Intergalactic Mg ii absorbers are known to have structures down to scales 10 pc, and there are now indications that they may be fragmented on scalesP10 2.5 pc according to Hao and coworkers. When a lensed quasar is microlensed, the microimages of the quasar experience creation, destruction, distortion, and drastic astrometric changes during caustic crossings. I show that quasar microlensing can...

The early stage in the formation of a galaxy inevitably involves a spatially extended distribution of infalling, cold gas. If a central luminous quasar turned on during this phase, it would result in significant extended Lyα emission (possibly accompanied by other lines), detectable as a “fuzz” of characteristic angular diameter of a few arcseconds, and surface brightness ∼> 10 −18 erg s cm ase...

The severity of the intervening photoelectric absorption out to large redshift due to neutral hydrogen contained in quasar absorption line systems is reassessed in light of improved absorber statistics resulting from the HST Quasar Absorption Line Key Project. Compared to previous estimates, the updated statistics imply roughly a doubling of the anticipated fraction of the sky showing a given r...

We discuss new high-resolution (6.7 km/s) spectra of the associated absorption lines (AALs) in the radio-loud quasar 3C 191. The measured AALs have ionizations ranging from Mg I to N V, and multicomponent profiles that are blueshifted by ∼400 to ∼1400 km/s relative to the quasar’s broad emission lines. Excited-state absorption lines of Si II and C II imply volume densities of ∼300 cm and a nomi...

This deliverable presents the results of spectrum availability assessment for selected scenarios of secondary spectrum access. The basic assessment framework provided in QUASAR deliverable D5.1 is adopted and refined to take into account the characteristics specific to the scenarios. Throughout this deliverable, it is assumed that there exists a single secondary user in the system. Four scenari...

NGC 3628 is a well-studied starburst/low level AGN galaxy in the Leo Triplet noted for its extensive outgassed plumes of neutral hydrogen. QSOs are shown to be concentrated around NGC 3628 and aligned with the HI plumes. The closest high redshift quasar has z=2.15 and is at the tip of an X–ray filament emerging along the minor axis HI plume. Location at this point has an accidental probability ...

We present new data on several z = 1.54 radio-loud quasar fields from a sample of 31 at z = 1− 2 in which we have previously identified an excess population of predominantly red galaxies. Narrow-band Hα observations detect five candidate galaxies at the quasar redshifts in three fields totaling 10.156⊓⊔, a surface density ∼30 times higher than in previous surveys, even targeted ones. SCUBA obse...

We present the discovery of a dusty quasar, SMM J04135+10277, located behind the galaxy cluster Abell 478. The quasar was discovered as the brightest source in a submillimetre survey of high redshift galaxies lensed by foreground rich clusters of galaxies in a project aimed at studying the cosmic star formation history of dusty galaxies. With submillimetre fluxes of S 850 = 25 ± 2.8 mJy and S 4...