The kinetic temperature in a damped Lyman α absorption system in Q2206−199 – an example of the warm neutral medium

  1. R. F. Carswell1,*,
  2. G. D. Becker2,
  3. R. A. Jorgenson1,3,
  4. M. T. Murphy4,
  5. A. M. Wolfe5

Article first published online: 21 MAR 2012

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.20746.x

Issue

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Volume 422, Issue 2, pages 1700–1708, May 2012

Additional Information

How to Cite

Carswell, R. F., Becker, G. D., Jorgenson, R. A., Murphy, M. T. and Wolfe, A. M. (2012), The kinetic temperature in a damped Lyman α absorption system in Q2206−199 – an example of the warm neutral medium. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 422: 1700–1708. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.20746.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA

  2. 2

    Kavli Institute for Cosmology and Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA

  3. 3

    Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA

  4. 4

    Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria 3122, Australia

  5. 5

    Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0424, USA

* E-mail: rfc@ast.cam.ac.uk

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 25 APR 2012
  2. Article first published online: 21 MAR 2012
  3. Accepted 2012 February 13. Received 2012 February 13; in original form 2011 October 9

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Keywords:

  • line: profiles;
  • quasars: absorption lines;
  • quasars: individual: Q2206−199

ABSTRACT

By comparing the widths of absorption lines from O i, Si ii and Fe ii in the redshift zabs= 2.076 single-component damped Lyα system in the spectrum of Q2206−199 we establish that these absorption lines arise in warm neutral medium (WNM) gas at ∼12 000 ± 3000 K. This is consistent with thermal equilibrium model estimates of ∼8000 K for the WNM in galaxies, but not with the presence of a significant cold component. It is also consistent with, but not required by, the absence of C ii fine structure absorption in this system. Some possible implications concerning abundance estimates in narrow-line WNM absorbers are discussed.

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