A Mini-BAL Outflow at 900 pc from the Central Source: VLT/X-shooter Observations

Abstract

We determine the physical conditions and location of the outflow material seen in the mini-BAL quasar SDSS J1111+1437 ( z = 2.138). These results are based on the analysis of a high S/N, medium-resolution VLT/X-shooter spectrum. The main outflow component spans the velocity range −1500 to −3000 km s −1 and has detected absorption troughs from both high-ionization species: C iv , N v , O vi , Si iv , P v , and S iv ; and low-ionization species: H i , C ii , Mg ii , Al ii , Al iii , Si ii , and Si iii . Measurements of these troughs allow us to derive an accurate photoionization solution for this absorption component: a hydrogen column density, cm −2 and ionization parameter, . Troughs produced from the ground and excited states of S iv combined with the derived value allow us to determine an electron number density of cm −3 and to obtain the distance of the ionized gas from the central source: pc.