arXiv subjects

Pasquier Noterdaeme

Publications and source records attributed to Pasquier Noterdaeme.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Host Galaxies of Ultra Strong Mg II absorbers at z $\sim$ 0.5

From a sample of 109 candidate Ultra-Strong Mg II (USMgII; having rest equivalent width of Mg II absorption, $W_{2796}>3.0$ Angstrom) systems at z=0.4-0.6, we confirm 27 and identify host galaxies of 20 systems based on associated nebular line emission from our SALT observations or from SDSS fiber spectra. The measured impact parameter, [O II] luminosity, star formation rate, B-band luminosity and stellar mass are in the ranges $7.3\le D[kpc]\le79$, $0.2\le L_{[O II]}[ 10^{41}~erg s^{-1}]$ $\le 4.5$, $2.59\le SFR[M_\odot yr^{-1} ]\le 33.51$, $0.15L_B^*\le L_B\le1.63L_B^*$ and $10.21\le log[M_*/M_\odot]\le11.62$ respectively. The impact parameters found are larger than that predicted by the $W_{2796}$ vs D relationship of the general population of Mg II absorbers. At a given D, USMgII host galaxies are more luminous and massive compared to typical Mg II absorbers. However, the measured SFRs are slightly lower than that of main-sequence galaxies with the same M$_\star$ at $z\sim0.5$. We report a correlation between $L_{[O II]}$ and W$_{2796}$ for the full population of Mg II absorbers, driven mainly by the host galaxies of weak Mg II absorbers that tend to have low $L_{[O II]}$ and large impact parameters. We find at least $\sim$33% of the USMgII host galaxies (with a limiting magnitude of $m_r<23.6$) are isolated and the large $W_{2796}$ in these cases may originate from gas flows (infall/outflow) in single halos of massive but not starburst galaxies. We also find galaxy interactions could be responsible for large velocity widths in at least $\sim$17% cases.

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arXiv2022

Molecular hydrogen in absorption at high redshifts. Science cases for CUBES

Absorption lines from molecular hydrogen ($\rm H_2$) in the spectra of background sources are a powerful probe of the physical conditions in intervening cold neutral medium. At high redshift, $z>2$, $\rm H_2$ lines are conveniently shifted in the optical domain, allowing the use of ground-based telescopes to perform high-resolution spectroscopy, which is essential for a proper analysis of the cold gas. We describe recent observational progress, based on the development of efficient pre-selection techniques in low-resolution spectroscopic surveys such as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The next generation of spectrographs with high blue-throughput, such as CUBES, will certainly significantly boost the efficiency and outcome of follow-up observations. In this paper, we discuss high priority science cases for CUBES, building on recent $\rm H_2$ observations at high-z: probing the physical conditions in the cold phase of regular galaxies and outflowing gas from active galactic nucleus.

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arXiv2022

Primordial helium-3 redux: The helium isotope ratio of the Orion nebula

We report the first direct measurement of the helium isotope ratio, 3He/4He, outside of the Local Interstellar Cloud, as part of science verification observations with the upgraded CRyogenic InfraRed Echelle Spectrograph (CRIRES). Our determination of 3He/4He is based on metastable HeI* absorption along the line-of-sight towards Tet02 Ori A in the Orion Nebula. We measure a value 3He/4He=(1.77+/-0.13)x10^{-4}, which is just ~40 per cent above the primordial relative abundance of these isotopes, assuming the Standard Model of particle physics and cosmology, (3He/4He)_p = (1.257+/-0.017)x10^-4. We calculate a suite of galactic chemical evolution simulations to study the Galactic build up of these isotopes, using the yields from Limongi & Chieffi (2018) for stars in the mass range M=8-100 M_sun and Lagarde (2011,2012) for M=0.8-8 M_sun. We find that these simulations simultaneously reproduce the Orion and protosolar 3He/4He values if the calculations are initialized with a primordial ratio (3He/4He)_p=(1.043+/-0.089)x10^-4. Even though the quoted error does not include the model uncertainty, this determination agrees with the Standard Model value to within ~2sigma. We also use the present-day Galactic abundance of deuterium (D/H), helium (He/H), and 3He/4He to infer an empirical limit on the primordial 3He abundance, (3He/H)_p < (1.09+/-0.18)x10^-5, which also agrees with the Standard Model value. We point out that it is becoming increasingly difficult to explain the discrepant primordial 7Li/H abundance with non-standard physics, without breaking the remarkable simultaneous agreement of three primordial element ratios (D/H, 4He/H, and 3He/4He) with the Standard Model values.

