Weak Hard X-Ray Emission from Two Broad Absorption Line Quasars Observed with NuStar: Compton-Thick Absorption or Intrinsic X-Ray Weakness?

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, B.; Brandt, W. N.; Alexander, D. M.; Harrison, F. A.; Stern, D.; Bauer, F. E.; Boggs, S. E.; Christensen, F. E.; Comastri, A.; Craig, W. W..;

WEAK HARD X-RAY EMISSION FROM TWO BROAD ABSORPTION LINE QUASARS OBSERVED WITH NuSTAR: COMPTON-THICK ABSORPTION OR INTRINSIC X-RAY WEAKNESS?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luo, B.; Brandt, W. N. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 525 Davey Lab, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Alexander, D. M.; Hickox, R. [Department of Physics, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Harrison, F. A.; Fuerst, F.; Grefenstette, B. W.; Madsen, K. K. [Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Stern, D. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Bauer, F. E. [Departamento de Astronomia y Astrofisica, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Casilla 306, Santiago 22 (Chile); Boggs, S. E.; Craig, W. W. [Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Christensen, F. E. [DTU Space-National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Elektrovej 327, DK-2800 Lyngby (Denmark); Comastri, A. [INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna, Via Ranzani 1, I-40127 Bologna (Italy); Fabian, A. C. [Institute of Astronomy, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA (United Kingdom); Farrah, D. [Department of Physics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (United States); Fiore, F. [Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, via Frascati 33, I-00040 Monteporzio Catone (Italy); Hailey, C. J. [Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Matt, G. [Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Universita degli Studi Roma Tre, via della Vasca Navale 84, I-00146 Roma (Italy); Ogle, P. [IPAC, California Institute of Technology, Mail Code 220-6, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); and others

2013-08-01

We present Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) hard X-ray observations of two X-ray weak broad absorption line (BAL) quasars, PG 1004+130 (radio loud) and PG 1700+518 (radio quiet). Many BAL quasars appear X-ray weak, probably due to absorption by the shielding gas between the nucleus and the accretion-disk wind. The two targets are among the optically brightest BAL quasars, yet they are known to be significantly X-ray weak at rest-frame 2-10 keV (16-120 times fainter than typical quasars). We would expect to obtain Almost-Equal-To 400-600 hard X-ray ({approx}> 10 keV) photons with NuSTAR, provided that these photons are not significantly absorbed (N{sub H} {approx}< 10{sup 24} cm{sup -2}). However, both BAL quasars are only detected in the softer NuSTAR bands (e.g., 4-20 keV) but not in its harder bands (e.g., 20-30 keV), suggesting that either the shielding gas is highly Compton-thick or the two targets are intrinsically X-ray weak. We constrain the column densities for both to be N{sub H} Almost-Equal-To 7 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 24} cm{sup -2} if the weak hard X-ray emission is caused by obscuration from the shielding gas. We discuss a few possibilities for how PG 1004+130 could have Compton-thick shielding gas without strong Fe K{alpha} line emission; dilution from jet-linked X-ray emission is one likely explanation. We also discuss the intrinsic X-ray weakness scenario based on a coronal-quenching model relevant to the shielding gas and disk wind of BAL quasars. Motivated by our NuSTAR results, we perform a Chandra stacking analysis with the Large Bright Quasar Survey BAL quasar sample and place statistical constraints upon the fraction of intrinsically X-ray weak BAL quasars; this fraction is likely 17%-40%.

Discovery of an X-ray Violently Variable Broad Absorption Line Quasar

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, Kajal K.; Gutierrez, Carlos M.; Punsly, Brian; Chevallier, Loic; Goncalves, Anabela C.

2006-01-01

In this letter, we report on a quasar that is violently variable in the X-rays, XVV. It is also a broad absorption line quasar (BALQSO) that exhibits both high ionization and low ionization UV absorption lines (LoBALQSO). It is very luminous in the X-rays (approximately 10(exp 46) ergs s(sup -l) over the entire X-ray band). Surprisingly, this does not over ionize the LoBAL outflow. The X-rays vary by a factor of two within minutes in the quasar rest frame, which is shorter than 1/30 of the light travel time across a scale length equal to the black hole radius. We concluded that the X-rays are produced in a relativistic jet beamed toward earth in which variations in the Doppler enhancement produce the XVV behavior.

A CHANDRA SURVEY OF THE X-RAY PROPERTIES OF BROAD ABSORPTION LINE RADIO-LOUD QUASARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, B. P.; Brandt, W. N.; Garmire, G. P.; Gibson, R. R.; Shemmer, O.

2009-01-01

This work presents the results of a Chandra study of 21 broad absorption line (BAL) radio-loud quasars (RLQs). We conducted a Chandra snapshot survey of 12 bright BAL RLQs selected from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data/Faint Images of the Radio Sky data and possessing a wide range of radio and C IV absorption properties. Optical spectra were obtained nearly contemporaneously with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope; no strong flux or BAL variability was seen between epochs. In addition to the snapshot targets, we include in our sample nine additional BAL RLQs possessing archival Chandra coverage. We compare the properties of (predominantly high-ionization) BAL RLQs to those of non-BAL RLQs as well as to BAL radio-quiet quasars (RQQs) and non-BAL RQQs for context. All 12 snapshots and 8/9 archival BAL RLQs are detected, with observed X-ray luminosities less than those of non-BAL RLQs having comparable optical/UV luminosities by typical factors of 4.1-8.5. (BAL RLQs are also X-ray weak by typical factors of 2.0-4.5 relative to non-BAL RLQs having both comparable optical/UV and radio luminosities.) However, BAL RLQs are not as X-ray weak relative to non-BAL RLQs as are BAL RQQs relative to non-BAL RQQs. While some BAL RLQs have harder X-ray spectra than typical non-BAL RLQs, some have hardness ratios consistent with those of non-BAL RLQs, and there does not appear to be a correlation between X-ray weakness and spectral hardness, in contrast to the situation for BAL RQQs. RLQs are expected to have X-ray continuum contributions from both accretion-disk corona and small-scale jet emission. While the entire X-ray continuum in BAL RLQs cannot be obscured to the same degree as in BAL RQQs, we calculate that the jet is likely partially covered in many BAL RLQs. We comment briefly on implications for geometries and source ages in BAL RLQs.

