THE X-RAY PROPERTIES OF THE OPTICALLY BRIGHTEST MINI-BAL QUASARS FROM THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY

Journal Article · Sat Nov 20 00:00:00 EST 2010 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/724/1/762· OSTI ID:21471164

Jianfeng, Wu; Brandt, W N; Comins, M L; Garmire, Gordon P; Schneider, Donald P ^[1]; Gibson, Robert R ^[2]; Shemmer, Ohad ^[3]

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1. Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802 (United States)
2. Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Box 351580, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States)
3. Department of Physics, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203 (United States)

We have compiled a sample of 14 of the optically brightest radio-quiet quasars (m{sub i} {<=} 17.5 and z {>=} 1.9) in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5 quasar catalog that have C IV mini-broad absorption lines (mini-BALs) present in their spectra. X-ray data for 12 of the objects were obtained via a Chandra snapshot survey using ACIS-S, while data for the other two quasars were obtained from archival XMM-Newton observations. Joint X-ray spectral analysis shows that the mini-BAL quasars have a similar average power-law photon index ({Gamma} {approx} 1.9) and level of intrinsic absorption (N{sub H} {approx}< 8 x 10{sup 21} cm{sup -2}) as non-BMB (neither BAL nor mini-BAL) quasars. Mini-BAL quasars are more similar to non-BMB quasars than to BAL quasars in their distribution of relative X-ray brightness (assessed with {Delta}{alpha}{sub ox}). Relative colors indicate mild dust reddening in the optical spectra of mini-BAL quasars. Significant correlations between {Delta}{alpha}{sub ox} and UV absorption properties are confirmed for a sample of 56 sources combining mini-BAL and BAL quasars with high signal-to-noise ratio rest-frame UV spectra, which generally supports models in which X-ray absorption is important in enabling driving of the UV absorption-line wind. We also propose alternative parameterizations of the UV absorption properties of mini-BAL and BAL quasars, which may better describe the broad absorption troughs in some respects.

• OSTI ID: 21471164
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 724, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/724/1/762; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
ABSORPTION
BRIGHTNESS
DUSTS
GALAXY NUCLEI
QUASARS
SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO
ULTRAVIOLET SPECTRA
X RADIATION
X-RAY GALAXIES
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
COSMIC RAY SOURCES
COSMIC X-RAY SOURCES
DIMENSIONLESS NUMBERS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
GALAXIES
IONIZING RADIATIONS
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RADIATIONS
SORPTION
SPECTRA