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arXiv2022

Discovery of a damped Ly$α$ absorber originating in a spectacular interacting dwarf galaxy pair at $z = 0.026$

We present the discovery of neutral gas detected in both damped Ly$α$ absorption (DLA) and HI 21-cm emission outside of the stellar body of a galaxy, the first such detection in the literature. A joint analysis between the Cosmic Ultraviolet Baryon Survey and the MeerKAT Absorption Line Survey reveals an HI bridge connecting two interacting dwarf galaxies (log$(M_{\text{star}}/\text{M}_{\odot}) = 8.5 \pm 0.2$) that host a $z = 0.026$ DLA with log[$N$(HI)/cm$^{-2}$]$ = 20.60 \pm 0.05$ toward the QSO J2339-5523 ($z_{\text{QSO}} = 1.35$). At impact parameters of $d = 6$ and $33$ kpc, the dwarf galaxies have no companions more luminous than $\approx 0.05L_{*}$ within at least $Δv = \pm 300$ km s$^{-1}$ and $d \approx 350$ kpc. HI 21-cm emission is spatially coincident with the DLA at the 2-3$σ$ level per spectral channel over several adjacent beams. However, HI 21-cm absorption is not detected against the radio-bright QSO; if the background UV and radio sources are spatially aligned, the gas is either warm or clumpy (with spin temperature to covering factor ratio $T_{s}/f_{c} > 1880$ K). VLT-MUSE observations demonstrate that the $α$-element abundance of the ionized ISM is consistent with the DLA ($\approx 10$% solar), suggesting that the neutral gas envelope is perturbed ISM gas. This study showcases the impact of dwarf-dwarf interactions on the physical and chemical state of neutral gas outside of star-forming regions. In the SKA era, joint UV and HI 21-cm analyses will be critical for connecting the cosmic neutral gas content to galaxy environments.

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arXiv2021

Damped Ly-alpha Absorbers in Star-forming Galaxies at z < 0.15 Detected with the Hubble Space Telescope and Implications for Galaxy Evolution

We report {\it HST} COS spectroscopy of 10 quasars with foreground star-forming galaxies at 0.02$<$$z$$<$ 0.14 within impact parameters of $\sim$1-7 kpc. We detect damped/sub-damped Ly$α$ absorption in 100$\%$ of cases where no higher-redshift Lyman-limit systems extinguish the flux at the expected wavelength of Ly$α$ absorption, obtaining the largest targeted sample of DLA/sub-DLAs in low-redshift galaxies. We present absorption measurements of neutral hydrogen and metals. Additionally, we present GBT 21-cm emission measurements for 5 of the galaxies (including 2 detections). Combining our sample with the literature, we construct a sample of 115 galaxies associated with DLA/sub-DLAs spanning 0$<$$z$$<$4.4, and examine trends between gas and stellar properties, and with redshift. The H~I column density is anti-correlated with impact parameter and stellar mass. More massive galaxies appear to have gas-rich regions out to larger distances. The specific SFR (sSFR) of absorbing galaxies increases with redshift and decreases with $M^{\ast}$, consistent with evolution of the star-formation main sequence (SFMS). However, $\sim$20$\%$ of absorbing galaxies lie below the SFMS, indicating that some DLA/sub-DLAs trace galaxies with longer-than-typical gas-depletion time-scales. Most DLA/sub-DLA galaxies with 21-cm emission have higher H I masses than typical galaxies with comparable $M^{\ast}$. High $M_{\rm H I}/M^{\ast}$ ratios and high sSFRs in DLA/sub-DLA galaxies with $M^{\ast}$$<$$10^{9}$$M_{\odot}$ suggest these galaxies may be gas-rich because of recent gas accretion rather than inefficient star formation. Our study demonstrates the power of absorption and emission studies of DLA/sub-DLA galaxies for extending galaxy-evolution studies to previously under-explored regimes of low $M^{\ast}$ and low SFR.

