AAS 201st Meeting, January, 2003
Session 79. Intergalactic Material: Its Structure and Composition
Poster, Wednesday, January 8, 2003, 9:20am-6:30pm, Exhibit Hall AB

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[79.09] High Resolution Echelle FUV Spectroscopy of the Low Redshift Gas toward the QSO PKS 0312-77

N. Lehner (Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison), H.A. Kobulnicky (Univ. of Wyoming), G.M. Williger (Johns Hopkins Univ.), J.X. Prochaska (UCO/Lick Observatory), D.V. Bowen (Princeton Univ.), J.D. Lowenthal (Univ. of Massachusett)

We present high resolution FUV echelle spectroscopy of several low z absorbers (z < 0.22) in the spectra of the QSO PKS 0312-77. The data were obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (E140M, E230M) at a resolution of 45,000. We find a H I complex at z = 0.202, and associated with one of the H I components, several ions, including highly ionized species (O VI, N V, Si IV) and weakly ionized species (Si II, S III, C II, N II). Another strong H I absorber complex lies 900 km/s to the blue with also an O VI detection. These absorbers are only separated by 5000-6000 km/s from the QSO, and are likely associated with it or its host cluster. The z=0.202 complex possibly produces Lyman limit absorption. We also find a H I complex at z = 0.159, with O VI 350 km/s to the blue. We will discuss our results in conjunction with (i) the WFPC2 F702W images taken in this field suggesting a local galaxy overdensity of ~2 at ~2.3 sigma significance within 30-50'' from the QSO, and (ii) with a multislit galaxy survey around PKS 0312-77 (with the Las Campanas Observatory) to cross-correlate galaxies and absorbers for halo and intracluster gas studies .


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