The objective of this work is to obtain an extinction-corrected distribution of optical surface brightness and colour indices of the large nearby galaxy M 31 using homogeneous observational data and a model for intrinsic extinction.
We process the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) images in ugriz passbands and construct corresponding mosaic images, taking special care of subtracting the varying sky background. We apply the galactic model developed in Tempel et al. (2010) and far-infrared imaging to correct the photometry for intrinsic dust effects.
We obtain observed and dust-corrected distributions of the surface brightness of M 31 and a map of line-of-sight extinctions inside the galaxy. Our extinction model suggests that either M 31 is intrinsically non-symmetric along the minor axis or the dust properties differ from those of the Milky Way. Assuming the latter case, we present the surface brightness distributions and integral photometry for the Sloan filters as well as the standard UBVRI system. We find the following intrinsic integral colour indices for M 31: (U-B)_0=0.35; (B-V)_0=0.86; (V-R)_0=0.63; (R-I)_0=0.53; the total intrinsic absorption-corrected luminosities of M 31 in the B and the V filters are 4.10 and 3.24 mag, respectively.
We present $g^\prime$ and $z^\prime$ aperture photometry for 96 Galactic Globular Clusters, making this the largest homogeneous catalog of photometry for these objects in the SDSS filter system. For a subset of 56 clusters we also provide photometry in $r^\prime$ and $i^\prime$. We carry out comparisons with previous photometry as well as with the SDSS dataset. The data will be useful for a series of applications in Galactic and extragalactic astrophysics. Future papers will analyse the colour-metallicity relation, colour-magnitude diagrams, and structural parameters. The compilation of result…
Observed galaxy luminosities (derived from redshifts) hold information on the large-scale peculiar velocity field in the form of spatially correlated scatter, which allows for bounds on bulk flows and the growth rate of matter density perturbations using large galaxy redshift surveys. We apply this luminosity approach to galaxies from the recent SDSS Data Release 13. Our goal is twofold. First, we take advantage of the recalibrated photometry to identify possible systematic errors relevant to our previous analysis of earlier data. Second, we seek improved constraints on the bulk flow and the n…
In this letter, we present for the first time, the discovery of the disappearance of a narrow Mg II $λ\lambda2796,2803$ absorption system from the spectra of quasar SDSS J165501.31+260517.4 ($z_{\rm e}=1.8671$). This absorber is located at $z_{\rm abs} =1.7877$, and has a velocity offset of $8,423\rm ~km~s^{-1}$ with respect to the quasar. According to the velocity offset and the line variability, this narrow Mg II $λ\lambda2796,2803$ absorption system is likely intrinsic to the quasar. Since the corresponding UV continuum emission and the absorption lines of another narrow Mg II $λ\lambda2796…
I present the discovery of Balmer-line absorption from H alpha to H9 in iron low-ionizaton broad absorption line (FeLoBAL) quasar, SDSS~J172341.10+555340.5 by near-infrared spectroscopy with the Cooled Infrared Spectrograph and Camera for OHS (CISCO) attached to the Subaru telescope. The redshift of the Balmer-line absorption troughs is 2.0530 +/- 0.0003, and it is blueshifted by 5370 km s^{-1} from the Balmer emission lines. It is more than $4000$ km s^{-1} blueshifted from the previously known UV absorption lines. I detect relatively strong (EW_rest=20A) [O III] emission lines which are simi…
In this paper, we report on two C IV narrow absorption systems emerging from the spectrum of the quasar SDSS J095254.10 +021932.8, which are located at $z_{\rm abs}=2.0053$ and $z_{\rm abs}=1.8011$, respectively. These features have velocity offsets of $\rm \sim 13,800$ and $\rm \sim 34,700~km~s^{-1}$ with respect to the quasar, and show obviously partial coverage to the background emission sources. The two C IV absorption systems are imprinted on the spectrum obtained by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) III on 2011 March 25, which cannot be observed from the spectrum obtained by SDSS-I/II …
We report a dynamically evolving low ionization broad absorption line flow in the QSO SDSS J133356.02+001229.1 (at z_em = 0.9197). These observations are part of our ongoing monitoring of low ionization broad absorption line (BAL) QSOs with the 2m telescope at IUCAA Girawali observatory (IGO). The broad Mg II absorption with an ejection velocity of 1.7x10^4 km/s, found in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) spectra, has disappeared completely in our IGO spectra. We found an emerging new component at an ejection velocity of 2.8 x 10^4 km/s. During our monitoring period this component has shown …
