| Abstract: | Broad absorption lines (BALs) in quasar spectra identify high velocity outflows that likely exist in all quasars and could play a major role in feedback to galaxy evolution. In order to determine the viability of these outflows as a feedback mechanism, we need to better understand their properties, including their mass outflow rates and kinetic energy yields. I will first present work on the variability in these BALs and how we estimate properties of the outflows from the observed variability. Second, I will discuss a method of determining the column densities in the outflows by turning to low-abundance species that appear in a fraction of BAL quasar spectra. |
