A MULTIPHASE ABSORBER CONTAINING O vi AND BROAD H i DIRECTLY TRACING 106 K PLASMA AT LOW REDSHIFT TOWARD HE 0153−4520

Observations of the QSO HE 0153−4520 (zem = 0.450) with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) from 1134 to 1796 Å with a resolution of ∼17 km s−1 and a signal-to-noise ratio per resolution element of 20–40 are used to study a multiphase partial Lyman limit system (LLS) at z = 0.22601 tracing both cool and hot gas. Far-Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer observations of the Lyman limit break yield log N(H i) = 16.61 (0.12, −0.17). The observed UV absorption lines of H i λλ1216 to 926, C iii, C ii, N iii, N ii, Si iii, and Si ii imply the existence of cool photoionized gas in the LLS with log U = −2.8 ± 0.1 and log N(H) = 19.35 ± 0.18, log nH = −2.9 ± 0.2, log T = 4.27 ± 0.02, log (P/k) = 1.75 ± 0.17, and log L (kpc) = 0.70 ± 0.25. The abundances are [X/H] = −0.8 (+0.3, −0.2) for N, Si, and C, but the result is sensitive to the assumed shape of the ionizing background radiation field. The multiphase system has strong O vi and associated broad Lyα absorption (BLA) with log N(O vi) = 14.21 ± 0.02, b(O vi) = 37 ± 1 km s−1, log N(H i) = 13.70 (+0.05, −0.08), b(H i) = 140 (+14, −16) km s−1 and b(H i)/b(O vi) = 3.9 ± 0.4. The O vi does not arise in the cool photoionized gas of the LLS. The O vi and BLA imply the direct detection of thermally broadened absorption by hot gas with log T = 6.07 (+0.09, −0.12), [O/H] = −0.28 (+0.09, −0.08), and log N(H) = 20.41 (+0.13, −0.17). The absorber probably occurs in the circumgalactic environment (halo) of a foreground galaxy. The very high sensitivity of UV absorption line spectroscopy to O vi and thermally broadened H i Lyα now permits the direct detection of hot gas with log T > 6, a determination of the abundance of O/H, and log N(H) in low-redshift intergalactic medium absorption line systems.