14460( 2) - 03-Dec-2015 18:08:05 - [ 1] HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE OBSERVING PROGRAM 14460 Version: 2 Check-in Time: 03-Dec-2015 18:08:05 STScI Edit Number: 0 Title A Remarkable New Transient Outflow in the Quasar PG1411+442 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Type Cycle GO 23 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Investigators Contact? PI: Prof. Frederick Hamann University of Florida Y CoI: Prof. David Rupke Rhodes College N CoI: Prof. Todd Tripp University of Massachusetts - Amherst N CoI: Prof. Sylvain Veilleux University of Maryland N ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Abstract Quasar outflows are fundamental components of quasar environments and they might play an important role in feedback to host galaxy evolution. We obtained HST COS spectra of a known outflow "mini-BAL" quasar, PG1411+442 (redshift = 0.089), in February 2015 that revealed the remarkable emergence of a unique new transient absorber that produces MANY weak blended ripple distortions in the rest-frame UV. Our initial skepticism about the reality of these ripples and failed attempts to identify them led to missing the normal Cycle 23 deadline for followup observations. However, subsequent visible spectroscopy with Gemini GMOS (July 2015) confirmed the outflow nature of the ripples by clearly showing many more similar rare/unique absorption features such as the HI Balmer lines, Na I, and highly excited-state lines of FeII and HeI. These lines have velocity shifts v ~ 1900 km/s and widths of only FWHM ~ 170 km/s. Altogether, these lines and the UV ripples identify a small outflow structure (covering only ~20% of the quasar continuum source) that is mostly neutral/low-ionization gas with an enormous column density of N_H > 10^23 cm^-2. This unique extreme transient absorber represents a new phenomenon in quasar research that might offer important clues to the general nature of quasar outflows and their interactions with the host galaxies. We request 3 orbits with COS/FUV to monitor the evolution of the remarkable transient outflow in PG1411+442. These observations are urgent because there might be rapid evolution and short-term constraints on the absorber variability are important to understand its location, energetics and physical nature. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Observations Description ------------------------ We will use 3 orbits with COS FUV to observe PG1411+442 in a way that duplicates our successful Cycle 21 observations of this source in February 2015. This includes 1 orbit with G130M-1096 to cover rest-frame wavelengths 1000-1236A, 1 orbit with G130M- 1309 to cover 1153-1449A, and 1 orbit with G160M-1589 to cover 1398-1761A. We note that our Cycle 21 program used 2 orbits with G130M-1096 for a total of 4 orbits to measure broad lines in the BAL-like outflow in an observed wavelength range 940-1060A with very low sensitivity. The ripples are not detectable at those wavelengths even with 2 orbits because of low signal-to-noise. Thus we request only 1 orbit with G130M-1096 because it is more economical and sufficient to measure the ripples and BAL-like features 14460( 2) - 03-Dec-2015 18:08:05 - [ 2] both at wavelengths 1000-1236A. We performed extensive ETC calculations using these setting for our original Cycle 21 proposal. Here we note simply that the feasibility of the observations now proposed is demonstrated by the high-quality spectra we already obtained in February 2015. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 14460( 2) - 03-Dec-2015 18:08:05 - [ 3] TARGET LIST Fixed Targets ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tar| Target | Target | Target |Coord | Radial | Flux data No | Name | Description | Position |Eqnx | Vel. | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 2XMM-J141348 GALAXY, QUASAR RA=14H13M48.3291S +/- 0.2", J2000 V = 14.99 .3+440014 DEC=+44D00'14.09" +/- 0.2" Reference Frame: ICRS Extended: NO Comments: This object was generated by the targetselector and retrieved from the SIMBAD database. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 14460( 2) - 03-Dec-2015 18:08:05 - [ 4] Visit: 01 Visit Requirements: On Hold Comments: Additional Comments: MirrorB Exposures ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Exp | Target | Instr | Oper. | Aper |Spectral|Central| Optional |Num| Time | Special Num | Name | Config | Mode | or FOV |Element |Waveln.| Parameters |Exp| (Total) | Requirements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 2XMM-J14134 COS/NUV ACQ/IMA PSA MIRRORB 1 16 S (16 8.3+440014 GE S) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 2XMM-J14134 COS/FUV TIME-TA PSA G130M 1309 BUFFER-TIME=2611, FP-POS=ALL 1 570 S 8.3+440014 G (2280 S) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3 2XMM-J14134 COS/FUV TIME-TA PSA G130M 1096 BUFFER-TIME=6205, FP-POS=ALL 1 676 S 8.3+440014 G (2704 S) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4 2XMM-J14134 COS/FUV TIME-TA PSA G160M 1589 BUFFER-TIME=6037, FP-POS=ALL 1 670 S 8.3+440014 G (2680 S) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sub Exposures ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Target | Exp |Instr | Oper. | Aper |Spectral|Cent.|Primary |Secondary |Iteration |CR-SPLIT |Orbit |Duration Name | Num |Config | Mode | or FOV |Element |Wave.|Pattern Pos |Pattern Pos |Num |Num |Number | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2XMM-J141348.3+4400 1 COS/NUV ACQ/IMA PSA MIRRORB none none none none 1 N/A 14 GE 2XMM-J141348.3+4400 2 COS/FUV TIME-TA PSA G130M 1309 none none none 1 1 N/A 14 G 2XMM-J141348.3+4400 2 COS/FUV TIME-TA PSA G130M 1309 none none none 2 1 N/A 14 G 2XMM-J141348.3+4400 2 COS/FUV TIME-TA PSA G130M 1309 none none none 3 1 N/A 14 G 2XMM-J141348.3+4400 2 COS/FUV TIME-TA PSA G130M 1309 none none none 4 1 N/A 14 G 2XMM-J141348.3+4400 3 COS/FUV TIME-TA PSA G130M 1096 none none none 1 2 N/A 14 G 2XMM-J141348.3+4400 3 COS/FUV TIME-TA PSA G130M 1096 none none none 2 2 N/A 14 G 2XMM-J141348.3+4400 3 COS/FUV TIME-TA PSA G130M 1096 none none none 3 2 N/A 14 G 2XMM-J141348.3+4400 3 COS/FUV TIME-TA PSA G130M 1096 none none none 4 2 N/A 14 G 2XMM-J141348.3+4400 4 COS/FUV TIME-TA PSA G160M 1589 none none none 1 3 N/A 14 G 2XMM-J141348.3+4400 4 COS/FUV TIME-TA PSA G160M 1589 none none none 2 3 N/A 14 G 2XMM-J141348.3+4400 4 COS/FUV TIME-TA PSA G160M 1589 none none none 3 3 N/A 14 G 14460( 2) - 03-Dec-2015 18:08:05 - [ 5] Sub Exposures ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Target | Exp |Instr | Oper. | Aper |Spectral|Cent.|Primary |Secondary |Iteration |CR-SPLIT |Orbit |Duration Name | Num |Config | Mode | or FOV |Element |Wave.|Pattern Pos |Pattern Pos |Num |Num |Number | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2XMM-J141348.3+4400 4 COS/FUV TIME-TA PSA G160M 1589 none none none 4 3 N/A 14 G 14460( 2) - 03-Dec-2015 18:08:05 - [ 6] Summary Form for Proposal 14460 Item Used in this proposal ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Apertures PSA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Configurations COS/FUV, COS/NUV ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Opmodes ACQ/IMAGE, TIME-TAG ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Optional Parameters BUFFER-TIME=2611, BUFFER-TIME=6037, BUFFER-TIME=6205, FP-POS=ALL ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spectral Elements G130M, G160M, MIRRORB ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Target Names 2XMM-J141348.3+440014 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------