TY - JOUR A1 - Molaro, P. A1 - Centurion, Martin A1 - Whitmore, J. B. A1 - Evans, T. M. A1 - Murphy, M. T. A1 - Agafonova, I. I. A1 - Bonifacio, P. A1 - D'Odorico, S. A1 - Levshakov, S. A. A1 - Lopez, S. A1 - Martins, C. J. A. P. A1 - Petitjean, P. A1 - Rahmani, H. A1 - Reimers, D. A1 - Srianand, R. A1 - Vladilo, G. A1 - Wendt, Martin T1 - The UVES Large Program for testing fundamental physics I. Bounds on a change in alpha towards quasar HE 221-2818 JF - Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal N2 - Context. Absorption-line systems detected in quasar spectra can be used to compare the value of the fine-structure constant, alpha, measured today on Earth with its value in distant galaxies. In recent years, some evidence has emerged of small temporal and also spatial variations in alpha on cosmological scales. These variations may reach a fractional level of approximate to 10 ppm (parts per million). Aims. To test these claims we are conducting a Large Program of observations with the Very Large Telescope's Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES), and are obtaining high-resolution (R approximate to 60 000) and high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N approximate to 100) UVES spectra calibrated specifically for this purpose. Here we analyse the first complete quasar spectrum from this programme, that of HE 2217-2818. Methods. We applied the many multiplet method to measure alpha in five absorption systems towards this quasar: z(abs) = 0.7866, 0.9424, 1.5558, 1.6279, and 1.6919. Results. The most precise result is obtained for the absorber at z(abs) = 1.6919 where 3 Fe II transitions and Al II lambda 1670 have high S/N and provide a wide range of sensitivities to alpha. The absorption profile is complex with several very narrow features, and it requires 32 velocity components to be fitted to the data. We also conducted a range of tests to estimate the systematic error budget. Our final result for the relative variation in alpha in this system is Delta alpha/alpha = +1.3 +/- 2.4(stat) +/- 1.0(sys) ppm. This is one of the tightest current bounds on alpha-variation from an individual absorber. A second, separate approach to the data reduction, calibration, and analysis of this system yielded a slightly different result of -3.8 +/- 2.1(stat) ppm, possibly suggesting a larger systematic error component than our tests indicated. This approach used an additional 3 Fe II transitions, parts of which were masked due to contamination by telluric features. Restricting this analysis to the Fe II transitions alone and using a modified absorption profile model gave a result that is consistent with the first approach, Delta alpha/alpha = +1.1 +/- 2.6(stat) ppm. The four other absorbers have simpler absorption profiles, with fewer and broader features, and offer transitions with a narrower range of sensitivities to alpha. They therefore provide looser bounds on Delta alpha/alpha at the greater than or similar to 10 ppm precision level. Conclusions. The absorbers towards quasar HE 2217-2818 reveal no evidence of any variation in alpha at the 3-ppm precision level (1 sigma confidence). If the recently reported 10-ppm dipolar variation in alpha across the sky is correct, the expectation at this sky position is (3.2-5.4) +/- 1.7 ppm depending on dipole model used. Our constraint of Delta alpha/alpha = +1.3 +/- 2.4(stat) +/- 1.0(sys) ppm is not inconsistent with this expectation. KW - quasars: absorption lines KW - quasars: individual: HE 2217-2818 KW - intergalactic medium KW - cosmology: miscellaneous cosmology KW - observations Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201321351 SN - 0004-6361 VL - 555 IS - 4 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Les Ulis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Evans, T. M. A1 - Murphy, M. T. A1 - Whitmore, J. B. A1 - Misawa, T. A1 - Centurion, Martin A1 - Lopez, S. A1 - Martins, C. J. A. P. A1 - Molaro, P. A1 - Petitjean, P. A1 - Rahmani, H. A1 - Srianand, R. A1 - Wendt, Martin T1 - The UVES Large Program for testing fundamental physics - III. Constraints on the fine-structure constant from three telescopes JF - Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society KW - intergalactic medium KW - quasars: absorption lines KW - quasars: individual: HS 1549+1919 