Eric M. Monier et al. 2009 The Astronomical Journal 138 1609 doi:10.1088/0004-6256/138/6/1609
Eric M. Monier1, David A. Turnshek2, Sandhya M. Rao2 and Anja Weyant2
Show affiliationsWe 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.
galaxies: evolution; galaxies: formation; quasars: absorption lines; quasars: individual (SDSS J0203-0910)
Issue 6 (2009 December)
Received 2009 May 22, accepted for publication 2009 September 19
Published 2009 October 29
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