2000A&A...359..429J

We have obtained low resolution (∼20Å FWHM) slit spectra of 10 quasar candidates located within one degree of the z=2.181 quasar Q0122-380 with the objective of searching for signs of large scale structure matching the intervening rich absorption complexes seen over the redshift range 1.81≲z≲1.97 toward this object. Of the 8 confirmed quasars, 4 turn out to have redshifts z<1.8, placing them well in front of the redshift range of interest. Two of the three confirmed quasars at redshift z>1.8 show no obvious absorption matching that of Q0122-380 at our spectral resolution and signal-to-noise ratio. The third object at a redshift of z=1.868 displays strong z_abs∼z_em absorption systems at z≃1.84 and z≃1.86 and a possibly BAL-like trough at z≃1.76. If not intrinsic in nature, the former two systems could potentially be related to the absorption seen in Q0122-380, albeit over a distance of 50.2' (D_⊥≃13h^–1Mpc at z≃1.9).