The Nature of LoBAL QSOs: I. SEDs and mid-infrared spectral properties
  We have obtained Spitzer IRS spectra and MIPS 24, 70, and 160 micron
photometry for a volume-limited sample of 22 SDSS-selected Low-ionization Broad
Absorption Line QSOs (LoBALs) at 0.5 < z < 0.6. By comparing their mid-IR
spectral properties and far-IR SEDs with those of a control sample of 35
non-LoBALs matched in M_i, we investigate the differences between the two
populations in terms of their infrared emission and star formation activity.
Twenty five percent of the LoBALs show PAH features and 45% have weak 9.7
micron silicate dust emission. We model the SEDs and decouple the AGN and
starburst contributions to the far-infrared luminosity in LoBALs and in
non-LoBALs. Their median total, starburst, and AGN infrared luminosities are
comparable. Twenty percent (but no more than 60%) of the LoBALs and 26% of the
non-LoBALs are ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs; L_IR>10^12*L_sun). We
estimate star formation rates (SFRs) corrected for the AGN contribution to the
FIR flux and find that LoBALs have comparable levels of star formation activity
to non-LoBALs when considering the entire samples. However, the SFRs of the
IR-luminous LoBALs are 80% higher than those of their counterparts in the
control sample. The median contribution of star formation to the total
far-infrared flux in LoBALs and in non-LoBALs is estimated to be 40-50%, in
agreement with previous results for PG QSOs. Overall, our results show that
there is no strong evidence from the mid- and far-IR properties that LoBALs are
drawn from a different parent population than non-LoBALs.