KW - cosmology: miscellaneous KW - cosmology: observations Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stu1754 SN - 0035-8711 SN - 1365-2966 VL - 445 IS - 1 SP - 128 EP - 150 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rahmani, H. A1 - Wendt, Martin A1 - Srianand, R. A1 - Noterdaeme, P. A1 - Petitjean, P. A1 - Molaro, P. A1 - Whitmore, J. B. A1 - Murphy, M. T. A1 - Centurion, Martin A1 - Fathivavsari, H. A1 - D'Odorico, S. A1 - Evans, T. M. A1 - Levshakov, S. A. A1 - Lopez, S. A1 - Martins, C. J. A. P. A1 - Reimers, D. A1 - Vladilo, G. T1 - The UVES large program for testing fundamental physics - II. Constraints on a change in mu towards quasar HE 0027-1836 JF - Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society N2 - We present an accurate analysis of the H-2 absorption lines from the z(abs) similar to 2.4018 damped Ly alpha system towards HE 0027-1836 observed with the Very Large Telescope Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph (VLT/UVES) as a part of the European Southern Observatory Large Programme 'The UVES large programme for testing fundamental physics' to constrain the variation of proton-to-electron mass ratio, mu m(p)/m(e). We perform cross-correlation analysis between 19 individual exposures taken over three years and the combined spectrum to check the wavelength calibration stability. We notice the presence of a possible wavelength-dependent velocity drift especially in the data taken in 2012. We use available asteroids spectra taken with UVES close to our observations to confirm and quantify this effect. We consider single-and two-component Voigt profiles to model the observed H-2 absorption profiles. We use both linear regression analysis and Voigt profile fitting where Delta mu/mu is explicitly considered as an additional fitting parameter. The two-component model is marginally favoured by the statistical indicators and we get Delta mu/mu = -2.5 +/- 8.1(stat) +/- 6.2(sys) ppm. When we apply the correction to the wavelength-dependent velocity drift, we find Delta mu/mu = -7.6 +/- 8.1(stat) +/- 6.3(sys) ppm. It will be important to check the extent to which the velocity drift we notice in this study is present in UVES data used for previous Delta mu/mu measurements. KW - intergalactic medium KW - quasars: absorption lines KW - quasars: individual: HE 0027-1836 Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stt1356 SN - 0035-8711 SN - 1365-2966 VL - 435 IS - 1 SP - 861 EP - 878 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lopez, S. A1 - Reimers, Dieter A1 - Gregg, M. D. A1 - Wisotzki, Lutz A1 - Wucknitz, Olaf A1 - Guzman, A. T1 - Metal abundances in a damped Ly alpha system along two lines of sight at z=0.93 N2 - We study metal abundances in the z = 0.9313 damped Ly alpha system observed along the two lines of sight, A and B, toward the gravitationally lensed double QSO HE 0512-3329. Spatially resolved Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph spectra constrain the neutral-gas column density to be N(H I) = 1020.5 cm(-2) in both A and B. UV-visual Echelle Spectrograph spectra ( spectral resolution FWHM = 9.8 km s(-1)) show, in contrast, significant line-of-sight differences in the column densities of Mn II and Fe II; these are not due to observational systematics. We find that [Mn/H] = -1.44 and [Fe/H] = -1.52 in damped Ly alpha system A, while [Mn/H] = -0.98 and [Fe/H] > -1.32, and possibly as high as [Fe/H] approximate to -1, in damped Ly alpha system B. A careful assessment of possible systematic errors leads us to conclude that these transverse differences are significant at a 5 sigma level or greater. Although nucleosynthesis effects may also be at play, we favor differential dust depletion as the main mechanism producing the observed abundance gradient. The transverse separation is 5 h(70)(-1) kpc at the redshift of the absorber, which is also likely to be the lensing galaxy. The derived abundances therefore probe two opposite sides of a single galaxy hosting both damped Ly alpha systems. This is the first time firm abundance constraints have been obtained for a single damped system probed by two lines of sight. The significance of this finding for the cosmic evolution of metals is discussed Y1 - 2005 SN - 0004-637X ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Perrotta, S. A1 - Hamann, F. A1 - Cristiani, S. A1 - Prochaska, J. X. A1 - Ellison, Sara L. A1 - Lopez, S. A1 - Cupani, G. A1 - Becker, G. A1 - Berg, T. A. M. A1 - Christensen, Lise A1 - Denney, K. D. A1 - Worseck, Gábor T1 - Hunting for metals using XQ-100 Legacy Survey composite spectra JF - Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society N2 - We investigate the NV absorption signal along the line of sight of background quasars, in order to test the robustness of the use of this ion as the criterion to select intrinsic (i.e. physically related to the quasar host galaxy) narrow absorption lines (NALs). We build composite spectra from a sample of similar to 1000 CIV absorbers, covering the redshift range 2.55 < z < 4.73, identified in 100 individual sight lines from the XQ-100 Legacy Survey. We detect a statistically significant NV absorption signal only within 5000 km s(-1) of the systemic redshift, z(em). This absorption trough is similar to 15 sigma when only CIV systems with N(CIV) > 10(14) cm(-2) are included in the composite spectrum. This result confirms that NV offers an excellent statistical tool to identify intrinsic systems. We exploit stacks of 11 different ions to show that the gas in proximity to a quasar exhibits a considerably different ionization state with respect to gas in the transverse direction and intervening gas at large velocity separations from the continuum source. Indeed, we find a dearth of cool gas, as traced by low-ionization species and in particular by MgII, in the proximity of the quasar. We compare our findings with the predictions given by a range of CLOUDY ionization models and find that they can be naturally explained by ionization effects of the quasar. KW - galaxies: high-redshift KW - (galaxies:) intergalactic medium KW - (galaxies:) quasars: absorption lines Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/sty2205 SN - 0035-8711 SN - 1365-2966 VL - 481 IS - 1 SP - 105 EP - 121 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bonifacio, P. A1 - Rahmani, H. A1 - Whitmore, J. B. A1 - Wendt, Martin A1 - Centurion, Martin A1 - Molaro, P. A1 - Srianand, R. A1 - Murphy, M. T. A1 - Petitjean, P. A1 - Agafonova, I. I. A1 - Evans, T. M. A1 - Levshakov, S. A. A1 - Lopez, S. A1 - Martins, C. J. A. P. A1 - Reimers, D. A1 - Vladilo, G. T1 - Fundamental constants and high-resolution spectroscopy JF - Astronomische Nachrichten = Astronomical notes KW - atomic processes KW - cosmology: observations KW - elementary particles KW - line: formation KW - quasars: absorption lines KW - techniques: spectroscopic Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/asna.201312005 SN - 0004-6337 SN - 1521-3994 VL - 335 IS - 1 SP - 83 EP - 91 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wucknitz, Olaf A1 - Wisotzki, Lutz A1 - Lopez, S. A1 - Gregg, M. D. T1 - Disentangling microlensing and differential extinction in the double QSO HE 0512-3329 N2 - We present the first separate spectra of both components of the small-separation double QSO HE 0512-3329 obtained with HST/STIS in the optical and near UV. The similarities especially of the emission line profiles and redshifts strongly suggest that this system really consists of two lensed images of one and the same source. The emission line flux ratios are assumed to be unaffected by microlensing and are used to study the differential extinction effects caused by the lensing galaxy. Fits of empirical laws show that the extinction properties seem to be different on both lines of sight. With our new results, HE 0512-3329 becomes one of the few extragalactic systems which show the 2175 Å absorption feature, although the detection is only marginal. We then correct the continuum flux ratio for extinction to obtain the differential microlensing signal. Since this may still be significantly affected by variability and time-delay effects, no detailled analysis of the microlensing is possible at the moment. This is the first time that differential extinction and microlensing could be separated unambiguously. We show that, at least in HE 0512-3329, both effects contribute significantly to the spectral differences and one cannot be analysed without taking into account the other. For lens modelling purposes, the flux ratios can only be used after correcting for both effects. Y1 - 2003 ER -