THE EXTENDED HIGH A ( V ) QUASAR SURVEY: SEARCHING FOR DUSTY ABSORBERS TOWARD MID-INFRARED-SELECTED QUASARS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krogager, J.-K.; Noterdaeme, P. [Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, CNRS-UPMC, UMR7095, 98bis bd Arago, F-75014 Paris (France); Fynbo, J. P. U.; Heintz, K. E.; Vestergaard, M. [Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø (Denmark); Geier, S. [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), E-38205 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Ledoux, C. [European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Córdova 3107, Vitacura, Casilla 19001, Santiago 19 (Chile); Møller, P. [European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschildstrasse 2, D-85748 Garching bei München (Germany); Venemans, B. P. [Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany)

2016-11-20

We present the results of a new spectroscopic survey for dusty intervening absorption systems, particularly damped Ly α absorbers (DLAs), toward reddened quasars. The candidate quasars are selected from mid-infrared photometry from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer combined with optical and near-infrared photometry. Out of 1073 candidates, we secure low-resolution spectra for 108 using the Nordic Optical Telescope on La Palma, Spain. Based on the spectra, we are able to classify 100 of the 108 targets as quasars. A large fraction (50%) is observed to have broad absorption lines (BALs). Moreover, we find six quasars with strange breaks in their spectra, which are not consistent with regular dust reddening. Using template fitting, we infer the amount of reddening along each line of sight ranging from A ( V ) ≈ 0.1 to 1.2 mag (assuming a Small Magellanic Cloud extinction curve). In four cases, the reddening is consistent with dust exhibiting the 2175 Å feature caused by an intervening absorber, and for two of these, an Mg ii absorption system is observed at the best-fit absorption redshift. In the rest of the cases, the reddening is most likely intrinsic to the quasar. We observe no evidence for dusty DLAs in this survey. However, the large fraction of BAL quasars hampers the detection of absorption systems. Out of the 50 non-BAL quasars, only 28 have sufficiently high redshift to detect Ly α in absorption.

Investigations of Short-Timescale Outflow Variability in Quasars of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Hemler, Zachary; Grier, Catherine; Brandt, William; Hall, Patrick; Schneider, Donald; Shen, Yue; Fernandez-Trincado, Jose; SDSS-RM Collaboration

2018-01-01

Quasar outflows are hypothesized to regulate the growth of a quasar's host galaxy and the supermassive black hole (SMBH) itself. Thus, understanding the physics of these outflows is imperative to understanding galactic evolution. The physical properties of these outflows, such as density, radial distance from the SMBH, and kinetic energy can be investigated by measuring both the strength and shape variability of broad absorption lines (BALs) in quasar spectra. However, the accuracy of physical properties calculated using BAL variability methods is limited by the time resolution of the observations. Recent spectral data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping program (SDSS-RM) provides a novel opportunity to investigate the short-term BAL variability of many quasars at many epochs. The SDSS-RM program took many epochs of spectra for a large sample of quasars over a period of several years, many of which exhibit BALs. The median rest-frame time resolution of these observations is roughly 2 days, in contrast to previous large-sample studies, which typically have time spacing on the order of hundred of days. We are using the SDSS-RM dataset to conduct a BAL variability study that will further constrain outflow properties and provide significant insights into the variability mechanisms of quasar outflows. We are searching for variability in BALs on timescales of less than 2 days among our sample of 22 quasars and determining whether this behavior is common among quasars. We are also investigating the general short-term (less than 10 days) variability characteristics of the entire sample. We will present preliminary results from this study and the possible implications to our understanding of quasar outflows.

Photoionization-driven Absorption-line Variability in Balmer Absorption Line Quasar LBQS 1206+1052

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Luming; Zhou, Hongyan; Ji, Tuo; Jiang, Peng; Liu, Bo; Pan, Xiang; Shi, Xiheng; Zhang, Shaohua [Polar Research Institute of China, 451 Jinqiao Road, Shanghai (China); Liu, Wenjuan; Wang, Jianguo [Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan (China); Wang, Tinggui; Yang, Chenwei [Department of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui (China); Miller, Lauren P., E-mail: lmsun@mail.ustc.edu.cn [Lehigh University, 27 Memorial Drive West, Bethlehem, PA 18015 (United States)

2017-04-01

In this paper we present an analysis of absorption-line variability in mini-BAL quasar LBQS 1206+1052. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectrum demonstrates that the absorption troughs can be divided into two components of blueshift velocities of ∼700 and ∼1400 km s{sup −1} relative to the quasar rest frame. The former component shows rare Balmer absorption, which is an indicator of high-density absorbing gas; thus, the quasar is worth follow-up spectroscopic observations. Our follow-up optical and near-infrared spectra using MMT, YFOSC, TSpec, and DBSP reveal that the strengths of the absorption lines vary for both components, while the velocities do not change. We reproduce all of the spectral data by assuming that only the ionization state of the absorbing gas is variable and that all other physical properties are invariable. The variation of ionization is consistent with the variation of optical continuum from the V -band light curve. Additionally, we cannot interpret the data by assuming that the variability is due to a movement of the absorbing gas. Therefore, our analysis strongly indicates that the absorption-line variability in LBQS 1206+1052 is photoionization driven. As shown from photoionization simulations, the absorbing gas with blueshift velocity of ∼700 km s{sup −1} has a density in the range of 10{sup 9} to 10{sup 10} cm{sup −3} and a distance of ∼1 pc, and the gas with blueshift velocity of ∼1400 km s{sup −1} has a density of 10{sup 3} cm{sup −3} and a distance of ∼1 kpc.

Weak hard X-ray emission from two broad absorption line quasars observed with NuSTAR: Compton-thick absorption or intrinsic X-ray weakness?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Luo, B.; Brandt, W. N.; Alexander, D. M.

2013-01-01

are not significantly absorbed (NH ≲ 1024 cm-2). However, both BAL quasars are only detected in the softer NuSTAR bands (e.g., 4-20 keV) but not in its harder bands (e.g., 20-30 keV), suggesting that either the shielding gas is highly Compton-thick or the two targets are intrinsically X-ray weak. We constrain...... likely explanation. We also discuss the intrinsic X-ray weakness scenario based on a coronal-quenching model relevant to the shielding gas and disk wind of BAL quasars. Motivated by our NuSTAR results, we perform a Chandra stacking analysis with the Large Bright Quasar Survey BAL quasar sample and place...

Using the Properties of Broad Absorption Line Quasars to Illuminate Quasar Structure

Science.gov (United States)

Yong, Suk Yee; King, Anthea L.; Webster, Rachel L.; Bate, Nicholas F.; O'Dowd, Matthew J.; Labrie, Kathleen

2018-06-01

A key to understanding quasar unification paradigms is the emission properties of broad absorption line quasars (BALQs). The fact that only a small fraction of quasar spectra exhibit deep absorption troughs blueward of the broad permitted emission lines provides a crucial clue to the structure of quasar emitting regions. To learn whether it is possible to discriminate between the BALQ and non-BALQ populations given the observed spectral properties of a quasar, we employ two approaches: one based on statistical methods and the other supervised machine learning classification, applied to quasar samples from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The features explored include continuum and emission line properties, in particular the absolute magnitude, redshift, spectral index, line width, asymmetry, strength, and relative velocity offsets of high-ionisation C IV λ1549 and low-ionisation Mg II λ2798 lines. We consider a complete population of quasars, and assume that the statistical distributions of properties represent all angles where the quasar is viewed without obscuration. The distributions of the BALQ and non-BALQ sample properties show few significant differences. None of the observed continuum and emission line features are capable of differentiating between the two samples. Most published narrow disk-wind models are inconsistent with these observations, and an alternative disk-wind model is proposed. The key feature of the proposed model is a disk-wind filling a wide opening angle with multiple radial streams of dense clumps.

Does the X-ray outflow quasar PDS 456 have a UV outflow at 0.3c?

