VLT Observations of Two Unusual BAL Quasars

Abstract

Among the unusual broad absorption line quasars being found by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) are objects with much stronger absorption in Fe III than Fe II. These unusual line ratios require a high density in the outflow (n_H >= 3 x 10^{10} cm^{-3}). They should also appear for only a limited range of outflow column densities, which explains their rarity. Previously we suggested that the Fe III line ratios were also affected by a resonance; we now believe this is an artifact of structure in the underlying Fe II + Fe III pseudocontinuum. The SDSS is also discovering objects with absorption in rarely seen transitions such as He I. VLT+UVES high-resolution spectra of one such object, the mini-BAL quasar SDSS 1453+0029, show that it has two He I absorption systems with considerably different properties separated by only 350 km/s.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; to appear in "Active Galactic Nuclei, from Central Engine to Host Galaxy", eds. Collin, Combes & Shlosman, PASP Conference Series, in pres