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We present Herschel far-infrared (FIR) observations of two sub-mm bright quasars at high redshift: SDSS J1148+5251 (z=6.42) and BR 1202-0725 (z=4.69) obtained with the PACS instrument. Both objects are detected in the PACS photometric bands. The Herschel measurements provide additional data points that constrain the FIR spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of both sources, and they emphasise a broad range of dust temperatures in these objects. For lambda_rest ~< 20mu, the two SEDs are very similar to the average SEDs of quasars at low redshift. In the FIR, however, both quasars show excess emission compared to low-z QSO templates, most likely from cold dust powered by vigorous star formation in the QSO host galaxies. For SDSS J1148+5251 we detect another object at 160mu with a distance of ~10 arcseconds from the QSO. Although no physical connection between the quasar and this object can be shown with the available data, it could potentially confuse low-resolution measurements, thus resulting in an overestimate of the FIR luminosity of the z=6.42 quasar., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in the A&A special issue on Herschel

High-resolution far-infrared and sub-millimetre spectroscopy of water lines is an important tool to understand the physical and chemical properties of cometary atmospheres. We present observations of several rotational ortho- and para-water transitions in comet C/2008 Q3 (Garradd) performed with HIFI on Herschel. These observations have provided the first detection of the 2_{12}-1_{01} (1669 GHz) ortho and 1_{11}-0_{00} (1113 GHz) para transitions of water in a cometary spectrum. In addition, the ground-state transition 1_{10}-1_{01} at 557 GHz is detected and mapped. By detecting several water lines quasi-simultaneously and mapping their emission we can constrain the excitation parameters in the coma. Synthetic line profiles are computed using excitation models which include excitation by collisions, solar infrared radiation, and radiation trapping. We obtain the gas kinetic temperature, constrain the electron density profile, and estimate the coma expansion velocity by analyzing the map and line shapes. We derive water production rates of 1.7-2.8 x 10^{28} s^{-1} over the range r_h = 1.83-1.85 AU., Comment: 7 figures, v2: minor changes, updated version of arXiv:1005.2969v1. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Herschel special issue on Herschel First Science Results

Comet C/2006 W3 (Christensen) was observed in November 2009 at 3.3 AU from the Sun with Herschel. The PACS instrument acquired images of the dust coma in 70- and 160-micrometers filters, and spectra covering several H2O rotational lines. Spectra in the range 450-1550 GHz were acquired with SPIRE. The comet emission continuum from 70 to 672 micrometers was measured, but no lines were detected. The spectral energy distribution indicates thermal emission from large particles and provides a measure of the size distribution index and dust production rate. The upper limit to the water production rate is compared to the production rates of other species (CO, CH3OH, HCN, H2S, OH) measured with the IRAM 30-m and Nancay telescopes. The coma is found to be strongly enriched in species more volatile than water, in comparison to comets observed closer to the Sun. The CO to H2O production rate ratio exceeds 220%. The dust to gas production rate ratio is on the order of 1., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics (special issue on Herschel first results)

The observation of redshift-dependent coherent orientations of quasar polarisation vectors over cosmological distances in some regions of the sky is reviewed. Based on a good-quality sample of 355 measured quasars, this observation seems to infer the existence of a new effect acting on light propagation on such huge distances. A solution in terms of nearly massless axion-like particles has been proposed in the literature and its current status is discussed., Comment: Replaced because of a previously badly displayed caption. Contributed to "Axions 2010", Gainesville (FL), January 15-17 2010. To be published in AIP conference series. 6 pages

From the analysis of measurements of the linear polarisation of visible light coming from quasars, the existence of large-scale coherent orientations of quasar polarisation vectors in some regions of the sky has been reported. Here, we show that this can be explained by the mixing of the incoming photons with nearly massless pseudoscalar (axion-like) particles in extragalactic magnetic fields. We present a new treatment in terms of wave packets and discuss its implications for the circular polarisation., Comment: Contributed to "Invisible Universe International Conference", Paris, June 29 - July 3 2009. To be published in AIP proceedings

