A classification scheme for QSO absorption line spectra is described which ascribes the origin of the lines to at least four mechanisms: (A) Explosive ejection of material at speeds up to 0.1 c. (B) Absorption by highly ionized material moving in a rich cluster in which the QSO is embedded. (C-1) Cosmologically distant intervening material with ‘normal’ abundances, probably associated with large galactic halos. (C-2) Cosmologically distant intervening material consisting of primordial uncondensed gas. Examples of each type of spectra are given and their ionization and other spectral characteristics discussed. The similarity between the development of novae spectra and a possible evolutionary sequence of the explosive ejecta of type A is striking and suggestive. Several difficulties and unsolved problems involving this scheme are noted. Finally, we speculate on the interpretation of two interesting objects (PKS 0237-23 and the ‘twin quasars’ 0957+56A,B) in the context of this scheme.
The Origin of Absorption Spectra in Quasi-Stellar Objects