The ultraviolet spectra of intermediate-redshift quasars

In the present sample of 21 intermediate redshift quasars, for which IUE Lyman-alpha line flux and UV continuum observations have been conducted, an extrapolation of the continuum to the X-ray region is noted to fall at least 2-sigma above the measured X-ray flux, at 2 keV, for two-thirds of the sample. The strength of Lyman-alpha is well correlated with the luminosity at 1450 A, and an estimate of the covering factor on the basis of the ratio of the number of Lyman-alpha to ionizing protons yields a value for the sample which, at about 0.17, is consistent with the number of observed Lyman discontinuities.