Blinking Cursor

Research-wise, this week was Rogerson research evaluation, and some discussion of the BAL photovariability project.  DeRobertis pointed out in the evaluation that if an absorbing cloud at a fixed distance from a quasar expands and decreases in density, it can effectively photoevaporate in an ion of interest (n goes down, L and d are constant, so ionization parameter U=L/nd^2 goes up).  I don't think anyone's considered that possibility for BAL variability before.