The measurements of the linear polarisation of visible light from quasars give strong evidence for large-scale coherent orientations of their polarisation vectors in some regions of the sky. We show that these observations can be explained by the mixing of the photons with very light pseudoscalar (axion-like) particles in extragalactic magnetic fields during their propagation. We present a new treatment in terms of wave packets and discuss the circular polarisation., Comment: Contributed to the "5th Patras Workshop on Axions, WIMPs and WISPs", Durham 13-17 July 2009

Our aim is to determine the isotopic ratios {$^{12}$C/$^{13}$C}{} and {$^{14}$N/$^{15}$N}{} in a variety of comets and link these measurements to the formation and evolution of the solar system. The {$^{12}$C/$^{13}$C}{} and {$^{14}$N/$^{15}$N}{} isotopic ratios are measured {for} the CN radical by means of high-resolution optical spectra of the R branch of the B-X (0,0) violet band. {23 comets from different dynamical classes} have been observed, sometimes at various heliocentric {and nucleocentric} distances, in order to estimate possible variations of the isotopic ratios in parent molecules. The {$^{12}$C/$^{13}$C}{} and {$^{14}$N/$^{15}$N}{} isotopic ratios in CN are remarkably constant (average values of, respectively, $91.0\pm3.6$ and $147.8\pm5.7$) within our measurement errors, for all comets whatever their origin or heliocentric distance. While the carbon isotopic ratio does agree with the terrestrial value (89), the nitrogen ratio is a factor of two lower than the terrestrial value (272), indicating a fractionation in the early solar system, or in the protosolar nebula, common to all the comets of our sample. This points towards a common origin of the comets independently of their birthplaces, and a relationship between HCN and CN., Comment: 54 pages

New independent constraints on the amount of water delivered to Earth by comets are derived using the 15N/14N isotopic ratio, measured to be roughly twice as high in cometary CN and HCN as in the present Earth. Under reasonable assumptions, we find that no more than a few percent of Earth's water can be attributed to comets, in agreement with the constraints derived from D/H. Our results also suggest that a significant part of Earth's atmospheric nitrogen might come from comets. Since the 15N/14N isotopic ratio is not different in Oort-cloud and Kuiper-belt comets, our estimates apply to the contribution of both types of objects., Comment: Accepted for publication in ICARUS

We investigate correlations between the direction of the optical linear polarization and the orientation of the host galaxy/extended emission for type1 and type2 radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars. We have used high resolution Hubble Space Telescope data and a deconvolution process to obtain a good determination of the host galaxy/extended emission (EE) position angle. With these new measurements and a compilation of data from the literature, we find a significant correlation, different for type1 and type2 objects, between the linear polarization position angle and the orientation of the EE, suggesting scattering by an extended UV/blue region in both types of objects. Our observations support the extension of the Unification Model to the higher luminosity AGNs like the quasars, assuming a two component scattering model., Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the Astronomical Polarimetry 2008 conference

The 16OH/18OH and OD/OH isotope ratios are measured in the Oort-Cloud comet C/2002 T7 (LINEAR) through ground-based observations of the OH ultraviolet bands at 3063 A (0,0) and 3121 A (1,1) secured with the Very Large Telescope (VLT) feeding the Ultraviolet-Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES). From the 16OH/18OH ratio, we find 16O/18O = 425 +/- 55, equal within the uncertainties to the terrestrial value and to the ratio measured in other comets, although marginally smaller. We also estimate OD/OH from which we derive D/H = 2.5 +/- 0.7 10-4 in water. This value is compatible with the water D/H ratios evaluated in other comets and marginally higher than the terrestrial value., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A Letters

