The UVES Spectral Quasar Absorption Database (SQUAD) data release 1: The first 10 million seconds

We present the first data release (DR1) of the LIVES Spectral Quasar Absorption Database (SQUAD), comprising 467 fully reduced, continuum-fitted high-resolution quasar spectra from the Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph (LIVES) on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope. The quasars have redshifts z = 0-5, and a total exposure time of 10 million seconds provides continuum-to-noise ratios of 4-342 (median 20) per 2.5 km s(-1) pixel at 5500 angstrom. The SQUAD spectra are fully reproducible from the raw, archival LIVES exposures with open-source software, including our UVES_POPLER tool for combining multiple extracted echelle exposures which we document here. All processing steps are completely transparent and can be improved upon or modified for specific applications. A primary goal of SQUAD is to enable statistical studies of large quasar and absorber samples, and we provide tools and basic information to assist three broad scientific uses: studies of damped Lyman-alpha systems (DLAs), absorption-line surveys, and time-variable absorption lines. For example, we provide a catalogue of 155 DLAs whose Lyman-alpha lines are covered by the DR1 spectra, 18 of which are reported for the first time. The H I column densities of these new DLAs are measured from the DR1 spectra. DR1 is publicly available and includes all reduced data and information to reproduce the final spectra.