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GALEX DISCOVERY OF A DAMPED Lyα SYSTEM AT REDSHIFT z ≈ 1* **

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Eric M. Monier1, David A. Turnshek2, Sandhya M. Rao2 and Anja Weyant2

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We report the first discovery of a QSO damped Lyα system (DLA) by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite. The system was initially identified as an Mg II absorption-line system (z abs = 1.028) in the spectrum of Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) QSO J0203-0910 (z em = 1.58). The presence of unusually strong absorption due to metal lines of Zn II, Cr II, Mn II, and Fe II clearly suggested that it might be a DLA with N H I ≥ 2 × 1020 atoms cm–2. Follow-up GALEX NUV grism spectroscopy confirms that the system exhibits a DLA absorption line, with a measured H I column density of N H I = 1.50 ± 0.45 × 1021 atoms cm–2. By combining the GALEX N H I determination with the SDSS spectrum measurements of unsaturated metal-line absorption due to Zn II, which is generally not depleted onto grains, we find that the system's neutral-gas-phase metal abundance is [Zn/H] = –0.70 ± 0.22, or ≈20% solar. By way of comparison, although this system has one of the largest Zn+ column densities, its metal abundances are comparable to other DLAs at z ≈ 1. Measurements of the abundances of Cr, Fe, and Mn help to further pin down the evolutionary state of the absorber.


Footnote
*  Based on observations made with the NASA Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX). GALEX is operated for NASA by the California Institute of Technology under NASA contract NAS5-98034.
Footnote
**  Based in part on data obtained from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.
Keywords

galaxies: evolution; galaxies: formation; quasars: absorption lines; quasars: individual (SDSS J0203-0910)


Dates

Issue 6 (2009 December)

Received 2009 May 22, accepted for publication 2009 September 19

Published 2009 October 29



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