Based on a sample of 355 quasars with significant optical polarization, we found that quasar polarization vectors are not randomly oriented over the sky as naturally expected. The probability that the observed distribution of polarization angles is due to chance is lower than 0.1%. The polarization vectors of the light from quasars are aligned although the sources span huge regions of the sky (~ 1 Gpc). Groups of quasars located along similar lines of sight but at different redshifts (typically z ~ 0.5 and z ~ 1.5) are characterized by different preferred directions of polarization. These characteristics make the observed alignment effect difficult to explain in terms of a local contamination by interstellar polarization in our Galaxy. Interpreted in terms of a cosmological-size effect, we show that the dichroism and birefringence predicted by a mixing between photons and very light pseudoscalar particles within a magnetic field can qualitatively reproduce the observations. We find that circular polarization measurements could help constrain this mechanism., Comment: To appear in "Astronomical Polarimetry 2008: Science from Small to Large Telescopes", July 6-11, 2008, Quebec (Canada), P. Bastien and N. Manset (Eds.), ASP Conf. Series

We present the main results of the first long-term spectrophotometric monitoring of the ``Einstein cross'' Q2237+0305 and of the single-epoch spectra of the lensed quasar J1131-1231. From October 2004 to December 2006, we find that two prominent microlensing events affect images A & B in Q2237+0305 while images C & D remain grossly unaffected by microlensing on a time scale of a few months. Microlensing in A & B goes with chromatic variations of the quasar continuum. We observe stronger micro-amplification in the blue than in the red part of the spectrum, as expected for continuum emission arising from a standard accretion disk. Microlensing induced variations of the CIII] emission are observed both in the integrated line intensity and profile. Finally, we also find that images C & D are about 0.1-0.3 mag redder than images A & B. The spectra of images A-B-C in J1131-1231 reveal that, in April 2003, microlensing was at work in images A and C. We find that microlensing de-amplifies the continuum emission and the Broad Line Region (BLR) in these images. Contrary to the case of Q2237+0305, we do not find evidence for chromatic microlensing of the continuum emission. On the other hand, we observe that the Balmer and MgII broad line profiles are deformed by microlensing. These deformations imply an anti-correlation between the width of the emission line and the size of the corresponding emitting region. Finally, the differential microlensing of the FeII emission suggests that the bulk of FeII is emitted in the outer parts of the BLR while another fraction of FeII is produced in a compact region., Comment: Proceedings of the Manchester Microlensing Conference: The 12th International Conference and ANGLES Microlensing Workshop (January 21-25, 2008) http://pos.sissa.it/cgi-bin/reader/conf.cgi?confid=54

We present results showing that, thanks to axion-photon mixing in external magnetic fields, it is actually possible to produce an effect similar to the one needed to explain the large-scale coherent orientations of quasar polarisation vectors in visible light that have been observed in some regions of the sky., Comment: Contributed to "Three days of Strong Interactions & Astrophysics, Heidelberg-Liege-Paris-Wroclaw", 6/3/2008-8/3/2008, Spa, Belgium. To be published in AIP proceedings

From millimeter and optical observations of the Jupiter-family comet 17P/Holmes performed soon after its huge outburst of October 24, 2007, we derive 14 N/15N = 139 +/- 26 in HCN, and 14N/15N = 165 +/- 40 in CN, establishing that HCN has the same non-terrestrial isotopic composition as CN. The same conclusion is obtained for the long-period comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) after a reanalysis of previously published measurements. These results are compatible with HCN being the prime parent of CN in cometary atmospheres. The 15N excess relative to the Earth atmospheric value indicates that N-bearing volatiles in the solar nebula underwent important N isotopic fractionation at some stage of Solar System formation. HCN molecules never isotopically equilibrated with the main nitrogen reservoir in the solar nebula before being incorporated in Oort-cloud and Kuiper-belt comets. The 12C/13C ratios in HCN and CN are measured to be consistent with the terrestrial value., Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal (Letters) 4 pages