Science.gov (United States)

Hamann, Fred; Chartas, George; Reeves, James; Nardini, Emanuele

2018-05-01

The quasar PDS 456 (at redshift ˜0.184) has a prototype ultra-fast outflow (UFO) measured in X-rays. This outflow is highly ionized with relativistic speeds, large total column densities log NH(cm-2) > 23, and large kinetic energies that could be important for feedback to the host galaxy. A UV spectrum of PDS 456 obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope in 2000 contains one well-measured broad absorption line (BAL) at ˜1346 Å (observed) that might be Ly α at v ≈ 0.06c or N V λ1240 at v ≈ 0.08c. However, we use photoionization models and comparisons to other outflow quasars to show that these BAL identifications are problematic because other lines that should accompany them are not detected. We argue that the UV BAL is probably C IV at v ≈ 0.30c. This would be the fastest UV outflow ever reported, but its speed is similar to the X-ray outflow and its appearance overall is similar to relativistic UV BALs observed in other quasars. The C IV BAL identification is also supported indirectly by the tentative detection of another broad C IV line at v ≈ 0.19c. The high speeds suggest that the UV outflow originates with the X-ray UFO crudely 20-30 rg from the central black hole. We speculate that the C IV BAL might form in dense clumps embedded in the X-ray UFO, requiring density enhancements of only ≳0.4 dex compared to clumpy structures already inferred for the soft X-ray absorber in PDS 456. The C IV BAL might therefore be the first detection of low-ionization clumps proposed previously to boost the opacities in UFOs for radiative driving.

Studies of Quasar Outflows

Science.gov (United States)

Arav, Nahum

2002-01-01

The main aim of this research program is to determine the ionization equilibrium and abundances in quasar outflows. Especially in the broad absorption line QSO PG 0946+301. We find that the outflow's metalicity is consistent with being solar, while the abundance ratio of phosphorus to other metals is at least ten times solar. These findings are based on diagnostics that are not sensitive to saturation and partial covering effects in the BALs (Broad Adsorption Lines), which considerably weakened previous claims for enhanced metalicity. Ample evidence for these effects is seen in the spectrum.

HIGH-REDSHIFT SDSS QUASARS WITH WEAK EMISSION LINES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar M.; Fan Xiaohui; Jiang Linhua; Kim, J. Serena; Schmidt, Gary D.; Smith, Paul S.; Vestergaard, Marianne; Young, Jason E.; Brandt, W. N.; Shemmer, Ohad; Gibson, Robert R.; Schneider, Donald P.; Strauss, Michael A.; Shen Yue; Anderson, Scott F.; Carilli, Christopher L.; Richards, Gordon T.

2009-01-01

We identify a sample of 74 high-redshift quasars (z > 3) with weak emission lines from the Fifth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and present infrared, optical, and radio observations of a subsample of four objects at z > 4. These weak emission-line quasars (WLQs) constitute a prominent tail of the Lyα + N v equivalent width distribution, and we compare them to quasars with more typical emission-line properties and to low-redshift active galactic nuclei with weak/absent emission lines, namely BL Lac objects. We find that WLQs exhibit hot (T ∼ 1000 K) thermal dust emission and have rest-frame 0.1-5 μm spectral energy distributions that are quite similar to those of normal quasars. The variability, polarization, and radio properties of WLQs are also different from those of BL Lacs, making continuum boosting by a relativistic jet an unlikely physical interpretation. The most probable scenario for WLQs involves broad-line region properties that are physically distinct from those of normal quasars.

High-Redshift Quasars Found in Sloan Digital Sky Survey Commissioning Data. II. The Spring Equatorial Stripe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan, Xiaohui; Strauss, Michael A.; Schneider, Donald P.; Gunn, James E.; Lupton, Robert H.; Anderson, Scott F.; Voges, Wolfgang; Margon, Bruce; Annis, James; Bahcall, Neta A.

2000-01-01

This is the second paper in a series aimed at finding high-redshift quasars from five-color (u ' g ' r ' i ' z ' ) imaging data taken along the Celestial Equator by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) during its commissioning phase. In this paper, we present 22 high-redshift quasars (z>3.6) discovered from ∼250 deg2 of data in the spring Equatorial Stripe, plus photometry for two previously known high-redshift quasars in the same region of the sky. Our success rate in identifying high-redshift quasars is 68%. Five of the newly discovered quasars have redshifts higher than 4.6 (z=4.62, 4.69, 4.70, 4.92, and 5.03). All the quasars have i * B 0 =0.5). Several of the quasars show unusual emission and absorption features in their spectra, including an object at z=4.62 without detectable emission lines, and a broad absorption line (BAL) quasar at z=4.92. (c) (c) 2000. The American Astronomical Society

High-redshift SDSS Quasars with Weak Emission Lines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar M.; Fan, Xiaohui; Brandt, W. N.

2009-01-01

We identify a sample of 74 high-redshift quasars (z > 3) with weak emission lines from the Fifth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and present infrared, optical, and radio observations of a subsample of four objects at z > 4. These weak emission-line quasars (WLQs) constitute a promine...

Determination of astrophysical parameters of quasars within the Gaia mission

Science.gov (United States)

Delchambre, L.

2018-01-01

We describe methods designed to determine the astrophysical parameters of quasars based on spectra coming from the red and blue spectrophotometers of the Gaia satellite. These methods principally rely on two already published algorithms that are the weighted principal component analysis and the weighted phase correlation. The presented approach benefits from a fast implementation, an intuitive interpretation as well as strong diagnostic tools on the potential errors that may arise during predictions. The production of a semi-empirical library of spectra as they will be observed by Gaia is also covered and subsequently used for validation purpose. We detail the pre-processing that is necessary in order for these spectra to be fully exploitable by our algorithms along with the procedures that are used to predict the redshifts of the quasars, their continuum slopes, the total equivalent width of their emission lines and whether these are broad absorption line (BAL) quasars or not. Performances of these procedures were assessed in comparison with the extremely randomized trees learning method and were proven to provide better results on the redshift predictions and on the ratio of correctly classified observations though the probability of detection of BAL quasars remains restricted by the low resolution of these spectra as well as by their limited signal-to-noise ratio. Finally, the triggering of some warning flags allows us to obtain an extremely pure subset of redshift predictions where approximately 99 per cent of the observations come along with absolute errors that are below 0.1.