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arXiv2021

Spatially resolved Lyman-$α$ emission around radio bright quasars

We use Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) to perform long-slit spectroscopic observations of 23 newly discovered radio-loud quasars (RLQs) at $2.7 $1000 km/s in all, except one). Using the samples of high-$z$ radio-loud quasars and galaxies from literature, we confirm the correlation between the Ly$α$ halo luminosity and its size with radio power ($L_{\rm 420MHz}$). The same quantities are found to be correlating weakly with the projected linear size of the radio emission. Our sample is the second largest sample of RLQs being studied for the presence of diffuse Ly$α$ emission and fills in a redshift gap between previous such studies. Integral Field Spectroscopy is required to fully understand the relationship between the large scale radio emission and the overall distribution, kinematics and over density of Ly$α$ emission in the field of these RLQs.

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arXiv2021

Lyman-$α$ emission from a WISE-selected optically faint powerful radio galaxy M151304.72-252439.7 at $z$ = 3.132

We report the detection of a large ($\sim90$ kpc) and luminous $\mathrm{Lyα}$ nebula [$L\mathrm{_{Lyα}}$ = $(6.80\pm0.08)\times 10^{44}$] $\rm{\,erg\,s^{-1}}$ around an optically faint (r$>23$ mag) radio galaxy M1513-2524 at $z\mathrm{_{em}}$=3.132. The double-lobed radio emission has an extent of 184 kpc, but the radio core, i.e., emission associated with the active galactic nucleus (AGN) itself, is barely detected. This object was found as part of our survey to identify high-$z$ quasars based on Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) colors. The optical spectrum has revealed $\mathrm{Lyα}$, NV, CIV and HeII emission lines with a very weak continuum. Based on long-slit spectroscopy and narrow band imaging centered on the $\mathrm{Lyα}$ emission, we identify two spatial components: a "compact component" with high velocity dispersion ($\sim 1500$$\rm{\,km\,s^{-1}}$) seen in all three lines, and an "extended component", having low velocity dispersion (i.e., 700-1000$\rm{\,km\,s^{-1}}$). The emission line ratios are consistent with the compact component being in photoionization equilibrium with an AGN. We also detect spatially extended associated $\mathrm{Lyα}$ absorption, which is blue-shifted within 250-400$\rm{\,km\,s^{-1}}$ of the $\mathrm{Lyα}$ peak. The probability of $\mathrm{Lyα}$ absorption detection in such large radio sources is found to be low ($\sim$10%) in the literature. M1513-2524 belongs to the top few percent of the population in terms of $\mathrm{Lyα}$ and radio luminosities. Deep integral field spectroscopy is essential for probing this interesting source and its surroundings in more detail.

