Sloan Digital Sky Survey Broad Absorption Line Quasars Catalog: 3rd Data Release

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Broad Absorption Line (BAL) Quasars Catalog (based on the 3rd SDSS Data Release) contains a total of 4784 unique BAL quasars from the SDSS DR3 (<a href="https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/ftp/cats/VII/243">CDS Cat. <VII/243></a>). An automated algorithm was used to match a continuum to each quasar and to identify regions of flux at least 10% below the continuum over a velocity range of at least 1000 km/s in the C IV and Mg II absorption regions. The model continuum was selected as the best-fit match from a set of template quasar spectra binned in luminosity, emission line width, and redshift z, with the power-law spectral index and amount of dust reddening as additional free parameters. The authors characterize their sample through the traditional 'balnicity' index BI and a revised absorption index AI, as well as through parameters such as the width, outflow velocity, fractional depth, and number of troughs. From a sample of 16,883 quasars at 1.7 <= z <= 4.38, they identify 4386 (26.0%) quasars with broad C IV absorption, of which 1756 (10.4%) satisfy traditional selection criteria. From a sample of 34,973 quasars at 0.5 <= z <= 2.15, they identify 457 (1.31%) quasars with broad Mg II absorption, 191 (0.55%) of which satisfy traditional selection criteria. They find that BAL quasars may have broader emission lines on average than other quasars. Much more information on the SDSS is available at the project's web site at <a href="http://www.sdss.org/">http://www.sdss.org/</a>. This table was created by the HEASARC in July 2008 based on <a href="https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/ftp/cats/J/ApJS/165/1">CDS catalog J/ApJS/165/1</a> file table4.dat. This is a service provided by NASA HEASARC .

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  "026:00"
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  "Astrophysics"
]