MICROLENSING OF QUASAR BROAD EMISSION LINES: CONSTRAINTS ON BROAD LINE REGION SIZE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guerras, E.; Mediavilla, E. [Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, Via Lactea S/N, La Laguna E-38200, Tenerife (Spain); Jimenez-Vicente, J. [Departamento de Fisica Teorica y del Cosmos, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Fuentenueva, E-18071 Granada (Spain); Kochanek, C. S. [Department of Astronomy and the Center for Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, The Ohio State University, 4055 McPherson Lab, 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43221 (United States); Munoz, J. A. [Departamento de Astronomia y Astrofisica, Universidad de Valencia, E-46100 Burjassot, Valencia (Spain); Falco, E. [Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Motta, V. [Departamento de Fisica y Astronomia, Universidad de Valparaiso, Avda. Gran Bretana 1111, Valparaiso (Chile)

2013-02-20

We measure the differential microlensing of the broad emission lines between 18 quasar image pairs in 16 gravitational lenses. We find that the broad emission lines are in general weakly microlensed. The results show, at a modest level of confidence (1.8{sigma}), that high ionization lines such as C IV are more strongly microlensed than low ionization lines such as H{beta}, indicating that the high ionization line emission regions are more compact. If we statistically model the distribution of microlensing magnifications, we obtain estimates for the broad line region size of r{sub s} = 24{sup +22} {sub -15} and r{sub s} = 55{sup +150} {sub -35} lt-day (90% confidence) for the high and low ionization lines, respectively. When the samples are divided into higher and lower luminosity quasars, we find that the line emission regions of more luminous quasars are larger, with a slope consistent with the expected scaling from photoionization models. Our estimates also agree well with the results from local reveberation mapping studies.

Emission Line Correlations as Diagnostics of Quasar Winds

Science.gov (United States)

Sheldon, Keziah; Richards, Gordon

2018-01-01

We investigate correlations between UV and optical emission line properties for a sample of z~0.5 SDSS (Sloan Digital Sky Survey) quasars that have recently been observed by HST. The sample is designed to be comparable in luminosity to the existing reverberation mapping (RM) sample, but less biased in terms of their "eigenvector 1" properties. We seek to understand the conditions under which high-ionization emission lines become dominated by a wind. Our analysis takes advantage of spectral decomposition through Independent Component Analysis (ICA) and archival UV HST spectroscopy of SDSS quasars. With these data we will clarify the needs for RM analysis of quasars with wind-dominated emission features.

BAL QSOs and Extreme UFOs: The Eddington Connection

Science.gov (United States)

Zubovas, Kastytis; King, Andrew

2013-05-01

We suggest a common physical origin connecting the fast, highly ionized winds (UFOs) seen in nearby active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and the slower and less ionized winds of broad absorption line (BAL) QSOs. The primary difference is the mass-loss rate in the wind, which is ultimately determined by the rate at which mass is fed toward the central supermassive black hole (SMBH) on large scales. This is below the Eddington accretion rate in most UFOs, and slightly super-Eddington in extreme UFOs such as PG1211+143, but ranges up to ~10-50 times this in BAL QSOs. For UFOs this implies black hole accretion rates and wind mass-loss rates which are at most comparable to Eddington, giving fast, highly ionized winds. In contrast, BAL QSO black holes have mildly super-Eddington accretion rates, and drive winds whose mass-loss rates are significantly super-Eddington, and so are slower and less ionized. This picture correctly predicts the velocities and ionization states of the observed winds, including the recently discovered one in SDSS J1106+1939. We suggest that luminous AGNs may evolve through a sequence from BAL QSO through LoBAL to UFO-producing Seyfert or quasar as their Eddington factors drop during the decay of a bright accretion event. LoBALs correspond to a short-lived stage in which the AGN radiation pressure largely evacuates the ionization cone, but before the large-scale accretion rate has dropped to the Eddington value. We show that sub-Eddington wind rates would produce an M-σ relation lying above that observed. We conclude that significant SMBH mass growth must occur in super-Eddington phases, either as BAL QSOs, extreme UFOs, or obscured from direct observation.

BAL QSOs AND EXTREME UFOs: THE EDDINGTON CONNECTION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zubovas, Kastytis; King, Andrew

2013-01-01

We suggest a common physical origin connecting the fast, highly ionized winds (UFOs) seen in nearby active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and the slower and less ionized winds of broad absorption line (BAL) QSOs. The primary difference is the mass-loss rate in the wind, which is ultimately determined by the rate at which mass is fed toward the central supermassive black hole (SMBH) on large scales. This is below the Eddington accretion rate in most UFOs, and slightly super-Eddington in extreme UFOs such as PG1211+143, but ranges up to ∼10-50 times this in BAL QSOs. For UFOs this implies black hole accretion rates and wind mass-loss rates which are at most comparable to Eddington, giving fast, highly ionized winds. In contrast, BAL QSO black holes have mildly super-Eddington accretion rates, and drive winds whose mass-loss rates are significantly super-Eddington, and so are slower and less ionized. This picture correctly predicts the velocities and ionization states of the observed winds, including the recently discovered one in SDSS J1106+1939. We suggest that luminous AGNs may evolve through a sequence from BAL QSO through LoBAL to UFO-producing Seyfert or quasar as their Eddington factors drop during the decay of a bright accretion event. LoBALs correspond to a short-lived stage in which the AGN radiation pressure largely evacuates the ionization cone, but before the large-scale accretion rate has dropped to the Eddington value. We show that sub-Eddington wind rates would produce an M-σ relation lying above that observed. We conclude that significant SMBH mass growth must occur in super-Eddington phases, either as BAL QSOs, extreme UFOs, or obscured from direct observation.

BAL QSOs AND EXTREME UFOs: THE EDDINGTON CONNECTION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zubovas, Kastytis; King, Andrew, E-mail: kastytis.zubovas@ftmc.lt [Theoretical Astrophysics Group, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH (United Kingdom)

2013-05-20

We suggest a common physical origin connecting the fast, highly ionized winds (UFOs) seen in nearby active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and the slower and less ionized winds of broad absorption line (BAL) QSOs. The primary difference is the mass-loss rate in the wind, which is ultimately determined by the rate at which mass is fed toward the central supermassive black hole (SMBH) on large scales. This is below the Eddington accretion rate in most UFOs, and slightly super-Eddington in extreme UFOs such as PG1211+143, but ranges up to {approx}10-50 times this in BAL QSOs. For UFOs this implies black hole accretion rates and wind mass-loss rates which are at most comparable to Eddington, giving fast, highly ionized winds. In contrast, BAL QSO black holes have mildly super-Eddington accretion rates, and drive winds whose mass-loss rates are significantly super-Eddington, and so are slower and less ionized. This picture correctly predicts the velocities and ionization states of the observed winds, including the recently discovered one in SDSS J1106+1939. We suggest that luminous AGNs may evolve through a sequence from BAL QSO through LoBAL to UFO-producing Seyfert or quasar as their Eddington factors drop during the decay of a bright accretion event. LoBALs correspond to a short-lived stage in which the AGN radiation pressure largely evacuates the ionization cone, but before the large-scale accretion rate has dropped to the Eddington value. We show that sub-Eddington wind rates would produce an M-{sigma} relation lying above that observed. We conclude that significant SMBH mass growth must occur in super-Eddington phases, either as BAL QSOs, extreme UFOs, or obscured from direct observation.