The host galaxies of six nearby QSOs are studied on the basis of high resolution HST optical images and spatially resolved VLT slit spectra. The gas ionization and velocity are mapped as a function of the distance to the central QSO. In the majority of the cases, the QSO significantly contributes to the gas ionization in its whole host galaxy, and sometimes even outside. Reflection or scattering of the QSO \ha line from remote regions of the galaxy is detected in several instances. The line shifts show that, in all cases, the matter responsible for the light reflection moves away from the QSO, likely accelerated by its radiation pressure. The two faintest QSOs reside in spirals, with some signs of a past gravitational perturbation. One of the intermediate luminosity QSOs resides in a massive elliptical containing gas ionized (and probably pushed away) by the QSO radiation. The other medium-power object is found in a spiral galaxy displaying complex velocity structure, with the central QSO moving with respect to the bulge, probably as a result of a galactic collision. The two most powerful objects are involved in violent gravitational interactions and one of them has no detected host. These results suggest that (1) large-scale phenomena, such as galactic collisions, are closely related to the triggering and the feeding of the QSO and (2) once ignited, the QSO has significant influence on its large-scale neighborhood (often the whole host and sometimes further away)., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 31 pages, 17 figures, 3 tables

We present the analysis of single epoch long slit spectra of the three brightest images of the gravitationally lensed system J1131-1231. These spectra provide one of the clearest observational evidence for differential micro-lensing of broad emission lines (BELs) in a gravitationally lensed quasar. The micro-lensing effect enables us: (1) to confirm that the width of the emission lines is anti-correlated to the size of the emitting region; (2) to show that the bulk of FeII is emitted in the outer parts of the Broad Line Region (BLR) while another fraction of FeII is produced in a compact region; (3) to derive interesting informations on the origin of the narrow intrinsic MgII absorption doublet observed in that system., Comment: 3 pages, To appear in "The Nuclear Region, Host Galaxy and Environment of Active Galaxies" (RevMexAA - Conference Series)

We investigate correlations between the optical linear polarization position angle and the orientation of the host galaxy/extended emission of Type 1 and Type 2 Radio-Loud (RL) and Radio-Quiet (RQ) quasars. We have used high resolution Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data and deconvolution process to obtain a good determination of the host galaxy orientation. With these new measurements and a compilation of data from the literature, we find a significant correlation between the polarization position angle and the position angle of the major axis of the host galaxy/extended emission. The correlation appears different for Type 1 and Type 2 objects and depends on the redshift of the source. Interpretations in the framework of the unification model are discussed., Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure, to appear in "The Nuclear Region, Host Galaxy and Environment of Active Galaxies", eds. E. Benitez, I. Cruz-Gonzalez and Y. Krongold, RevMexAA (Serie de Conferencias)

For Seyfert galaxies, the AGN unification model provides a simple and well established explanation of the Type 1/Type 2 dichotomy through orientation based effects. The generalization of this unification model to the higher luminosity AGNs that are the quasars remains a key question. The recent detection of Type 2 Radio-Quiet quasars seems to support such an extension. We propose to further test this scenario. On the basis of a compilation of quasar host galaxy position angles consisting of previously published data and of new measurements performed using HST Archive images, we investigate the possible existence of a correlation between the linear polarization position angle and the host galaxy/extended emission position angle of quasars. We find that the orientation of the rest-frame UV/blue extended emission is correlated to the direction of the quasar polarization. For Type 1 quasars, the polarization is aligned with the extended UV/blue emission while these two quantities are perpendicular in Type 2 objects. This result is independent of the quasar radio-loudness. We interpret this (anti-)alignment effect in terms of scattering in a two-component polar+equatorial model which applies to both Type 1 and Type 2 objects. Moreover the orientation of the polarization -and then of the UV/blue scattered light- does not appear correlated to the major axis of the stellar component of the host galaxy measured from near-IR images., Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

