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J/ApJ/635/123     The SDSS-DR3 damped Lyα survey        (Prochaska+, 2005)
The SDSS damped Lyα survey: Data Release 3.
    Prochaska J.X., Herbert-fort S., Wolfe A.M.
   <Astrophys. J., 635, 123-142 (2005)>
   =2005ApJ...635..123P
ADC_Keywords: QSOs ; Redshifts

Keywords: galaxies: evolution - intergalactic medium - quasars: absorption lines


Abstract:
    We present the results from a damped Lyα survey of the Sloan
    Digital Sky Survey, Data Release 3 (Cat. II/259). We have discovered
    over 500 new damped Lyα systems at z>2.2, and the complete
    statistical sample for z>1.6 has more than 600 damped Lyα
    galaxies.

File Summary:

       FileName      Lrecl  Records   Explanations

ReadMe            80        .   This file
table1.dat       126     6568   SDSS-DR3 quasar sample
table3.dat        70      525   SDSS-DR3 DLA statistical sample
table4.dat        70      170   SDSS-DR3 DLA non-statistical sample
table5.dat        70      229  *SDSS-DR3 Super-LLS Sample

Note on table5.dat: Super-LLS are Lyman Limit Systems with central NHI
     values less than 2x1020cm-2


See also:
  http://www.sdss.org : SDSS Home Page
  J/PASP/116/622      : SDSS damped Lyα survey: DR1 (Prochaska+, 2004)
  VII/243             : SDSS quasar catalog. III. (Schneider+, 2005)
  II/259              : The SDSS Photometric Catalog Release 3 (Abazajian+ 2005)


Byte-by-byte Description of file: table1.dat

   Bytes Format Units   Label    Explanations

   1-  4  I4    ---     Plate    Plate number
   6- 10  I5    d       MJD      Modified Julian Date of observation
  12- 14  I3    ---     Fiber    Fiber number
  16- 34  A19   ---     SDSS     Quasar name
  36- 40  F5.3  ---     zem      QSO emission redshift
      42  I1    ---     f_zem    Flag describing intrisic absorption on z (1)
  44- 48  F5.3  ---     zstart   ? Starting redshift for S/N_lim_=4 (2)
  50- 54  F5.3  ---     zstart5  ? Starting redshift for S/N_lim_=5 (2)
  56- 60  F5.3  ---     zend     ? Ending redshift for S/N_lim_=4 (2)
  62-126  A65   ---     zcand    Candidate(s) absorption redshift(s) along
                                  sightline

Note (1): Flag describing intrisic absorption on z, defined as follows:
    0 = No intrinsic absorption;
    1 = Mild intrinsic absorption, included in analysis with restriction;
    2 = Strong intrinsic absorption, excluded.
Note (2): We define the starting redshift as
             zi=(λi/1215.67)-1+0.005,
     and the ending redshift as zf=0.99zQSO-0.01. λi is the
     minimum wavelength, where the median S/N in a 20pix interval exceeds
     S/Nlim.


Byte-by-byte Description of file: table3.dat table4.dat table5.dat

   Bytes Format Units   Label     Explanations

       1  A1    ---     n_SDSS    [*] when quasar does not exit is SDSS-DR3 (3)
   2- 20  A19   ---     SDSS      Quasar name in DR3, as in table1 (3)
  22- 39  A18   ---     SDSSt     Quasar truncated name (1)
  41- 46  F6.4  ---     zabs      Damped Lyα absorption redshift (1)
      48  I1    ---     DR        [1,3] Data release of actual spectrum analyzed
      50  I1    ---     S/N       ? Signal-to-Noise ratio
      52  A1    ---     Memb      [yn] Membership in the CLR (confidence limit
                                 ratio) statistical cut?
      54  I1    ---     Metal     [0/2] Flag on the metal-line absorption (2)
  56- 60  F5.2  [cm-2]  logNHI    Log of the Hydrogen column density
  62- 65  F4.2  [cm-2]  E_logNHI  Upper limit error in logNHI
  67- 70  F4.2  [cm-2]  e_logNHI  Lower limit error in logNHI

Note (1): [PHW2005] SDSS JHHMMSS.ss+DDMMSS.s abs N.NNNN in Simbad

Note (2): Flag on the metal-line absorption, defined as follows:
    0 = No metals;
    1 = Weak metals;
    2 = Metals detected.
Note (3): column added at CDS. There are 2 SDSS names in table4 which
    can't exist in SDSS-DR3: J103152.8+010923.0 and J161045.6+005728.1.


History:
  * 21-Aug-2006: From electronic version of the journal
  * 23-Jan-2008: Corrected SDSS names from tables 3, 4, 5.
(End)                   Greg Schwarz [AAS], Marianne Brouty [CDS]    21-Aug-2006