Clues to quasar broad-line region geometry and kinematics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vestergaard, M; Wilkes, BJ; Barthel, PD

2000-01-01

We present evidence that the high-velocity C IV lambda 1549 emission-line gas of radio-loud quasars may originate in a disklike configuration, in close proximity to the accretion disk often assumed to emit the low-ionization lines. For a sample of 36 radio-loud z approximate to 2 quasars, we find

The Physical Constraints on a New LoBAL QSO at z = 4.82

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yi, Weimin; Bai, Jin-Ming [Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650216 (China); Green, Richard; Fan, Xiaohui; Milne, Peter [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0065 (United States); Wang, Tinggui; Yang, Chenwei [CAS Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Department of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China (China); Grier, Catherine J.; Trump, Jonathan R.; Brandt, William N. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics and Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Zuo, Wenwen [Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200030 (China); Yang, Jinyi; Wang, Feige; Wu, Xue-Bing; Jiang, Linhua; Yang, Qian [Department of Astronomy, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Zhou, Hongyan [Polar Research Institute of China, 451 Jinqiao Road, Shanghai 200136 (China); Varricatt, Watson; Kerr, Tom; Benigni, Sam [UKIRT Observatory, Hilo, HI 96720 (United States); and others

2017-04-01

Very few low-ionization broad absorption line (LoBAL) QSOs have been found at high redshifts, to date. One high-redshift LoBAL QSO, J0122+1216, was recently discovered by the Lijiang 2.4 m Telescope, with an initial redshift determination of 4.76. Aiming to investigate its physical properties, we carried out follow-up observations in the optical and near-IR spectroscopy. Near-IR spectra from UKIRT and P200 confirm that it is a LoBAL, with a new redshift determination of 4.82 ± 0.01 based on the Mg ii emission-line. The new Mg ii redshift determination reveals strong blueshifts and asymmetry of the high-ionization emission lines. We estimate a black hole mass of ∼2.3 × 10{sup 9} M {sub ⊙} and Eddington ratio of ∼1.0 according to the empirical Mg ii-based single-epoch relation and bolometric correction factor. It is possible that strong outflows are the result of an extreme quasar environment driven by the high Eddington ratio. A lower limit on the outflowing kinetic power (>0.9% L {sub Edd}) is derived from both emission and absorption lines, indicating that these outflows play a significant role in the feedback process that regulates the growth of its black hole, as well as host galaxy evolution.

Lack of dust in quasar absorption line systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jura, M.

1977-01-01

It is stated that the origin of absorption line systems in quasars is still uncertain. Most such systems apparently have atomic hydrogen column densities of the order of 10 19 /cm 2 , but at least two quasars, 1331 + 170 and PHL957, have such strong Lyman α absorption lines that atomic hydrogen column densities of the order of 10 21 /cm 2 are indicated. It should be possible to observe the dust produced 2,200 A extinction feature as it is red shifted into the visible, and to determine whether absorption line systems are produced in spiral galaxies where the dust content is similar to that in the interstellar medium. It has been argued that the emission line regions of quasars generally lack dust and that towards PHL957 the 2,200 A feature is absent. The present author argues that dust similar to that found in the interstellar medium is not found towards the quasars 1331 + 170 and PHL957. This could explain why H 2 is not found towards PHL957, and it indicates that the absorption line systems in quasars are not produced in spiral galaxies similar to our own. It seems from the analysis presented that the dust-to-gas ratio towards 1331 + 170 is at least a factor of 20 less than in the interstellar medium, and there is no reason to suppose that this lack of dust results from a lack of metals It is concluded that there seems to be a lack of normal dust towards PHL957 by at least a factor of two; and that the absorption region towards 1331 + 170 and probably the region towards PHL957 are lacking dust similar to that in our own galaxy. This can explain the lack of H 2 in these systems. (U.K.)

Extreme Variability in a Broad Absorption Line Quasar

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stern, Daniel; Jun, Hyunsung D. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Mail Stop 169-221, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Graham, Matthew J.; Djorgovski, S. G.; Donalek, Ciro; Drake, Andrew J.; Mahabal, Ashish A.; Steidel, Charles C. [California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Arav, Nahum; Chamberlain, Carter [Department of Physics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (United States); Barth, Aaron J. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, 4129 Frederick Reines Hall, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 (United States); Glikman, Eilat, E-mail: daniel.k.stern@jpl.nasa.gov [Department of Physics, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753 (United States)

2017-04-20

CRTS J084133.15+200525.8 is an optically bright quasar at z = 2.345 that has shown extreme spectral variability over the past decade. Photometrically, the source had a visual magnitude of V ∼ 17.3 between 2002 and 2008. Then, over the following five years, the source slowly brightened by approximately one magnitude, to V ∼ 16.2. Only ∼1 in 10,000 quasars show such extreme variability, as quantified by the extreme parameters derived for this quasar assuming a damped random walk model. A combination of archival and newly acquired spectra reveal the source to be an iron low-ionization broad absorption line quasar with extreme changes in its absorption spectrum. Some absorption features completely disappear over the 9 years of optical spectra, while other features remain essentially unchanged. We report the first definitive redshift for this source, based on the detection of broad H α in a Keck/MOSFIRE spectrum. Absorption systems separated by several 1000 km s{sup −1} in velocity show coordinated weakening in the depths of their troughs as the continuum flux increases. We interpret the broad absorption line variability to be due to changes in photoionization, rather than due to motion of material along our line of sight. This source highlights one sort of rare transition object that astronomy will now be finding through dedicated time-domain surveys.

Observing broad-absorption line quasars with Spectrum-Rontgen-Gamma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Singh, K.P.; Schnopper, H.W.; Westergaard, Niels Jørgen Stenfeldt

1998-01-01

Broad-absorption line quasars are found to have extremely weak soft X-ray emission when compared with other optically selected quasars. In the only example of PHL 5200 for which a detailed X-ray spectrum has been obtained with ASCA, strong absorption in the source appears to be responsible...

Broad absorption line symbiotic stars: highly ionized species in the fast outflow from MWC 560

Science.gov (United States)

Lucy, Adrian B.; Knigge, Christian; Sokoloski, J. L.

2018-04-01

In symbiotic binaries, jets and disk winds may be integral to the physics of accretion onto white dwarfs from cool giants. The persistent outflow from symbiotic star MWC 560 (≡V694 Mon) is known to manifest as broad absorption lines (BALs), most prominently at the Balmer transitions. We report the detection of high-ionization BALs from C IV, Si IV, N V, and He II in International Ultraviolet Explorer spectra obtained on 1990 April 29 - 30, when an optical outburst temporarily erased the obscuring `iron curtain' of absorption troughs from Fe II and similar ions. The C IV and Si IV BALs reached maximum radial velocities at least 1000 km s-1 higher than contemporaneous Mg II and He II BALs; the same behaviors occur in the winds of quasars and cataclysmic variables. An iron curtain lifts to unveil high-ionization BALs during the P Cygni phase observed in some novae, suggesting by analogy a temporary switch in MWC 560 from persistent outflow to discrete mass ejection. At least three more symbiotic stars exhibit broad absorption with blue edges faster than 1500 km s-1; high-ionization BALs have been reported in AS 304 (≡V4018 Sgr), while transient Balmer BALs have been reported in Z And and CH Cyg. These BAL-producing fast outflows can have wider opening angles than has been previously supposed. BAL symbiotics are short-timescale laboratories for their giga-scale analogs, broad absorption line quasars (BALQSOs), which display a similarly wide range of ionization states in their winds.

Effective collision strengths of quasar ultraviolet emission lines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osterbrock, D.E.; Wallace, R.K.