(ABRIDGED) Aims: We discuss and characterize micro-lensing among the 3 brightest lensed images (A-B-C) of the gravitational lens system RXS J1131-1231 (a quadruply imaged AGN) by means of long slit optical and NIR spectroscopy. Qualitative constraints on the size of different emission regions are derived. Methods: We decompose the spectra into their individual emission components using a multi-component fitting approach. A complementary decomposition of the spectra enables us to isolate the macro-lensed fraction of the spectra independently of any spectral modelling. Results: -1. The data support micro-lensing de-amplification of images A and C. Not only is the continuum emission microlensed in those images but also a fraction of the Broad Line emitting Region (BLR).-2. Micro-lensing of a very broad component of MgII emission line suggests that the corresponding emission occurs in a region more compact than the other components of the emission line. -3. We find evidence that a large fraction of the FeII emission arises in the outer parts of the BLR. We also find very compact emitting region in the ranges 3080-3540 A and 4630-4800 A that is likely associated with FeII. -4. The OIII narrow emission line regions are partly spatially resolved. This enables us to put a lower limit of 110h^{-1} pc on their intrinsic size. -5. Analysis of MgII absorption found in the spectra indicates that the absorbing medium is intrinsic to the quasar, has a covering factor of 20%, and is constituted of small clouds homogeneously distributed in front of the continuum and BLRs. -6. Two neighbour galaxies are detected at redshifts z=0.10 and z=0.289. These galaxies are possible members of galaxy groups reported at those redshifts., Comment: Accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysics. Small modifications to match the final version

We analyse observations, spanning 15 years, dedicated to the extreme emission-line object Hen3-209. Our photometric data indicate that the luminosity of the star undergoes marked variations with a peak-to-peak amplitude of 0.65mag. These variations are recurrent, with a period of 16.093+-0.005d. The spectrum of Hen3-209 is peculiar with many different lines (HI, HeI, FeII,...) showing P Cygni profiles. The line profiles are apparently changing in harmony with the photometry. The spectrum also contains [OIII] lines that display a saddle profile topped by three peaks, with a maximum separation of about 600km/s. Hen3-209 is most likely an evolved luminous object suffering from mass ejection events and maybe belonging to a binary system., Comment: 6p, 5 fig, accepted for publication in MNRAS (www.blackwell-synergy.com)

We report on observations of comet 9P/Tempel 1 carried out before, during, and after the NASA DEEP IMPACT event (UT July 4), with the optical spectrometers UVES and HIRES mounted on the telescopes Kueyen of the ESO VLT (Chile) and Keck 1 on Mauna Kea (Hawaii), respectively. A total observing time of about 60 hours, distributed over 15 nights around the impact date, allowed us (i) to find a periodic variation of 1.709 +/- 0.009 day in the CN and NH flux, explained by the presence of two major active regions; (ii) to derive a lifetime > ~ 5 x 10^4 s for the parent of the CN radical from a simple modeling of the CN light curve after the impact; (iii) to follow the gas and dust spatial profiles evolution during the 4 hours following the impact and derive the projected velocities (400 m/s and 150 m/s respectively); (iv) to show that the material released by the impact has the same carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition as the surface material (12C/13C = 95 +/- 15 and 14N/15N = 145 +/- 20)., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters

(abridged) Aims: RXS J113155.4-123155 (z=0.66) is a quadruply imaged lensed quasar with a resolved Einstein Ring. The goal of this paper is to provide a full characterization of this system, and more particularly accurate astrometry and photometry. Method: Visible and near-infrared imaging observations of RXS J113155.4-123155 were carried out at various epochs using several ground based telescopes and the HST. The frames have been deconvolved using the MCS algorithm. A Singular Isothermal Ellipsoid (SIE) + external shear has been used to model the lensing galaxy potential. Results: MCS deconvolution enables us to separate the flux of the QSO (point-like images) from that of its host galaxy and to accurately track the flux variations of the point-like images in various filters. The deconvolved frames unveil several multiply imaged structures in the Einstein ring and an unidentified object in the vicinity of the lensing galaxy. We discuss the lightcurves and the chromatic flux ratio variations and deduce that both intrinsic variability and microlensing took place during a span longer than one year. We demonstrate that microlensing may easily account for the so called anomalous flux ratios presented in the discovery paper. However, the observed flux ratios are still poorly reproduced when modeling the lens potential with a SIE+shear. We argue that this disagreement can hardly be explained by milli-lensing caused by substructures in the lensing galaxy. A solution proposed in Paper II consists in a more complex lens model including an octupole term to the lens gravitational potential., Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, Accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysics Minor corrections to match the published version

