Searching for Quasar-Intrinsic Absorption Through Time Variability

Details Searching for Quasar-Intrinsic Absorption Through Time Variability Searching for Quasar-Intrinsic Absorption Through Time Variability

Jul 2004

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2004hst..prop10296g&link_type=abstract

HST Proposal ID #10296

Physics

Hst Proposal Id #10296 Agn/Quasars

Scientific paper

We propose to use multi-epoch, low-resolution spectra of quasars from the HST archive to look for narrow absorption lines that exhibit time variability. This is an economical test for identifying absorbers that are intrinsic to the quasar central engine, and also provides constraints on the density an/or location of the gas. Narrow absorption lines {NALs} which appear in the spectra of quasars are very powerful tool to diagnose the physical conditions {e.g., ionization, geometry} from a variety of structures, ranging from the ISM of the Galaxy, to the central engine of the quasar. The primary signatures that distinguish intrinsic NALs from intervening NALs are partial coverage of the background source and time variability. The former requires high spectral resolution which can be observationally expensive. We have completed a pilot study using associated NALs {those which appear near the quasar redshift} and have devised an approach to efficiently select time-variable absorption using multi-epoch spectra from different instruments. We wish to expand our search to the 100 quasars that have archived multi-epoch low-resolution spectra. The quasars span a large range of redshifts and luminosity, and the proposed study will allow us to select low- and high-velocity intrinsic NALs. Furthermore, we can decipher the underlying cause of the variability - bulk motion of the gas, or ionization changes - which have differing observational signatures.

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