1977-01-01

The best available published collision strengths for excitation of permitted and semiforbidden emission lines of abundant ions observed or expected in quasars have been collected and averaged over Maxwellian velocity distributions. For a few ions for which calculations are not available, extrapolation along isoelectronic sequences or in principal quantum number n was used to estimate values. These collision strengths were used to correct differentially published photoionization models of quasars, and the corrected models compared with published observational data

DETECTION OF REST-FRAME OPTICAL LINES FROM X-SHOOTER SPECTROSCOPY OF WEAK EMISSION-LINE QUASARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plotkin, Richard M.; Gallo, Elena; Shemmer, Ohad; Trakhtenbrot, Benny; Anderson, Scott F.; Brandt, W. N.; Luo, Bin; Schneider, Donald P.; Fan, Xiaohui; Lira, Paulina; Richards, Gordon T.; Strauss, Michael A.; Wu, Jianfeng

2015-01-01

Over the past 15 yr, examples of exotic radio-quiet quasars with intrinsically weak or absent broad emission line regions (BELRs) have emerged from large-scale spectroscopic sky surveys. Here, we present spectroscopy of seven such weak emission line quasars (WLQs) at moderate redshifts (z = 1.4–1.7) using the X-shooter spectrograph, which provides simultaneous optical and near-infrared spectroscopy covering the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) through optical. These new observations effectively double the number of WLQs with spectroscopy in the optical rest-frame, and they allow us to compare the strengths of (weak) high-ionization emission lines (e.g., C iv) to low-ionization lines (e.g., Mg ii, Hβ, Hα) in individual objects. We detect broad Hβ and Hα emission in all objects, and these lines are generally toward the weaker end of the distribution expected for typical quasars (e.g., Hβ has rest-frame equivalent widths ranging from 15–40 Å). However, these low-ionization lines are not exceptionally weak, as is the case for high-ionization lines in WLQs. The X-shooter spectra also display relatively strong optical Fe ii emission, Hβ FWHM ≲ 4000 km s −1 , and significant C iv blueshifts (≈1000–5500 km s −1 ) relative to the systemic redshift; two spectra also show elevated UV Fe ii emission, and an outflowing component to their (weak) Mg ii emission lines. These properties suggest that WLQs are exotic versions of “wind-dominated” quasars. Their BELRs either have unusual high-ionization components, or their BELRs are in an atypical photoionization state because of an unusually soft continuum

Lens-Aided Multi-Angle Spectroscopy (LAMAS) Reveals Small-Scale Outflow Structure in Quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Paul J.

2006-06-01

Spectral differences between lensed quasar image components are common. Since lensing is intrinsically achromatic, these differences are typically explained as the effect of either microlensing, or as light path time delays sampling intrinsic quasar spectral variability. Here we advance a novel third hypothesis: some spectral differences are due to small line-of-sight differences through quasar disk wind outflows. In particular, we propose that variable spectral differences seen only in component A of the widest separation lens SDSS J1004+4112 are due to differential absorption along the sight lines. The absorber properties required by this hypothesis are akin to known broad absorption line (BAL) outflows but must have a broader, smoother velocity profile. We interpret the observed C IV emission-line variability as further evidence for spatial fine structure transverse to the line of sight. Since outflows are likely to be rotating, such absorber fine structure can consistently explain some of the UV and X-ray variability seen in AGNs. The implications are many: (1) Spectroscopic differences in other lensed objects may be due to this ``lens-aided multi-angle spectroscopy'' (LAMAS). (2) Outflows have fine structure on size scales of arcseconds, as seen from the nucleus. (3) Assuming either broad absorption line region sizes proposed in recent wind models, or typically assumed continuum emission region sizes, LAMAS and/or variability provide broadly consistent absorber size scale estimates of ~1015 cm. (4) Very broad smooth absorption may be ubiquitous in quasar spectra, even when no obvious troughs are seen.

Extended Emission-Line Regions: Remnants of Quasar Superwinds?

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Hai; Stockton, Alan

2009-01-01

We give an overview of our recent integral-field-unit spectroscopy of luminous extended emission-line regions (EELRs) around low-redshift quasars, including new observations of five fields. Previous work has shown that the most luminous EELRs are found almost exclusively around steep-spectrum radio-loud quasars, with apparently disordered global velocity fields, and little, if any, morphological correlation with either the host galaxy or the radio structure. Our new observations confirm and expand these results. The EELRs often show some clouds with velocities exceeding 500 km s-1, ranging up to 1100 km s-1, but the velocity dispersions, with few exceptions, are in the 30-100 km s-1 range. Emission-line ratios show that the EELRs are clearly photoionized by the quasars. Masses of the EELRs range up to 1010Msun. Essentially all of the EELRs show relatively low metallicities, and they are associated with quasars that, in contrast to most, show similarly low metallicities in their broad-line regions. The two objects in our sample that do not have classical double-lobed radio morphologies (3C 48, with a compact-steep-spectrum source; Mrk 1014, radio quiet, but with a weak compact-steep-spectrum source) are the only ones that appear to have recent star formation. While some of the less luminous EELRs may have other origins, the most likely explanation for those in our sample is that they are examples of gas swept out of the host galaxy by a large-solid-angle blast wave accompanying the production of the radio jets. The triggering of the quasar activity is almost certainly the result of the merger of a gas-rich galaxy with a massive, gas-poor galaxy hosting the supermassive black hole. Based in part on observations obtained at the Gemini Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the NSF on behalf of the Gemini partnership: the National Science Foundation (United States), the

WHT spectroscopy of emission-line gas around two separate quasars at z = 0.87

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fabian, A.C.; Crawford, C.S.; Johnstone, R.M.; Hewett, P.C.; Allington-Smith, J.R.

1988-01-01

A report is given of observations made with the Faint Object Spectrograph on the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope (WHT), in which the line emission of the fuzz around two separate quasars, which coincidentally both have redshifts z = 0.87, is detected and measured. These represent the most distant quasars for which the spectrum of the fuzz has been obtained. The oxygen line ratios we observe are similar to those of the lower-z quasar 3C48 (to which the present quasars show a strong similarity) and again imply a high gas density. If confined by surrounding hot gas, the pressure is so high that an intracluster medium is required. This suggests that the quasars lie in clusters or groups of galaxies. (author)

Broad Absorption Line Quasar catalogues with Supervised Neural Networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scaringi, Simone; Knigge, Christian; Cottis, Christopher E.; Goad, Michael R.

2008-01-01

We have applied a Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ) algorithm to SDSS DR5 quasar spectra in order to create a large catalogue of broad absorption line quasars (BALQSOs). We first discuss the problems with BALQSO catalogues constructed using the conventional balnicity and/or absorption indices (BI and AI), and then describe the supervised LVQ network we have trained to recognise BALQSOs. The resulting BALQSO catalogue should be substantially more robust and complete than BI-or AI-based ones.

