A catalogue of absorption lines in eight Hubble Space Telescope/STIS E230M 1.0 < z < 1.7 quasar spectra

December 2007 • 2007MNRAS.382.1094M

Authors • Milutinović, N. • Misawa, T. • Lynch, R. S. • Masiero, J. R. • Palma, C. • Charlton, J. C. • Kirkman, D. • Bockenhauer, S. • Tytler, D.

Abstract • We have produced a catalogue of line identifications and equivalent width measurements for all absorption features in eight ultraviolet echelle quasar spectra. These spectra were selected as having the highest signal-to-noise ratio among the Hubble Space Telescope/STIS spectra obtained with the E230M grating. We identify 56 metal-line systems towards the eight quasars, and present plots of detected transitions, aligned in velocity space. We found that about 1/4-1/3 of the features in the Lyα forest region, redward of the incidence of the Lyβ forest, are metal lines. High-ionization transitions are common. At the redshift range we study, z < 1.7, we see both OVI and CIV in 88-90 per cent of the metal-line systems for which the spectra cover the expected wavelength. SiIII is seen in 58 per cent, while low-ionization absorption in CII, SiII and/or AlII is detected in 50 per cent of the systems for which they are covered. This catalogue will facilitate future studies of the Lyα forest and of metal-line systems of various types.

Based on observations obtained with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, which is operated by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) for the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5D26555.

E-mail: milni@uvic.ca (NM); misawa@astro.psu.edu (TM); rsl4v@ virginia.edu (RSL); masiero@ifa.hawaii.edu (JRM); cpalma@astro.psu.edu (CP); charlton@astro.psu.edu (JCC); dkirkman@ucsd.edu (DK); sbockenhauer@wisc.edu (SB): tytler@ucsd.edu (DT)

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Joe Masiero

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