Abstract

We present low-resolution ultraviolet spectra of 14 low-redshift (zem ≤ 0:8) quasars observed with the Hubble Space Telescope STIS as part of a Snapshot project to understand the relationship between quasar outflows and luminosity. By design, all observations cover the C iv emission line. Ten of the quasars are from the Hamburg-ESO catalog, three are from the Palomar-Green catalog, and one is from the Parkes catalog. The sample contains a few interesting quasars, including two broad absorption line (BAL) quasars (HE 0143-3535 and HE 0436-2614), one quasar with a mini-BAL (HE 1105-0746), and one quasar with associated narrow absorption (HE 0409-5004). These BAL quasars are among the brightest known (although not the most luminous) since they lie at zem \u3c 0.8. We compare the properties of these BAL quasars to the zem \u3c 0.5 Palomar-Green and zem \u3e 1.4 Large Bright Quasar Survey samples. By design, our objects sample luminosities in between these two surveys, and our four absorbed objects are consistent with the ν ~ L0.62 relation derived by Laor & Brandt (2002). Another quasar, HE 0441-2826, contains extremely weak emission lines, and our spectrum is consistent with a simple power-law continuum. The quasar is radio-loud but has a steep spectral index and a lobe-dominated morphology, which argues against it being a blazar. The unusual spectrum of this quasar resembles the spectra of the quasars PG 1407+265, SDSS J1136+0242, and PKS 1004+13, for which several possible explanations have been entertained

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