Narrow absorption lines complex I: one form of broad absorption line

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Wei-Jian; Lin, Ying-Ru

2018-03-01

We discover that some of the broad absorption lines (BALs) are actually a complex of narrow absorption lines (NALs). As a pilot study of this type of BAL, we show this discovery through a typical example in this paper. Utilizing the two-epoch observations of J002710.06-094435.3 (hereafter J0027-0944) from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), we find that each of the C IV and Si IV BAL troughs contains at least four NAL doublets. By resolving the Si IV BAL into multiple NALs, we present the following main results and conclusions. First, all these NALs show coordinated variations between the two-epoch SDSS observations, suggesting that they all originate in the quasar outflow, and that their variations are due to global changes in the ionization condition of the absorbing gas. Secondly, a BAL consisting of a number of NAL components indicates that this type of BAL is basically the same as the intrinsic NAL, which tends to support the inclination model rather than the evolution model. Thirdly, although both the C IV and Si IV BALs originate from the same clumpy substructures of the outflow, they show different profile shapes: multiple absorption troughs for the Si IV BAL in a wider velocity range, while P-Cygni for the C IV BAL in a narrower velocity range. This can be interpreted by the substantial differences in fine structure and oscillator strength between the Si IVλλ1393, 1402 and C IVλλ1548, 1551 doublets. Based on the above conclusions, we consider that the decomposition of a BAL into NALs can serve as a way to resolve the clumpy structure for outflows, and it can be used to learn more about characteristics of the clumpy structure and to test the outflow model, when utilizing high-resolution spectra and photoionization model.

New Constraints on Quasar Broad Absorption and Emission Line Regions from Gravitational Microlensing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hutsemékers, Damien; Braibant, Lorraine; Sluse, Dominique [Institut d' Astrophysique et de Géophysique, Université de Liège, Liège (Belgium); Anguita, Timo [Departamento de Ciencias Fisicas, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago (Chile); Goosmann, René, E-mail: hutsemekers@astro.ulg.ac.be [Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg (France)

2017-09-29

Gravitational microlensing is a powerful tool allowing one to probe the structure of quasars on sub-parsec scale. We report recent results, focusing on the broad absorption and emission line regions. In particular microlensing reveals the intrinsic absorption hidden in the P Cygni-type line profiles observed in the broad absorption line quasar H1413+117, as well as the existence of an extended continuum source. In addition, polarization microlensing provides constraints on the scattering region. In the quasar Q2237+030, microlensing differently distorts the Hα and CIV broad emission line profiles, indicating that the low- and high-ionization broad emission lines must originate from regions with distinct kinematical properties. We also present simulations of the effect of microlensing on line profiles considering simple but representative models of the broad emission line region. Comparison of observations to simulations allows us to conclude that the Hα emitting region in Q2237+030 is best represented by a Keplerian disk.

New Constraints on Quasar Broad Absorption and Emission Line Regions from Gravitational Microlensing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Damien Hutsemékers

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Gravitational microlensing is a powerful tool allowing one to probe the structure of quasars on sub-parsec scale. We report recent results, focusing on the broad absorption and emission line regions. In particular microlensing reveals the intrinsic absorption hidden in the P Cygni-type line profiles observed in the broad absorption line quasar H1413+117, as well as the existence of an extended continuum source. In addition, polarization microlensing provides constraints on the scattering region. In the quasar Q2237+030, microlensing differently distorts the Hα and CIV broad emission line profiles, indicating that the low- and high-ionization broad emission lines must originate from regions with distinct kinematical properties. We also present simulations of the effect of microlensing on line profiles considering simple but representative models of the broad emission line region. Comparison of observations to simulations allows us to conclude that the Hα emitting region in Q2237+030 is best represented by a Keplerian disk.

Do quasar ley lines really exist

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Webster, A.

1982-01-01

The hypothesis that the distribution of the quasars on the celestial sphere contains an unexpectedly large number of well-aligned triples is tested by applying, to the Cerro Tololo objective-prism sample, a shape-statistic which was originally developed to investigate whether neolithic standing stones were deliberately sited on ley lines. It is found that alignment in triples is not a conspicuous feature of the quasars in this sample. The sample does contain one well aligned triple whose properties resemble those of two triples found earlier in a different field by earlier authors, but the probability of this being a chance alignment is not low. The same authors have noted a total of four well-collimated triples which they consider remarkable, but an approximate probability calculation based on the shape-statistic indicates that they need not have a low probability of occurring by chance. (author)

Identification of MgII Absorption Line Systems from SDSS Quasar ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Motivation. The quasar absorption lines are crucial to our understanding of the Universe since the absorption lines provide a wealth of information on the gaseous Universe from high redshift to present day. The absorption lines can also allow us to probe the metallicity and ionization state of the gas (Wild et al. 2008).

The Redshifted Hydrogen Balmer and Metastable He 1 Absorption Line System in Mini-FeLoBAL Quasar SDSS J112526.12+002901.3: A Parsec-scale Accretion Inflow?

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Xi-Heng; Jiang, Peng; Wang, Hui-Yuan; Zhang, Shao-Hua; Ji, Tuo; Liu, Wen-Juan; Zhou, Hong-Yan

2016-10-01

The accretion of the interstellar medium onto central super-massive black holes is widely accepted as the source of the gigantic energy released by the active galactic nuclei. However, few pieces of observational evidence have been confirmed directly demonstrating the existence of the inflows. The absorption line system in the spectra of quasar SDSS J112526.12+002901.3 presents an interesting example in which the rarely detected hydrogen Balmer and metastable He I absorption lines are found redshifted to the quasar's rest frame along with the low-ionization metal absorption lines Mg II, Fe II, etc. The repeated SDSS spectroscopic observations suggest a transverse velocity smaller than the radial velocity. The motion of the absorbing medium is thus dominated by infall. The He I* lines present a powerful probe to the strength of ionizing flux, while the Balmer lines imply a dense environment. With the help of photoionization simulations, we find that the absorbing medium is exposed to the radiation with ionization parameter U ≈ 10-1.8, and the density is n({{H}})≈ {10}9 {{cm}}-3. Thus the absorbing medium is located ˜4 pc away from the central engine. According to the similarity in the distance and physical conditions between the absorbing medium and the torus, we strongly propose the absorption line system as a candidate for the accretion inflow, which originates in the inner surface of the torus.

A Sample of Quasars with Strong Nitrogen Emission Lines from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jiang, Linhua; Fan, Xiaohui; Vestergaard, Marianne

2008-01-01

We report on 293 quasars with strong NIV] lambda 1486 or NIII] lambda 1750 emission lines (rest-frame equivalent width > 3 \\AA) at 1.7......We report on 293 quasars with strong NIV] lambda 1486 or NIII] lambda 1750 emission lines (rest-frame equivalent width > 3 \\AA) at 1.7...

