Observations of the interstellar medium in the Magellanic Bridge

We present ultraviolet and optical spectra of DI 1388, a young star in the Magellanic Bridge, a region of gas between the Small and Large Magellanic C louds. The data have signal-to-noise ratios of 20-45 and a spectral resolut ion of 6.5 km s(-1). Interstellar absorption by the Magellanic Bridge at v( LSR) approximate to 200 km s(-1) is visible in the lines of C I, CII, C II* , C IV, NI, O I, Al II, Si II, Si III, SiIV, SII, Ca II, Fe II, and Ni II. The relative gas-phase abundances of C II, NI, O I, Al II, Si II, Fe II, an d Ni II with respect to S II are similar to those found in Galactic halo cl ouds, despite a significantly lower metallicity in the Magellanic Bridge. T he higher ionization species in the cloud have a column density ratio N(C+3 )/ N(Si+3) similar to1.9, similar to that inferred for collisionally ionize d Galactic cloud interfaces at temperatures similar to 10(5) K. We identify substructure in the stronger interstellar lines, with a broad component (F WHM similar to 20 km s(-1)) at similar to 179 km s(-1) and a sharp componen t (FWHM similar to 11 km s(-1)) at 198 km s(-1). The abundance analysis for these clouds indicates that the feature at 198 km s(-1) consists of a low electron density, mainly neutral gas that may be associated with an interfa ce responsible for the highly ionized gas. The 179 km s(-1) cloud consists of warmer, lower density gas that is partially ionized.