Quasars with PV broad absorption in BOSS data release 9

Abstract

Broad absorption lines (BALs) found in a significant fraction of quasar spectra identify high-velocity outflows that might be present in all quasars and could be a major factor in feedback to galaxy evolution. Understanding the nature of these flows requires further constraints on their physical properties, including their column densities, for which well-studied BALs, such as CIV 1548,1551, typically provide only a lower limit because of saturation effects. Low-abundance lines, such as PV 1118,1128, indicate large column densities, implying outflows more powerful than measurements of CIV alone would indicate. We search through a sample of 2694 BAL quasars from the SDSS-III/BOSS DR9 quasar catalog for such absorption, and we identify 81 `definite' and 86 `probable' detections of PV broad absorption, yielding a firm lower limit of 3.0-6.2% for the incidence of such absorption among BAL quasars. The PV-detected quasars tend to have stronger CIV and SiIV absorption, as well as a higher incidence of LoBAL absorption, than the overall BAL quasar population. Many of the PV-detected quasars have CIV troughs that do not reach zero intensity (at velocities where PV is detected), confirming that the outflow gas only partially covers the UV continuum source. PV appears significantly in a composite spectrum of non-PV-detected BAL quasars, indicating that PV absorption (and large column densities) are much more common than indicated by our search results. Our sample of PV detections significantly increases the number of known PV detections, providing opportunities for follow-up studies to better understand BAL outflow energetics.

18 pages, 12 figures. All spectral plots available at http://www.dancapellupo.com/boss-pv-bal-spectral-plots.html

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• Statistical correlation between the distribution of Ly$\alpha$ emitters and IGM HI at $z\sim 2.2$ mapped by Subaru/Hyper Suprime-Cam
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• HST/COS Observations of Quasar Outflows in the 500 -- 1050 Å Rest Frame: II The Most Energetic Quasar Outflow Measured to Date
• The z=0.54 LoBAL Quasar SDSS J085053.12+445122.5: II. The Nature of Partial Covering in the Broad-Absorption-Line Outflow
• Saturation Effect on Photoionization-driven Broad Absorption Line Variability
• HST/COS Observations of Quasar Outflows in the 500 -- 1050 Å Rest Frame: VI Wide, Energetic Outflows in SDSS J0755+2306
• Galactic Winds across the Gas-Rich Merger Sequence: I. Highly Ionized N V and O VI Outflows in the QUEST Quasars
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• A Catalog of High-Velocity CIV Mini-BALs in the VLT-UVES and Keck-HIRES Archives