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arXiv2020

Discovery of a damped Ly$α$ galaxy at z $\sim$ 3 towards the quasar SDSS J011852+040644

We report the detection of the host galaxy of a damped Ly$α$ system (DLA) with log N(HI) $ [\rm cm^{-2}]$ = $21.0 \pm 0.10$ at $z \approx 3.0091$ towards the background quasar SDSS J011852+040644 using the Palomar Cosmic Web Imager (PCWI) at the Hale (P200) telescope. We detect Ly$α$ emission in the dark core of the DLA trough at a 3.3$σ$ confidence level, with Ly$α$ luminosity of $L_{\rm Lyα}$ $\rm = (3.8 \pm 0.8) \times 10^{42}\ erg\ s^{-1}$, corresponding to a star formation rate of $\gtrsim 2\ \rm M_{\odot}\ yr^{-1}$ (considering a lower limit on Ly$α$ escape fraction $f_{esc}^{Lyα} \sim 2\%$) as typical for Lyman break galaxies at these redshifts. The Ly$α$ emission is blueshifted with respect to the systemic redshift derived from metal absorption lines by $281 \pm 43$ km/s. The associated galaxy is at very small impact parameter of $\lesssim 12 \rm\ kpc$ from the background quasar, which is in line with the observed anticorrelation between column density and impact parameter in spectroscopic searches tracing the large-scale environments of DLA host galaxies.

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arXiv2020

Modeling the Statistics of the Cold Neutral Medium in Absorption-selected High-redshift Galaxies

We present a statistical model of the selection function of cold neutral gas in high-redshift (z~2.5) absorption systems. The model is based on the canonical two-phase model of the neutral gas in the interstellar medium and contains only one parameter for which we do not have direct observational priors: namely the central pressure (P*) of an L* halo at z=2.5. Using observations of the fraction of cold gas absorption in strong HI-selected absorbers, we are able to constrain P*. The model simultaneously reproduces the column density distributions of HI and H$_2$, and we derive an expected total incidence of cold gas at z~2.5 of $l_{CNM} = 12\times 10^{-3}$. Compared to recent measurements of the incidence of CI-selected absorbers (EW$_{CI\,1560}$ > 0.4 Å), the value of $l_{CNM}$ from our model indicates that only ~15% of the total cold gas would lead to strong CI absorption (EW > 0.4 Å). Nevertheless, CI lines are extremely useful probes of the cold gas as they are relatively easy to detect and provide direct constraints on the physical conditions. Lastly, our model self-consistently reproduces the fraction of cold gas absorbers as a function of N(HI).

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arXiv2020

A Carbon-enhanced Lyman Limit System: Signature of the First Generation of Stars?

We present the study of a Lyman limit system (LLS) at $z_{\rm abs}$ = 1.5441 towards quasar J134122.50+185213.9 observed with VLT X-shooter. This is a very peculiar system with strong C I absorption seen associated with a neutral hydrogen column density of log $N$(H I) (cm$^{-2}$) = 18.10, too small to shield the gas from any external UV flux. The low ionization absorption lines exhibit a simple kinematic structure consistent with a single component. Using CLOUDY models to correct for ionization, we find that the ionization parameter of the gas is in the range $-$ 4.5 $<$ log $U$ $<$ $-$4.2 and the gas density $-$1.5 $<$ log $n$(H) (cm$^{-3}$) $<$ $-$1.2. The models suggest that carbon is overabundant relative to iron, [C/Fe] $>$ +2.2 at [Fe/H] $\sim$ $-$1.6. Such a metal abundance pattern is reminiscent of carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars detected in the Galaxy halo. Metal enrichment by the first generation of supernovae provides a plausible explanation for the inferred abundance pattern in this system.

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arXiv2019

The effect of dust bias on the census of neutral gas and metals in the high-redshift Universe due to SDSS-II quasar colour selection

