We report the discovery of disappearance of Mg ii, Al iii, C iv, and Si iv broad absorption lines (BALs) at the same velocity (0.07c), accompanied by a new C iv BAL emerging at a higher velocity (up to 0.11c), in the quasar J0827+4252 at z = 2.038. This is the first report of BAL disappearance (i) over Mg ii, Al iii, C iv, and Si iv ions and (ii) in a weak emission-line quasar (WLQ). The discovery is based on four spectra from the SDSS and one follow-up spectrum from HET/LRS2. The simultaneous C iv BAL disappearance and emergence at different velocities, together with no variations in the CRTS light curve, indicate that ionization changes in the absorbing material are unlikely to cause the observed BAL variability. Our analyses reveal that transverse motion is the most likely dominant driver of the BAL disappearance/emergence. Given the presence of mildly relativistic BAL outflows and an apparently large C iv emission-line blueshift that is likely associated with strong bulk outflows in this WLQ, J0827+4252 provides a notable opportunity to study extreme quasar winds and their potential in expelling material from inner to large-scale regions.
As astronomers increasingly exploit the information available in the time domain, spectroscopic variability in particular opens broad new channels of investigation. Here we describe the selection algorithms for all targets intended for repeat spectroscopy in the Time Domain Spectroscopic Survey (TDSS), part of the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey within the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-IV. Also discussed are the scientific rationale and technical constraints leading to these target selections. The TDSS includes a large "Repeat Quasar Spectroscopy" (RQS) program delivering ∼13,000 repeat spectra of confirmed SDSS quasars, and several smaller "Few-Epoch Spectroscopy" (FES) programs targeting specific classes of quasars as well as stars. The RQS program aims to provide a large and diverse quasar data set for studying variations in quasar spectra on timescales of years, a comparison sample for the FES quasar programs, and opportunity for discovering rare, serendipitous events. The FES programs cover a wide variety of phenomena in both quasars and stars. Quasar FES programs target broad absorption line quasars, high signal-to-noise ratio normal broad line quasars, quasars with double-peaked or very asymmetric broad emission line profiles, binary supermassive black hole candidates, and the most photometrically variable quasars. Strongly variable stars are also targeted for repeat spectroscopy, encompassing many types of eclipsing binary systems, and classical pulsators like RR Lyrae. Other stellar FES programs allow spectroscopic variability studies of active ultracool dwarf stars, dwarf carbon stars, and white dwarf/M dwarf spectroscopic binaries. We present example TDSS spectra and describe anticipated sample sizes and results.
We report on an X-ray and optical/UV study of eight Broad Absorption Line (BAL) to non-BAL transforming quasars at z ≈ 1.7-2.2 over 0.29-4.95 rest-frame years with at least three spectroscopic epochs for each quasar from the SDSS, BOSS, Gemini , and ARC 3.5-m telescopes. New Chandra observations obtained for these objects show their values of α ox and ∆α ox , as well as their spectral energy distributions, are consistent with those of non-BAL quasars. Moreover, our targets have X-ray spectral shapes that are, on average, consistent with weakened absorption with an effective power-law photon index of Γ eff = 1.69 +0.25 −0.25 . The newer Gemini and ARC 3.5-m spectra reveal that the BAL troughs have remained absent since the BOSS observations where the BAL disappearance was discovered. The X-ray and optical/UV results in tandem are consistent with at least the X-ray absorbing material moving out of the line-of-sight, leaving an X-ray unabsorbed non-BAL quasar. The UV absorber might have become more highly ionized (in a shielding-gas scenario) or also moved out of the line-of-sight (in a wind-clumping scenario).
We study BAL variations of SDSS J141955.28+522741.4 utilizing 32 epochs of spectroscopic observations from SDSS. We identify three individual BAL troughs for C iv and one BAL trough for Si iv. The deepest C iv BAL trough shows significant EW variations in timescales of a few 10 h. The fast component of the deepest C iv BAL presents disappearance and re-emergence preserving its initial velocity range and profile. All identified BAL troughs show coordinated variations supporting that the possible mechanism behind variations are the ionization level changes of the absorbing gas.
Bu çalışma; dört kuazar adayının ilk spektroskopik gözlemlerini sunmaktadır. SDSS ve WISE fotometrik renklerinden hesaplanan yüksek adaylık olasılıklarını göz önünde bulundurarak kuazar adaylarını seçiyoruz. RTT150 teleskobu ve TFOSC tayfçekeri ile elde edilmiştir. Ocak ve Şubat 2021'de toplam 2 gece yapılan gözlemlerle ilk kez uzun-yarık tayfsal verileri elde edilmiştir. Bu verilerin indirgenmesi sonucunda elde ettiğimiz ön sonuçlar, keşfedilen dört kuazarın tayfında geniş ve dar salma çizgilerinin varlığı doğrulanmıştır. Bu dört kuazara ait $z$, $d_L$ ve $M_i(z=2)$ parametreleri hesaplanmıştır.
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