Near-Infrared search for C IV absorption counterparts along the line-of-sights to pair quasars

Abstract

We carried out a Subaru and UKIRT near infrared imaging survey for H-alpha emitting galaxies around two pair quasar systems (Q0301-005/Q0302-003 and Q2343+125/Q2344+125), and a triple quasar system (KP76/KP77/KP78). Narrow band near infrared filters covering the H-alpha emission expected for galaxies at the confirmed C IV absorption redshift toward the quasar systems were used for this survey. These quasar pairs or triplet are separated at most by 17 arcmins (~5 h^-1 Mpc in proper distance) from each other on the sky, and have common C IV absorption lines at almost identical redshifts at z=2.24-2.43, which suggests there could be a Mpc-scale absorbing systems such as a cluster, or a group, of galaxies that cover all the line-of-sights to the pair/triple quasars. Using narrow-band deep images, we detected five candidates for H-alpha emitting galaxies around two of the six fields, Q2343+125 and Q2344+125, whose apparent star formation rates are, extremely high, 20-466 M_solar/year. However, all or most of them are not likely to be galaxies at the absorption redshift but galaxies at lower redshift, because of their extreme brightness. In the fields of the other quasars, we detected no star-forming galaxies, nor did we find any number excess of galaxy counts around them. This no-detection results could be because the luminosities and star formation rates of galaxies are lower than the detection limits of our observations (K' > 21 and SFR < 1.8-240 h^-2 M_solar/year). They could be located outside of the observed fields by chance. Otherwise, most C IV absorption lines could be ascribed not to cluster of galaxies, but to isolated star forming pockets far from bright galaxies and could be analogous objects to weak Mg II absorbers.