We present a systematic study of the impact of a dust bias on samples of damped Lyman-$α$ absorbers (DLAs). This bias arises as an effect of the magnitude and colour criteria utilized in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasar target selection up until data release 7 (DR7). The bias has previously been quantified assuming only a contribution from the dust obscuration. In this work, we apply the full set of magnitude and colour criteria used up until SDSS DR7 in order to quantify the full impact of dust biasing against dusty and metal-rich DLAs. We apply the quasar target selection algorithm on a modelled population of intrinsic colours, and by exploring the parameter space consisting of redshift, ($z_{\rm QSO}$ and $z_{\rm abs}$), optical extinction, and HI column density, we demonstrate how the selection probability depends on these variables. We quantify the dust bias on the following properties derived for DLAs at z=3: the incidence rate, the mass density of neutral hydrogen and metals, the average metallicity. We find that all quantities are significantly affected. When considering all uncertainties, the mass density of neutral hydrogen is underestimated by 10 to 50%, and the mass density in metals is underestimated by 30 to 200%. Lastly, we find that the bias depends on redshift. At redshift z=2.2, the mass density of neutral hydrogen and metals might be underestimated by up to a factor of 2 and 5, respectively. Characterizing such a bias is crucial in order to accurately interpret and model the properties and metallicity evolution of absorption-selected galaxies.

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arXiv2019

Gaia-assisted selection of a quasar reddened by dust in an extremely-strong Damped Lyman-α Absorber at z=2.226

Damped Lyman-α Absorbers (DLAs) as a class of QSO absorption-line systems are currently our most important source of detailed information on the cosmic chemical evolution of galaxies. However, the degree to which this information is biased by dust remains to be understood. One strategy is to specifically search for QSOs reddened by metal-rich and dusty foreground absorbers. In this Letter we present the discovery of a z=2.60 QSO strongly reddened by dust in an intervening extremely-strong DLA at z=2.226. This QSO was identified through a novel selection combining the astrometric measurements from ESA's Gaia satellite with extent optical and near/mid-infrared photometry. We infer a total neutral atomic-hydrogen column density of log N(HI)=21.95{\pm}0.15 and a lower limit on the gas-phase metallicity of [Zn/H]>-0.96. This DLA is also remarkable in exhibiting shielded neutral gas witnessed in CI and tentative detections of CO molecular bands. The Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) of the QSO is well-accounted for by a normal QSO-SED reddened by dust from a DLA with a 10%-of-Solar metallicity, dust extinction of A_V=0.82{\pm}0.02mag, and LMC-like extinction curve including the characteristic 2175Å extinction feature. Such QSO absorption-line systems have shown to be very rare in previous surveys, which have mostly revealed sight-lines with low extinction. The present case therefore suggests that previous samples have under-represented the fraction of dusty absorbers. Building a complete sample of such systems is needed to assess the significance of this effect.

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arXiv2018

Deceleration of CIV and SiIV broad absorption lines in X-ray bright quasar SDSS-J092345+512710

We report a synchronized kinematic shift of CIV and SiIV broad absorption lines (BAL) in a high-ionization, radio-loud, and X-ray bright quasar SDSS-J092345+512710 (at $z_{em} \sim 2.1627$). This quasar shows two broad absorption components (blue component at $v \sim 14,000\ km\ s^{-1}$, and red component at $v \sim 4,000\ km\ s^{-1}$ with respect to the quasars systemic redshift). The absorption profiles of CIV and SiIV BAL of the blue component show decrease in outflow velocity with an average deceleration rate of $-1.62_{-0.05}^{+0.04}\ cm\ s^{-2}$ and $-1.14^{+0.21}_{-0.22}\ cm\ s^{-2}$ over a rest-frame time-span of 4.15 yr. We do not see any acceleration-like signature in the red component. This is consistent with dramatic variabilities usually seen at high velocities. During our monitoring period the quasar has shown no strong continuum variability. We suggest the observed variability could be related to the time dependent changes in disk wind parameters like launching radius, initial flow velocity or mass outflow rate.