We present the optical data for 195 HI-selected galaxies that fall within both the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the Parkes Equatorial Survey (ES). The photometric quantities have been independently recomputed for our sample using a new photometric pipeline optimized for large galaxies, thus correcting for SDSS's limited reliability for automatic photometry of angularly large or low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies. We outline the magnitude of the uncertainty in the SDSS catalog-level photometry and derive a quantitative method for correcting the over-sky subtraction in the SDSS photome…
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey pipeline photometry underestimates the brightnesses of the most luminous galaxies. This is mainly because (i) the SDSS overestimates the sky background and (ii) single or two-component Sersic-based models better fit the surface brightness profile of galaxies, especially at high luminosities, than does the de Vaucouleurs model used by the SDSS pipeline. We use the PyMorph photometric reductions to isolate effect (ii) and show that it is the same in the full sample as in small group environments, and for satellites in the most massive clusters as well. None of these …
We present the detection of a rare case of dramatic strengthening in the UV absorption profiles in the spectrum of the quasar J115122.14+020426.3 between observations ~2.86 years apart in the quasar rest-frame. A 2001 spectrum from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) shows a CIV "mini-broad" absorption line (FWHM=1,220 km/s) with a maximum blueshift velocity ~9,520 km/s, while a later spectrum from the Very Large Telescope (VLT) shows significantly broader and stronger absorption line, with a maximum blueshift velocity of ~12,240 km/s, that qualifies as a broad absorption line. A similar varia…
Because of the 3D nature of galaxies, an algorithm for constructing spatial density distribution models of galaxies on the basis of galaxy images has many advantages over surface density distribution approximations. We present a method for deriving spatial structure and overall parameters of galaxies from images and estimate its accuracy and derived parameter degeneracies on a sample of idealised model galaxies. The test galaxies consist of a disc-like component and a spheroidal component with varying proportions and properties. Both components are assumed to be axially symmetric and coplanar.…
The aim of this project is to identify low-redshift host galaxies of quasar absorption-line systems by selecting galaxies which are seen in projection onto quasar sightlines. To this end, we use the Seventh Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-DR7) to construct a parent sample of 97489 galaxy/quasar projections at impact parameters of up to 100 kpc to the foreground galaxy. We then search the quasar spectra for absorption line systems of Ca II and Na I within +- 500 km/s of the galaxy's velocity. This yields 92 Ca II and 16 Na I absorption systems. We find that most of the Ca II …
We make use of the images from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Stripe 82 to present an analysis of r band surface brightness profiles and radial color gradients (g - r, u - r) in 111 nearby early-type galaxies (ETGs). With Stripe 82 images, we are able to pay special attentions to the low-surface-brightness areas (LSB areas) of the galaxies. The LSB areas make a difference to the Sersic fittings and concentration indices, making both the indices less than the typical values for ETGs. There are about 60% negative color gradients (red-core) within 1.5Re , much more than the approximately 10% positi…
A number of recent estimates of the total luminosities of galaxies in the SDSS are significantly larger than those reported by the SDSS pipeline. This is because of a combination of three effects: one is simply a matter of defining the scale out to which one integrates the fit when defining the total luminosity, and amounts on average to < 0.1 mags even for the most luminous galaxies. The other two are less trivial and tend to be larger; they are due to differences in how the background sky is estimated and what model is fit to the surface brightness profile. We show that PyMorph sky estimates…
Large-scale peculiar motion modulates the observed luminosity distribution of galaxies. Using about half a million SDSS galaxies, this can be harnessed to obtain bounds on peculiar velocity moments, the amplitude of the linear matter power spectrum, $σ_{8}$, and the growth rate of density perturbations at z ~ 0.1. Results obtained from this approach agree well with the predictions of the $Λ$CDM model and are consistent with the reported ~ 1% zero-point tilt in the SDSS photometry.
