AAS 203rd Meeting, January 2004
Session 41 Warm-Hot IM
Poster, Tuesday, January 6, 2004, 9:20am-6:30pm, Grand Hall

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[41.04] Properties of the Highly Ionized High-Velocity Absorption Systems in the UV Spectra of four AGNs

A. J. Fox, B. D. Savage, B. P. Wakker (UW-Madison), T. M. Tripp (University of Massachusetts), K. R. Sembach (Space Telescope Science Institute)

We present a detailed ultraviolet absorption line study of four high-positive-velocity, highly ionized systems toward the active galaxies HE 0226-4110, Mrk 509, PG 0953+414, and PKS 0405-12. Using Far-Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) and Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (HST/STIS) observations, we explore the kinematics and physical conditions in the highly ionized absorbers with velocities ranging from 100 to 300 km s-1, in an attempt to understand their origins. The inter-relationships between the properties of absorption in different ionic species (e.g. H I, C III, C IV, Si III, Si IV, and O VI) reveal a wealth of information about the absorbing gas. It has been claimed that the high-velocity O VI detections trace gas in the Local Group, possibly as part of a warm-hot extragalactic filament. We consider whether the high-velocity O VI in our sight lines is distant extragalactic material, or might instead be tracing either a fountain outflow or matter that has been tidally stripped from nearby dwarf galaxies. We appreciate financial support from NASA contract NAS5-32985.


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