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arXiv2018

The science case for POLLUX, a high-resolution UV spectropolarimeter onboard LUVOIR

POLLUX is a high-resolution, UV spectropolarimeter proposed for the 15-meter primary mirror option of LUVOIR. The instrument Phase 0 study is supported by the French Space Agency (CNES) and performed by a consortium of European scientists. POLLUX has been designed to deliver high-resolution spectroscopy (R> 120,000) over a broad spectral range (90-390 nm). Its unique spectropolarimetric capabilities will open-up a vast new parameter space, in particular in the unexplored UV domain and in a regime where high-resolution observations with current facilities in the visible domain are severely photon starved. POLLUX will address a range of questions at the core of the LUVOIR Science portfolio. The combination of high resolution and broad coverage of the UV bandpass will resolve narrow UV emission and absorption lines originating in diffuse media, thus permitting the study of the baryon cycle over cosmic time: from galaxies forming stars out of interstellar gas and grains, and stars forming planets, to the various forms of feedback into the interstellar and intergalactic medium (ISM and IGM), and active galactic nuclei (AGN). UV circular and linear polarimetry will reveal the magnetic fields for a wide variety of objects for the first time, from AGN outflows to a diverse range of stars, stellar explosions (both supernovae and their remnants), the ISM and IGM. It will enable detection of polarized light reflected from exoplanets (or their circumplanetary material and moons), characterization of the magnetospheres of stars and planets (and their interactions), and measurements of the influence of magnetic fields at the (inter)galactic scale. In this paper, we outline the key science cases of POLLUX, together with its high-level technical requirements. The instrument design, its estimated performances, and the required technology development are presented in a separated paper.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2018

Eclipsing damped Ly$α$ systems in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 12

We present the results of our automatic search for proximate damped Ly$α$ absorption (PDLA) systems in the quasar spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 12. We constrain our search to those PDLAs lying within 1500 km s$^{-1}$ from the quasar to make sure that the broad DLA absorption trough masks most of the strong Ly$α$ emission from the broad line region (BLR) of the quasar. When the Ly$α$ emission from the BLR is blocked by these so-called eclipsing DLAs, narrow Ly$α$ emission from the host galaxy could be revealed as a narrow emission line (NEL) in the DLA trough. We define a statistical sample of 399 eclipsing DLAs with log$N$(HI)$\ge$21.10. We divide our statistical sample into three subsamples based on the strength of the NEL detected in the DLA trough. By studying the stacked spectra of these subsamples, we found that absorption from high ionization species are stronger in DLAs with stronger NEL in their absorption core. Moreover, absorption from the excited states of species like SiII are also stronger in DLAs with stronger NEL. We also found no correlation between the luminosity of the Ly$α$ NEL and the quasar luminosity. These observations are consistent with a scenario in which the DLAs with stronger NEL are denser and physically closer to the quasar. We propose that these eclipsing DLAs could be the product of the interaction between infalling and outflowing gas. High resolution spectroscopic observation would be needed to shed some light on the nature of these eclipsing DLAs.

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arXiv2018

Constraining the H$_2$ column density distribution at z$\sim$3 from composite DLA spectra

We present the detection of the average H$_2$ absorption signal in the overall population of neutral gas absorption systems at $z\sim 3$ using composite absorption spectra built from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-III damped Lyman-$α$ catalogue. We present a new technique to directly measure the H$_2$ column density distribution function $f_{\rm H_2}(N)$ from the average H$_2$ absorption signal. Assuming a power-law column density distribution, we obtain a slope $β= -1.29 \pm 0.06(\rm stat) \pm 0.10 (\rm sys)$ and an incidence rate of strong H$_2$ absorptions (with $N$(H$_2)\gtrsim 10^{18}\,$cm$^{-2}$) to be $4.0 \pm 0.5(\rm stat) \pm 1.0 (\rm sys)\,\%$ in H$\,$I absorption systems with $N($H$\,$I)$\ge 10^{20}\,$cm$^{-2}$. Assuming the same inflexion point where $f_{\rm H_2}(N)$ steepens as at $z=0$, we estimate that the cosmological density of H$_2$ in the column density range $\log N(\rm H_2)$(cm$^{-2})= 18-22$ is $\sim 15\%$ of the total. We find one order of magnitude higher H$_2$ incident rate in a sub-sample of extremely strong DLAs ($\log N($H$\,$I)(cm$^{-2}) \ge 21.7$), which, together with the the derived shape of $f_{\rm H_2}(N)$, suggests that the typical H$\,$I-H$_2$ transition column density in DLAs is $\log N({\rm H})$(cm$^{-2}) \gtrsim 22.3$ in agreement with theoretical expectations for the average (low) metallicity of DLAs at high-$z$.

