The rest-frame ultraviolet properties of radio-loud broad absorption line quasars

Abstract

We recently presented radio observations of a large sample of radio-loud broad absorption line (BAL) quasars from the SDSS and FIRST surveys, as well as a well matched sample of unabsorbed quasars, primarily to measure their radio spectral indices and estimate ensemble orientations. Here, we analyze the SDSS spectra of these samples and compare the rest-frame ultraviolet properties of radio-loud BAL and non-BAL quasars. Ultraviolet properties include the continuum shape, emission-line measurements of C IV, Al III, C III], Fe II, and Mg II, and BAL properties including the balnicity index (BI), absorption index (AI), and minimum and maximum outflow velocities. We find that radio-loud BAL quasars have similar ultraviolet properties compared to radio-loud non-BAL sources, though they do appear to have redder continua and stronger Fe II emission, which is consistent with what is found for radio-quiet BAL sources. No correlations exist between outflow properties and orientation (radio spectral index), suggesting that BAL winds along any line of sight are driven by the same mechanisms. There are also few correlations between spectral index and other properties. We conclude that BAL outflows occur along all lines of sight with similar strengths and velocities.

Accepted for publication in MNRAS. Tables 1 and 2 will be published in full with the final online publication

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• Outflow and hot dust emission in broad absorption line quasars
• A Spectroscopic Survey of WISE-selected Obscured Quasars with the Southern African Large Telescope
• The behavior of quasar C IV emission-line properties with orientation
• Quasar emission lines as probes of orientation: implications for disc wind geometries and unification
• Connecting radio emission to AGN wind properties with Broad Absorption Line Quasars
• Rest-frame optical properties of luminous, radio-selected, broad absorption line quasars
• An Infrared Excess Identified in Radio-Loud Broad Absorption Line Quasars
• Using the Properties of Broad Absorption Line Quasars to Illuminate Quasar Structure
• Variability of broad absorption lines in a QSO SDSS J022844.09+000217.0 on multi-year timescales
• Radio-Loud and Radio-Quiet BAL Quasars: A Detailed Ultraviolet Comparison
• The X-ray Spectrum and Spectral Energy Distribution of FIRST J155633.8+351758: a LoBAL Quasar with a Probable Polar Outflow