Multiwavelength investigation of a near-solar metallicity sub-DLA at z =1.3647 towards PKS 0237-233

We searched for 21-cm absorption associated with the z_abs = 1.3647 absorption system toward PKS 0237-233 using the GMRT. A high quality UVES spectrum shows that C I and C I* are detected at this redshift together with C II*, Mg I, Mg II, Si II, Al II, Fe II and Mn II. The complex profiles, spread over ~300 km/s, are fitted with 21 Voigt profile components. None of these components are detected in 21-cm absorption down to a detection limit of \tau(3\sigma)\le 3x10^{-3} (or N(HI)/T_S -0.33. Using photoionization models constrained by the fine-structure excitations of C I and C II, and the 21-cm optical depth, we show that the C I absorption arises predominantly either in WIM or WNM in ionization and thermal equilibrium with the meta-galactic UV background dominated by QSOs and star forming galaxies. The estimated thermal pressure of the gas is of the same order of magnitude over different velocity ranges through the absorption profile (2.6\le log [P/k cm^{-3} K]\le 4.0). The gas-phase metallicity corrected for ionization is Z>0.5 Z_\odot with a signature of Fe co-production elements being under abundant compared to \alpha-process elements by ~0.5 dex. At z>1.9, C I absorption is usually associated with H_2 absorption arising from cold gas in DLAs. This system and the z=2.139 toward Tol 1037-270 are the only two systems known which show that C I absorption can also be detected in warm gas provided the metallicity is high enough. Interestingly, both the systems are part of unusual concentrations of absorption lines.