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Interstellar Silicate Dust in the z=0.685 Absorber Toward TXS 0218+357

We report the detection of interstellar silicate dust in the z_abs=0.685 absorber along the sightline toward the gravitationally lensed blazar TXS 0218+357. Using Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Spectrograph data we detect the 10 micron silicate absorption feature with a detection significance of 10.7-sigma. We fit laboratory-derived silicate dust profile templates obtained from literature to the observed 10 micron absorption feature, and find that the best single-mineral fit is obtained using an amorphous olivine template with a measured peak optical depth of tau_10=0.49+/-0.02, which rises to tau_10~0.67+/-0.04 if the covering factor is taken into account. We also detected the 18 micron silicate absorption feature in our data with a >3-sigma significance. Due to the proximity of the 18 micron absorption feature to the edge of our covered spectral range, and associated uncertainty about the shape of the quasar continuum normalization near 18 micron, we do not independently fit this feature. We find, however, that the shape and depth of the 18 micron silicate absorption are well-matched to the amorphous olivine template prediction, given the optical depth inferred for the 10 micron feature. The measured 10 micron peak optical depth in this absorber is significantly higher than those found in previously studied quasar absorption systems. The reddening, 21-cm absorption, and velocity spread of Mg II are not outliers relative to other studied absorption systems, however. This high optical depth may be evidence for variations in dust grain properties in the ISM between this and the previously studied high redshift galaxies.