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arXiv2018

Near Infrared spectroscopic observations of high redshift C~{\sc i} absorbers

We study a sample of 17 z>1.5 absorbers selected based on the presence of strong CI absorption lines in SDSS spectra and observed with the ESO-VLT spectrograph X-shooter. We derive metallicities, depletion onto dust, and extinction by dust, and analyse the absorption from MgII, MgI, CaII and NaI that are redshifted into the near infrared wavelength range. We show that most of these CI absorbers have high metallicity and dust content. We detect nine CaII absorptions with $W$(CaII$λ$3934) >0.23 Åout of 14 systems where we have appropriate wavelength coverage. The observed equivalent widths are similar to what has been measured in other lower redshift surveys of CaII systems. We detect ten NaI absorptions in the 11 systems where we could observe this absorption. The median equivalent width ($W$(NaI$λ$5891) = 0.68 Å) is larger than what is observed in local clouds with similar HI column densities but also in z<0.7 CaII systems detected in the SDSS. The systematic presence of NaI absorption in these CI systems strongly suggests that the gas is neutral and cold, maybe part of the diffuse molecular gas in the ISM of high-redshift galaxies. Most of the systems (12 out of 17) have $W$(MgII$λ$2796) > 2.5 Åand six of them have log N(HI) < 20.3, with the extreme case of J1341+1852 that has log N(HI) = 18.18. The MgII absorptions are spread over more than $Δv$ $\sim$ 400 km s$^{-1}$ for half of the systems; three absorbers have $Δv$ > 500 km s$^{-1}$. The kinematics are strongly perturbed for most of these systems, which probably do not arise in quiet disks and must be close to regions with intense star-formation activity and/or are part of interacting objects. All this suggests that a large fraction of the cold gas at high redshift arises in disturbed environments.

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arXiv2018

Average [O II] nebular emission associated with Mg II absorbers: Dependence on Fe II absorption

We investigate the effect of Fe II equivalent width ($W_{2600}$) and fibre size on the average luminosity of [O II]$λλ$3727,3729 nebular emission associated with Mg II absorbers (at $0.55 \le z \le 1.3$) in the composite spectra of quasars obtained with 3 and 2 arcsec fibres in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We confirm the presence of strong correlations between [O II] luminosity (L$_{[\rm O~II]}$) and equivalent width ($W_{2796}$) and redshift of Mg II absorbers. However, we show L$_{[\rm O~II]}$ and average luminosity surface density suffers from fibre size effects. More importantly, for a given fibre size the average L$_{[\rm O~II]}$ strongly depends on the equivalent width of Fe II absorption lines and found to be higher for Mg II absorbers with $R \equiv$ $W_{\rm 2600}/W_{\rm 2796}$ $\ge 0.5$. In fact, we show the observed strong correlations of L$_{[\rm O~II]}$ with $W_{2796}$ and $z$ of Mg II absorbers are mainly driven by such systems. Direct [O II] detections also confirm the link between L$_{[\rm O~II]}$ and $R$. Therefore, one has to pay attention to the fibre losses and dependence of redshift evolution of Mg II absorbers on $W_{2600}$ before using them as a luminosity unbiased probe of global star formation rate density. We show that the [O II] nebular emission detected in the stacked spectrum is not dominated by few direct detections (i.e., detections $\ge 3 σ$ significant level). On an average the systems with $R$ $\ge 0.5$ and $W_{2796}$ $\ge 2$ Å are more reddened, showing colour excess E($B-V$) $\sim$ 0.02, with respect to the systems with $R$ $< 0.5$ and most likely traces the high H I column density systems.

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