We present a systematic search for molecular hydrogen absorption systems at high redshift in quasar spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) II Data Release 7 and SDSS-III Data Release 9. We have selected candidates using a modified profile fitting technique taking into account that the Ly$α$ forest can effectively mimic H$_2$ absorption systems at the resolution of SDSS data. To estimate the confidence level of the detections, we use two methods: a Monte-Carlo sampling and an analysis of control samples. The analysis of control samples allows us to define regions of the spectral quali…
We present spectroscopic analysis of the broad absorption line outflow in quasar SDSS J1512+1119. In particular, we focus our attention on a kinematic component in which we identify PV and SIV/SIV* absorption troughs. The shape of the unblended phosphorus doublet troughs and the three SIV/SIV* troughs allow us to obtain reliable column density measurements for these two ions. Photoionization modelling using these column densities and those of HeI* constrain the abundance of phosphorus to the range of 0.5-4 times the solar value. The total column density, ionization parameter and metalicity inf…
We have studied a sample of 1084 intervening absorption systems with 2.15$\le z_{ab}\le$5.2, having log(N$_{\rm HI}$) $>$ 20.0 in the spectra of QSOs in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data release 7 (DR7), with the aim of understanding the nature and abundance of the dust and the chemical abundances in the DLA absorbers. Composite spectra were constructed for the full sample and several subsamples, chosen on the basis of absorber and QSO properties. Average extinction curves were obtained for the samples by comparing their geometric mean composite spectra with those of two samples of QSOs, ma…
We have built a sample of 74 radio-selected broad absorption line quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5 (SDSS DR5) and Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty Centimeters (FIRST), along with a well matched sample of 74 unabsorbed "normal" quasars. The sources have been observed with the NRAO Very Large Array/Expanded Very Large Array at 8.4 GHz (3.5 cm) and 4.9 GHz (6 cm). All sources have additional archival 1.4 GHz (21 cm) data. Here we present the measured radio fluxes, spectral indices, and our initial findings. The percentage of BAL quasars with extended structure (on t…
We report the discovery of rapid variations of a high-velocity Mg ii broad absorption line (BAL) trough in the quasar SDSS J133356.02+001229.1 (zem ~ 0.9197). Vivek et al. (2012a) revealed the emergence and subsequent near disappearance of a BAL component in this source having an ejection velocity of ~ 28000 km s-1. Our further follow up studies with South African Large Telescope (SALT) reveal the dramatic nature of the absorption line variability in this source. The absorption line emerged again at the same velocity and nearly disappeared within the SALT observations. Our observations allow u…
Consistency between Carnegie Supernova Project (CSP) and SDSS-II supernova (SN) survey ugri measurements has been evaluated by comparing SDSS and CSP photometry for nine spectroscopically confirmed Type Ia supernova observed contemporaneously by both programs. The CSP data were transformed into the SDSS photometric system. Sources of systematic uncertainty have been identified, quantified, and shown to be at or below the 0.023 magnitude level in all bands. When all photometry for a given band is combined, we find average magnitude differences of equal to or less than 0.011 magnitudes in ugri, …
We present observations of wavelength-dependent flux ratios for four gravitational lens systems (SDSS~J1650+4251, HE~0435$-$1223, FBQ 0951+2635, and Q~0142$-$100) obtained with the Nordic Optical Telescope. The use of narrowband photometry, as well as the excellent seeing conditions during the observations, allows us to study their chromatic behavior. For SDSS~J1650+4251, we determine the extinction curve of the dust in the $z_L=0.58$ lens galaxy and find that the 2175 Å\ feature is absent. In the case of HE~0435$-$1223, we clearly detect chromatic microlensing. This allows us to estimate the …
We study the origin of absorption features on the blue side of the C IV broad emission line of the large-separation lensed quasar SDSS J1029+2623 at z_em ~ 2.197. The quasar images, produced by a foreground cluster of galaxies, have a maximum separation angle of ~ 22".5. The large angular separation suggests that the sight-lines to the quasar central source can go through different regions of outflowing winds from the accretion disk of the quasar, providing a unique opportunity to study the structure of outflows from the accretion disk, a key ingredient for the evolution of quasars as well as …
Molecular hydrogen transitions in the sub-damped Lyman alpha absorber at redshift z = 2.69, toward the background quasar SDSS J123714.60+064759.5, were analyzed in order to search for a possible variation of the proton-to-electron mass ratio mu over a cosmological time-scale. The system is composed of three absorbing clouds where 137 H2 and HD absorption features were detected. The observations were taken with the Very Large Telescope/Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph with a signal-to-noise ratio of 32 per 2.5 km/s pixel, covering the wavelengths from 356.6 to 409.5 nm. A comprehensi…
We here report an identification of SDSS J090152.04+624342.6 as a new "overlapping-trough" iron low-ionization broad absorption line quasar at redshift of $z\sim2.1$. No strong variation of the broad absorption lines can be revealed through the two spectra taken by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey with a time interval of $\sim6$yr. Further optical and infrared spectroscopic study on this object is suggested.
