 radio-loud quasars with Gaia DR2 data
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/873/132
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We investigate a sample of 3413 International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF3) extragalactic radio-loud sources with accurate positions determined by very long baseline interferometry in the S/X band, mostly active galactic nuclei and quasars, which are cross-matched with optical sources in the second Gaia data release (Gaia DR2). The main goal of this study is to determine a core sample of astrometric objects that define the mutual orientation of the two fundamental reference frames, the Gaia (optical) and the ICRF3 (radio) frames. The distribution of normalized offsets between the VLBI sources and their optical counterparts is non-Rayleigh, with a deficit around the modal value and a tail extending beyond the 3{sigma} confidence level. A few filters are applied to the sample in order to discard double cross-matches, confusion sources, and Gaia astrometric solutions of doubtful quality. Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System and Dark Energy Survey stacked multicolor images are used to further deselect objects that are less suitable for precision astrometry, such as extended galaxies, double and multiple sources, and obvious misidentifications. After this cleaning, 2643 quasars remain, of which 20% still have normalized offset magnitudes exceeding 3, or a 99% confidence level. We publish a list of 2119 radio-loud quasars of prime astrometric quality. The observed dependence of binned median offset on redshift shows the expected decline at small redshifts, but also an unexpected rise at z~1.6, which may be attributed to the emergence of the CIV emission line in the Gaia's G band. The Gaia DR2 parallax zero-point is found to be color-dependent, suggesting an uncorrected instrumental calibration effect.
