Distance of outflows from nucleus, L_k

Sections below:

Instrument configuration
Observations required
Target list
Observations made

Instrument configuration

The aim is to cover the wavelength gap in the VLT UVES spectra to be obtained for 3 quasars in April 2008. The gap runs 4990 - 5650 A.

We will use the WHT/ISIS blue arm (CCD = EEV12) with the R1200B grating, central wavelength 5320 A, and the 6100 dichroic (so the red arm can be used simultaneously). The blue arm covers an unvignetted wavelength range of 800 A, dispersion 0.23 A/pixel.

The CCD on the red arm is REDPLUS. Unvignetted wavelength range 630 A, dispersion 0.26 A/pixel. A different central wavelength is required for each target, see below.

The spatial scale on both arms is 0.20 arcsec/pixel.

Good spectroscopic focus is crucial. The targets are all point sources.

Slit - match to seeing, but maximum 1 arcsec, to avoid compromising the resolution

Dekker - clear8

Order-sorting filter - GG495 in red arm, if used.

CCD window: 300 pixels in x, full range in y.
CCD binning: 2 1 (i.e. bin x2 in spatial direction).
CCD speed: slow.

Observations required

~ 1 night per target total integration. Individual exposures 1800 sec, autoguided.

Afternoon calibrations:
Biases: 10 in each arm
W flats: ~ 5 for each arm, peak counts ~ 30k Sky flats: ~ 5 for each arm, peak counts ~ 30k

Calibrations during the night:
Arcs: one CuAr+CuNe arc in each arm every 2 hours (there is some flexure in the spectrograph as the source is tracked across the sky)
Standard: one spectrophotometric standard

Target list

3 targets from VLT 4/08 proposal:

 
                                        Central wavelengths
   RA and Dec (J2000)      r     z      blue-arm  red-arm
09 32 24.49  +08 40 08.0  19.0  2.30    5320 A    6500 A
13 41 45.12  -00 36 31.2  18.9  2.21    5320 A    7600 A
14 39 07.51  -01 06 16.7  18.8  1.82    5320 A    6500 A

Nahum's advice about the specific features we're looking for in the wavelength range covered by the ISIS blue arm (click on the object names for SDSS spectra (5-Mbyte .ps, several pages):

0932+0840: 5000-5200 Ni II features, more important 5280-5350 Si II/Si II* features and 5550-5700 Fe III* features
1341-0036: 5100-5250 Fe II 1608 multiplet, 5330 Al II
1439-0106: 5030-5410 Si II/Si II* All II and Fe III* The troughs in this object are rather narrow, so if there is a higher resolution mode that can cover only the range 5040-5240, without losing photons, this might be the best option.

... and in the wavelength range covered by the ISIS red arm (second priority):

SDSS J0922+0843: 6200-6800 Many unblended Ni II* troughs
SDSS J1341-0036: 7300-7900 Ni II* + Fe II UV multiplets 2 and 3
SDSS J1439-0106: 6200-6800 Ni II* + Fe II UV multiplets 2 and 3

Nahum's finding charts for the 3 objects to be observed with the WHT (and with VLT/UVES 4/08), and for the 3 objects to be observed with VLT/UVES 2/08:

0922+0843 2-arcmin or 7-arcmin
0932+0840 2-arcmin or 7-arcmin
1130+0411 2-arcmin or 7-arcmin
1321-0041 2-arcmin or 7-arcmin
1341-0036 2-arcmin or 7-arcmin
1439-0106 2-arcmin or 7-arcmin

Observations made
Below are summary night reports:

20080212 (Ignacio) (support = Romano Corradi)
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Bad weather all night.

20080414 (Flori, Jo, Chris, Jay Dunn)
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20080415 (Flori, Jo, Chris, Jay Dunn)
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Chris Benn (crb@ing.iac.es)

Version: 2008 Apr 11