The 12C14N/12C15N and 12C14N/13C14N isotopic ratios are determined for the first time in a Jupiter-family comet, 88P/1981 Q1 Howell, and in the chemically peculiar Oort Cloud comet C/1999 S4 (LINEAR). By comparing these measurements to previous ones derived for six other Oort Cloud comets (including one of Halley-type), we find that both the carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios are constant within the uncertainties. The mean values are 12C/13C ~ 90 and 14N/15N \~ 145 for the eight comets. These results strengthen the view that CN radicals originate from refractory organics formed in the protosolar molecular cloud and subsequently incorporated in comets., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A letters

Based on a new sample of 355 quasars with significant optical polarization and using complementary statistical methods, we confirm that quasar polarization vectors are not randomly oriented over the sky with a probability often in excess of 99.9%. The polarization vectors appear coherently oriented or aligned over huge (~ 1 Gpc) regions of the sky located at both low (z ~ 0.5) and high (z ~ 1.5) redshifts and characterized by different preferred directions of the quasar polarization. In fact, there seems to exist a regular alternance along the line of sight of regions of randomly and aligned polarization vectors with a typical comoving length scale of 1.5 Gpc. Furthermore, the mean polarization angle \bar{\theta} appears to rotate with redshift at the rate of ~ 30\degr per Gpc. The symmetry of the the \bar{\theta} -z relation is mirror-like, the mean polarization angle rotating clockwise with increasing redshift in North Galactic hemisphere and counter-clockwise in the South Galactic one. These characteristics make the alignment effect difficult to explain in terms of local mechanisms, namely a contamination by interstellar polarization in our Galaxy. While interpretations like a global rotation of the Universe can potentially explain the effect, the properties we observe qualitatively correspond to the dichroism and birefringence predicted by photon-pseudoscalar oscillation within a magnetic field. Interestingly, the alignment effect seems to be prominent along an axis not far from preferred directions tentatively identified in the CMB maps. Although many questions and more particularly the interpretation of the effect remain open, alignments of quasar polarization vectors appear as a promising new way to probe the Universe and its dark components at extremely large scales., Comment: Accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysics; 19 pages, 17 figures. Include Table A1 which will be available via CDS

New linear polarization measurements (mainly in the V band) are presented for 203 quasi-stellar objects (QSOs). The sample is made up of 94 QSOs located in the North Galactic Pole (NGP) region and of 109 QSOs in the South Galactic Pole (SGP) region. First time measurements have been obtained for 184 QSOs. Among them, 109 known radio-emitters, 42 known Broad Absorption Line (BAL) QSOs, and 1 gravitationally lensed quasi-stellar object. We found high polarization levels (p > 3%) for 12 QSOs, including the BAL QSO SDSS J1409+0048. For 10 objects, measurements obtained at different epochs do exist. Two of them show evidence for variability: the highly polarized BL Lac candidate PKS 1216-010 and the radio source PKS 1222+037, Comment: Published in A&A (2005; 433, 757). 12 pages, 5 figures. Table 4 is ALSO available in electronic form at CDS

The 12C14N/12C15N and 12C14N/13C14N isotopic ratios have been determined in comets C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp), C/2001 Q4 (NEAT) and C/2003 K4 (LINEAR) at heliocentric distances of, respectively, 2.7, 3.7 and 2.6 AU. These ratios have also been measured at r ~ 1 AU. No significant differences were found between all determinations, nor with the value obtained for other comets. If confirmed, the discrepancy between the nitrogen isotopic ratios from optical and millimeter measurements on CN and HCN would rule out HCN as a major parent of the cometary CN radicals., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy ans Astrophysics

