Abstract
Absorption features in the UV spectra in about 10–15% of quasars show very broad profiles, indicating outflow velocities from the quasars of one or even two tenths the speed of light. Determinations of the abundances of some elements, particularly phosphorus, have yielded apparent large overabundances relative to solar. However, it has recently been shown that the absorbing gas which does not completely cover the continuum source of the emission-line clouds may have large optical depth so that the absorption lines are heavily saturated, leading to spurious overabundances of some elements, including phosphorus.
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Burbidge, E.M. Phosphorus Overabundance in Quasars Re-Examined. Astrophysics and Space Science 265, 99–101 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1002158031517
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1002158031517