We present a new database of absorption and emission-line measurements based on the entire spectral atlas from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) 7th data release of galaxies within a redshift of 0.2. Our work makes use of the publicly available penalized pixel-fitting(pPXF) and gas and absorption line fitting (gandalf) IDL codes, aiming to improve the existing measurements for stellar kinematics, the strength of various absorption-line features, and the flux and width of the emissions from different species of ionised gas. Our fit to the stellar continuum uses both standard stellar populatio…
We report kinematic shift and strength variability of C IV broad absorption line (BAL) trough in two high-ionization X-ray bright QSOs SDSS J085551+375752 (at zem ~ 1.936) and SDSS J091127+055054 (at zem ~ 2.793). Both these QSOs have shown combination of profile shift, appearance and disappearance of absorption components belonging to a single BAL trough. The observed average kinematic shift of whole BAL profile resulted in an average deceleration of ~ -0.7 +- 0.1, -2.0 +- 0.1 cm/s^2 over a rest-frame time-span of 3.11 yr and 2.34 yr for SDSS J085551+375752 and SDSS J091127+055054, respective…
We present a generic and fully-automatic method aimed at detecting absorption lines in the spectra of astronomical objects. The algorithm estimates the source continuum flux using a dimensionality reduction technique, nonnegative matrix factorization, and then detects and identifies metal absorption lines. We apply it to a sample of ~100,000 quasar spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and compile a sample of ~40,000 Mg II & Fe II absorber systems, spanning the redshift range 0.4< z < 2.3. The corresponding catalog is publicly available. We study the statistical properties of these absorbe…
We report on the highly variable SiIV and CIV broad absorption lines in SDSS J113831.4+351725.2 across four observational epochs. Using the SiIV doublet components, we find that the blue component is usually saturated and non-black, with the ratio of optical depths between the two components rarely being 2:1. This indicates that these absorbers do not fully cover the line-of-sight and thus a simple apparent optical depth model is insufficient when measuring the true opacity of the absorbers. Tests with inhomogeneous (power-law) and pure-partial coverage (step-function) models of the absorbing …
(Abridged for arXiv) We report the discovery of an unusual, extremely dust-rich and metal-strong damped \lya absorption system (DLA) at a redshift $z_{a}=2.4596$ toward the quasar SDSS J115705.52+615521.7 (hereafter J1157+6155) with an emission-line redshift $z_{e}=2.5125$. Its neutral hydrogen column density $N_{\hi} = 10^{21.8\pm0.2}$ cm$^{-2}$ is among the highest values measured in quasar DLAs. The measured metal column density is $N_{ZnII}\approx 10^{13.8}$ cm$^{-2}$, which is about 1.5 times larger than the largest value in any previously observed quasar DLAs. The best-fit curve is a MW-…
Using high resolution VLT spectra, we study the multi-component outflow systems of two quasars exhibiting intrinsic Fe II absorption (QSO 2359-1241 and SDSS J0318-0600). From the extracted ionic column densities and using photoionization modeling we determine the gas density, total column density, and ionization parameter for several of the components. For each object the largest column density component is also the densest, and all other components have densities of roughly 1/4 of that of the main component. We demonstrate that all the absorbers lie roughly at the same distance from the sourc…
We present the catalogue of the Mg II absorption systems detected at a high significance level using an automated search algorithm in the spectra of quasars from the twelfth data release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. A total of 266,433 background quasars were searched for the presence of absorption systems in their spectra. The continuum modelling for the quasar spectra was performed using a mean filter. A pseudo-continuum derived using a median filter was used to trace the emission lines. The absorption system catalogue contains 39,694 Mg II systems detected at a 6.0, 3.0$σ$ level respecti…
Quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) whose spectral energy distributions (SEDs) are reddened by dust either in their host galaxies or in intervening absorber galaxies are to a large degree missed by optical color selection criteria like the one used by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). To overcome this bias against red QSOs, we employ a combined optical and near-infrared color selection. In this paper, we present a spectroscopic follow-up campaign of a sample of red candidate QSOs which were selected from the SDSS and the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS). The spectroscopic data and SDSS/UKID…
We exploit the widely-separated images of the lensed quasar SDSS J1029+2623 ($z_{em}$=2.197, $θ=22^{\prime\prime}\!\!.5$) to observe its outflowing wind through two different sightlines. We present an analysis of three observations, including two with the Subaru telescope in 2010 February (Misawa et al. 2013) and 2014 April (Misawa et al. 2014), separated by 4 years, and one with the Very Large Telescope, separated from the second Subaru observation by $\sim$2 months. We detect 66 narrow absorption lines (NALs), of which 24 are classified as intrinsic NALs that are physically associated with t…
Quasars that exhibit blue-shifted, broad absorption lines (BAL QSOs) are an important probe of black hole feedback on galaxy evolution. Yet the presence of BALs is also a complication for large, spectroscopic surveys that use quasars as cosmological probes because the BAL features can affect redshift measurements and contaminate information about the matter distribution in the Lyman-$α$ forest. We present a new BAL QSO catalog for quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 14 (DR14). As the SDSS DR14 quasar catalog has over 500,000 quasars, we have developed an automated BAL c…
