Related papers: A search for high redshift molecular absorption li…
Millimetre-band scans of the frequency space towards optically dim quasars is potentially a highly efficient method for detecting new high redshift molecular absorption systems. Here we describe scans towards 7 quasars over wide bandwidths…
We have undertaken a search for millimetre-wave band absorption (through the CO and HCO+ rotational transitions) in the host galaxies of reddened radio sources (z = 0.405-1.802). Despite the colour selection (optical-near infrared colours…
Strong constraints on possible variations in fundamental constants can be derived from HI 21-cm and molecular rotational absorption lines observed towards quasars. With the aim of forming a statistical sample of constraints we have begun a…
We present the results of a z>2.9 survey for HI 21-cm and molecular absorption in the hosts of radio quasars using the GMRT and the Tidbinbilla 70-m telescope. Previously published searches, which are overwhelmingly at redshifts of z<1,…
We present the methodology for ``blind'' millimetre-wave surveys for redshifted molecular absorption in the CO/HCO$^+$ rotational lines. The frequency range $30-50$ GHz appears optimal for such surveys, providing sensitivity to absorbers at…
Despite much searching, redshifted decimetre and millimetre-band absorption by molecular gas remains very rare, limited to just six systems at z > 0.05. Detection of these transitions can yield precise diagnostics of the conditions of the…
We are currently undertaking a large survey for redshifted atomic and molecular absorption ... only one clear and one tentative detection were obtained: HI absorption at z = 0.097 in PKS 1555-140 and OH absorption at z =0.126 in PKS…
We have obtained low resolution (~20 Angstrom FWHM) slit spectra of 10 quasar candidates located within one degree of the z = 2.181 quasar Q0122-380 with the objective of searching for signs of large scale structure matching the intervening…
We review observations of molecular absorption line systems at high redshift toward red quasars and gravitational lenses.
Strong evidence has recently emerged for a variation in the fine structure constant, $\alpha\equiv e^2/\hbar c$, over the history of the Universe. This was concluded from a detailed study of the relative positions of redshifted optical…
Spectroscopy of redshifted radio absorption of atomic and molecular species provide excellent probes of the cold component of the gas in the early Universe which can be used to address many important issues, such as measuring baryonic…
We present a new measurement of the space density of high redshift (3.0<z<4.5), X-ray selected QSOs obtained by exploiting the deep and uniform multiwavelength coverage of the COSMOS survey. We have assembled a statistically large (40…
We report the discovery of five quasars with redshifts of 4.67 - 5.27 and z'-band magnitudes of 19.5-20.7 M_B ~ -27. All were originally selected as distant quasar candidates in optical/near-infrared photometry from the Sloan Digital Sky…
The APM multicolor survey for bright z > 4 objects, covering 2500 deg^2 of sky to m(R)~19, resulted in the discovery of thirty-one quasars with z > 4. High signal-to-noise optical spectrophotometry at 5A resolution has been obtained for the…
We present an analysis of the absorption-line system in the Very Large Telescope/Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph spectrum at a redshift of $z_{\rm a}={3.1448}$ associated with the quasar SDSS J122040.23+092326.96, whose…
The ultraviolet broad absorption lines have been seen in the spectra of quasars at high redshift, and are generally considered to be caused by outflows with velocities from thousands kilometers per second to one tenth of the speed of light.…
We report a lambda > 1cm search for rotational molecular absorption towards quasars, now possible with the upgraded Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). The targets were PKS 0201+113, PKS 0336-017 and Q 0537-286, where known damped…
We report on a survey for associated HI 21-cm and OH 18-cm absorption with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope at redshifts z = 0.2-0.4. Although the low redshift selection ensures that our targets are below the critical ultra-violet…
We present the detection of carbon monoxide molecules (CO) at z=1.6408 towards the quasar SDSSJ160457.50+220300.5 using the VLT Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph. CO absorption is detected in at least two components in the first…
Absorption lines at high redshift in front of quasars are rare in the mm domain. Only five associated and five intervening systems have been reported in the literature. These bring very useful information complementary to emission lines,…