We report the results of statistical tests performed on a sample of 139 broad absorption line (BAL) QSOs with good quality optical spectra and/or optical polarization data. Correlations between optical indices and the polarization degree p_0 are systematically searched for. In order to identify the most important correlations, we perform a principal component analysis with a sample of 30 BAL QSOs and eight quantities (including p_0). Most of the variance in the data is contained in two principal components (PC): PC1 is mainly dominated by the correlation between the balnicity index BI and the strength of the feii emission, and may be driven by the accretion rate of matter onto the central compact object. The variance in PC2 is essentially due to the anti-correlation between p_0 and the detachment index DI. PC2 may be related to the orientation of the BAL QSOs with respect to the line of sight. We also consider a spectropolarimetric sample of 21 BAL QSOs for which we define four indices describing the polarization properties of the absorption and emission lines. We find a possible anti-correlation between the detachment index and a quantity SI which measures the ratio of the depths of the civ absorption in the polarized flux and in the total flux. This correlation indicates that in BAL QSOs with P cygni profiles, the BAL troughs in the polarized flux are nearly as deep as in the total flux while, in BAL QSOs with detached absorptions, the BAL troughs in the polarized flux are much weaker than in the total flux. We show that our main results may be explained in the framework of a 'two-component' wind model. In this model, the broad absorption occurs in a dense equatorial wind emerging from the accretion disk, while scattering and polarization mainly take place in a polar region., Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures, to be published in Astronomy & Astrophysics

We analyse high-resolution VLT+UVES spectra of the low-ionization intrinsic absorber observed in the BAL QSO SDSS J001130.56+005550.7. Two narrow absorption systems at velocities -600 km/s and -22000 km/s are detected. The low-velocity system is part of the broad absorption line (BAL), while the high-velocity one is well detached. While most narrow absorption components are only detected in the high-ionization species, the lowest velocity component is detected in both high- and low-ionization species, including in the excited SiII* and CII* lines. From the analysis of doublet lines, we find that the narrow absorption lines at the low-velocity end of the BAL trough are completely saturated but do not reach zero flux, their profiles being dominated by a velocity-dependent covering factor. The covering factor is significantly smaller for MgII than for SiIV and NV, which demonstrates the intrinsic nature of absorber. From the analysis of the excited SiII* and CII* lines in the lowest velocity component, we find an electron density ~ 1000 cm^{-3}. Assuming photoionization equilibrium, we derive a distance ~ 20 kpc between the low-ionization region and the quasar core. The correspondence in velocity of the high- and low-ionization features suggests that all these species must be closely associated, hence formed at the same distance of ~ 20 kpc, much higher than the distance usually assumed for BAL absorbers., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A

We report the discovery of a new quadruply imaged quasar surrounded by an optical Einstein ring candidate. Spectra of the different components of 1RXS J113155.4-123155 reveal a source at z=0.658. Up to now, this object is the closest known gravitationally lensed quasar. The lensing galaxy is clearly detected. Its redshift is measured to be z=0.295. Additionally, the total V magnitude of the system has varied by 0.3 mag between two epochs separated by 33 weeks. The measured relative astrometry of the lensed images is best fitted with an SIS model plus shear. This modeling suggests very high magnification of the source (up to 50 for the total magnification) and predicts flux ratios between the lensed images significantly different from what is actually observed. This suggests that the lensed images may be affected by a combination of micro or milli-lensing and dust extinction effects., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, published in A&A

We present optical V and i-band light curves of the gravitationally lensed BAL quasar HE2149-2745. The data, obtained with the 1.5m Danish Telescope (ESO-La Silla) between October 1998 and December 2000, are the first from a long-term project aimed at monitoring selected lensed quasars in the Southern Hemisphere. A time delay of 103+/-12 days is determined from the light curves. In addition, VLT/FORS1 spectra of HE2149-2745 are deconvolved in order to obtain the spectrum of the faint lensing galaxy, free of any contamination by the bright nearby two quasar images. By cross-correlating the spectrum with galaxy-templates we obtain a tentative redshift estimate of z=0.495+/-0.01. Adopting this redshift, a Omega=0.3, Lambda=0.7 cosmology, and a chosen analytical lens model, our time-delay measurement yields a Hubble constant of H_0=66+/-8 km/s/Mpc with an estimated systematic error of +/-3 km/s/Mpc. Using non-parametric models yields H_0=65+/-8 km/s/Mpc and confirms that the lens exhibits a very dense/concentrated mass profile., Comment: 11 pages, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

Correlations between BAL QSO intrinsic properties and polarization have been searched for. Some results are summarized here, providing possible constraints on BAL outflow models., Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures; to appear in ``Mass Outflow in Active Galactic Nuclei: New Perspectives'' ASP Conference Series, eds. D.M. Crenshaw, S.B. Kraemer, and I.M. George

In order to verify the existence of coherent orientations of quasars polarization vectors on very large scales, we have obtained new polarization measurements for a sample of quasars located in a given region of the three-dimensional Universe where the range of polarization position angles was predicted in advance. For this new sample, the hypothesis of uniform distribution of polarization position angles may be rejected at the 1.8% significance level on the basis of a simple binomial test. This result provides an independent confirmation of the existence of alignments of quasar polarization vectors on very large scales. In total, out of 29 polarized quasars located in this region of the sky, 25 have their polarization vectors coherently oriented. This alignment occurs at redshifts 1-2 suggesting the presence of correlations in objects or fields on Gpc scales. More global statistical tests applied to the whole sample of polarized quasars distributed all over the sky confirm that polarization vectors are coherently oriented in a few groups of 20-30 quasars. Some constraints on the phenomenon are also derived. Considering more particularly the quasars in the selected region of the sky, we found that their polarization vectors are roughly parallel to the plane of the Local Supercluster. But the polarization vectors of objects along the same line of sight at lower redshifts are not accordingly aligned. We also found that the known correlations between quasar intrinsic properties and polarization are not destroyed by the alignment effect. Several possible mechanisms are discussed, but the interpretation of this orientation effect remains puzzling., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

We report on imaging and spectroscopic observations of the radio-loud, highly polarized quasar PKS 1610-771 (z = 1.71). Our long-slit spectroscopy of the companion 4.55 arcseconds NW of the quasar confirms the stellar nature of this object, so ruling out the previously suspected gravitationally lensed nature of this system. PKS 1610-771 looks fuzzy on our sub-arcsecond R and I images and appears located in a rich environment of faint galaxies. Possible magnification, without image splitting of the quasar itself, by some of these maybe foreground galaxies cannot be excluded. The continuum fuzz (made of the closest two objects, viz. A and D) is elongated in a direction orthogonal to the E vector of the optical polarization, as in high-redshift radio-galaxies. The spectrum of PKS 1610-771 appears strongly curved, in a convex way, with a maximum of intensity at ~ 7,600 A (2,800 A rest frame), possibly indicating a strong ultraviolet absorption by dust., Comment: 6 pages, uuencoded gziped tar file including TeX file + postscript figures. Accepted for publication in A&A main journal

We present the results of a 7 year long photometric monitoring of two components (A and B) of UM 425, thought to be images, separated by 6.5", of the same z = 1.47 quasar. These components have been imaged through an R filter in order to obtain their light curves. The photometry was obtained by simultaneously fitting a stellar two-dimensional profile on each component. The brightest image (component A, m(R) = 15.7) shows a slow and smooth increase in brightness of 0.2 magnitude in seven years, while the faintest one (component B, m(R) = 20.1) displays an outburst of 0.4 magnitude which lasts approximately two years. The variation of component B may be interpreted in two ways, assuming UM 425 is gravitationally lensed. If it is due to an intrinsic variation of the quasar, we derive a lower limit of 3 years on the time delay from the fact that it is not observed in component A. On the other hand, if it is a microlensing ``High Amplification Event'', we estimate the size of the source to be ~ 10^{-3} pc, in agreement with standard models of AGNs. These observations are consistent with the gravitational lens interpretation of the object. Furthermore, all the CCD frames obtained under the best seeing conditions have been co-added, in an attempt to detect the deflector. The final R image reveals a rich field of faint galaxies in the magnitude range m(R) 22-24. No obvious deflector, nor any system of arcs or arclets is detected, down to a limiting magnitude of m(R) 24., Comment: Astronomy and Astrophysics, in press (accepted March 22, 1995). Postscript file of 8 pages, figures included