X-RAY AND MULTIWAVELENGTH INSIGHTS INTO THE NATURE OF WEAK EMISSION-LINE QUASARS AT LOW REDSHIFT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu Jianfeng; Brandt, W. N.; Schneider, Donald P. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Anderson, Scott F. [Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Box 351580, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar M. [Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92903 (United States); Hall, Patrick B. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 (Canada); Plotkin, Richard M. [Astronomical Institute ' Anton Pannekoek' , University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam (Netherlands); Shemmer, Ohad, E-mail: jfwu@astro.psu.edu [Department of Physics, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203 (United States)

2012-03-01

We report on the X-ray and multiwavelength properties of 11 radio-quiet quasars with weak or no emission lines identified by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) with redshift z = 0.4-2.5. Our sample was selected from the Plotkin et al. catalog of radio-quiet, weak-featured active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The distribution of relative X-ray brightness for our low-redshift weak-line quasar (WLQ) candidates is significantly different from that of typical radio-quiet quasars, having an excess of X-ray weak sources, but it is consistent with that of high-redshift WLQs. Over half of the low-redshift WLQ candidates are X-ray weak by a factor of {approx}> 5, compared to a typical SDSS quasar with similar UV/optical luminosity. These X-ray weak sources generally show similar UV emission-line properties to those of the X-ray weak quasar PHL 1811 (weak and blueshifted high-ionization lines, weak semiforbidden lines, and strong UV Fe emission); they may belong to the notable class of PHL 1811 analogs. The average X-ray spectrum of these sources is somewhat harder than that of typical radio-quiet quasars. Several other low-redshift WLQ candidates have normal ratios of X-ray-to-optical/UV flux, and their average X-ray spectral properties are also similar to those of typical radio-quiet quasars. The X-ray weak and X-ray normal WLQ candidates may belong to the same subset of quasars having high-ionization 'shielding gas' covering most of the wind-dominated broad emission-line region, but be viewed at different inclinations. The mid-infrared-to-X-ray spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of these sources are generally consistent with those of typical SDSS quasars, showing that they are not likely to be BL Lac objects with relativistically boosted continua and diluted emission lines. The mid-infrared-to-UV SEDs of most radio-quiet weak-featured AGNs without sensitive X-ray coverage (34 objects) are also consistent with those of typical SDSS quasars. However, one source in our

X-RAY AND MULTIWAVELENGTH INSIGHTS INTO THE NATURE OF WEAK EMISSION-LINE QUASARS AT LOW REDSHIFT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Jianfeng; Brandt, W. N.; Schneider, Donald P.; Anderson, Scott F.; Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar M.; Hall, Patrick B.; Plotkin, Richard M.; Shemmer, Ohad

2012-01-01

We report on the X-ray and multiwavelength properties of 11 radio-quiet quasars with weak or no emission lines identified by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) with redshift z = 0.4-2.5. Our sample was selected from the Plotkin et al. catalog of radio-quiet, weak-featured active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The distribution of relative X-ray brightness for our low-redshift weak-line quasar (WLQ) candidates is significantly different from that of typical radio-quiet quasars, having an excess of X-ray weak sources, but it is consistent with that of high-redshift WLQs. Over half of the low-redshift WLQ candidates are X-ray weak by a factor of ∼> 5, compared to a typical SDSS quasar with similar UV/optical luminosity. These X-ray weak sources generally show similar UV emission-line properties to those of the X-ray weak quasar PHL 1811 (weak and blueshifted high-ionization lines, weak semiforbidden lines, and strong UV Fe emission); they may belong to the notable class of PHL 1811 analogs. The average X-ray spectrum of these sources is somewhat harder than that of typical radio-quiet quasars. Several other low-redshift WLQ candidates have normal ratios of X-ray-to-optical/UV flux, and their average X-ray spectral properties are also similar to those of typical radio-quiet quasars. The X-ray weak and X-ray normal WLQ candidates may belong to the same subset of quasars having high-ionization 'shielding gas' covering most of the wind-dominated broad emission-line region, but be viewed at different inclinations. The mid-infrared-to-X-ray spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of these sources are generally consistent with those of typical SDSS quasars, showing that they are not likely to be BL Lac objects with relativistically boosted continua and diluted emission lines. The mid-infrared-to-UV SEDs of most radio-quiet weak-featured AGNs without sensitive X-ray coverage (34 objects) are also consistent with those of typical SDSS quasars. However, one source in our X

SDSS J090152.05+624342.6: A NEW “OVERLAPPING-TROUGH” FeLoBAL QUASAR AT Z ~ 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Jing; Xu, Dawei; Wei, Jianyan, E-mail: wj@bao.ac.cn [Key Laboratory of Space Astronomy and Technology, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China); School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China)

2017-11-22

We here report an identification of SDSS J090152.04+624342.6 as a new “overlapping-trough” iron low-ionization broad absorption line quasar at redshift of z ~ 2.1. No strong variation of the broad absorption lines can be revealed through the two spectra taken by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey with a time interval of ~6 yr. Further optical and infrared spectroscopic study on this object is suggested.

Thermal wind model for the broad emission line region of quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weymann, R.J.; Scott, J.S.; Schiano, A.V.R.; Christiansen, W.A.

1982-01-01

Arguments are summarized for supposing that the clouds giving rise to the broad emission lines of QSOs are confined by the pressure of an expanding thermal gas and that a flux of relativistic particles with luminosity comparable to the photon luminosity streams through this gas. The resulting heating and momentum deposition produces a transonic thermal wind whose dynamical properties are calculated in detail. This wind accelerates and confines the emission line clouds, thereby producing the broad emission line (BEL) profiles. In a companion paper, the properties of the wind at much larger distances (approx.kpc) than the BEL region are used to explain the production of the broad absorption lines (BAL) observed in some QSOs. The same set of wind parameters can account for the properties of both the BEL and BAL regions, and this unification in the physical description of the BEL and BAL regions is one of the most important advantages of this model. A characteristic size of approx.1 pc for the QSO emission line region is one consequence of the model. This characteristic size is shown to depend upon luminosity in such a way that the ionization parameter is roughly constant over a wide range of luminosities. An X-ray luminosity due to thermal bremsstrahlung of approx.1%--10% of the optical luminosity is another consequence of the model. The trajectories of clouds under the combined influence of ram pressure acceleration and radiative acceleration are calculated. From these trajectories emission line profiles are also calculated, as well as the wind and cloud parameters yielding profiles in fair agreement with observed profiles explored. Opacity in the wind due to electron scattering displaces the line cores of optically thin lines to the blue. This is roughly compensated for by the redward skewing of optically thick lines due to preferential emission of photons from the back side of the clouds.void rapid depletion due to Compton losses are discussed

What makes red quasars red?. Observational evidence for dust extinction from line ratio analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Dohyeong; Im, Myungshin

2018-02-01

Red quasars are very red in the optical through near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths, which is possibly due to dust extinction in their host galaxies as expected in a scenario in which red quasars are an intermediate population between merger-driven star-forming galaxies and unobscured type 1 quasars. However, alternative mechanisms also exist to explain their red colors: (i) an intrinsically red continuum; (ii) an unusual high covering factor of the hot dust component, that is, CFHD = LHD/Lbol, where the LHD is the luminosity from the hot dust component and the Lbol is the bolometric luminosity; and (iii) a moderate viewing angle. In order to investigate why red quasars are red, we studied optical and NIR spectra of 20 red quasars at z 0.3 and 0.7, where the usage of the NIR spectra allowed us to look into red quasar properties in ways that are little affected by dust extinction. The Paschen to Balmer line ratios were derived for 13 red quasars and the values were found to be 10 times higher than unobscured type 1 quasars, suggesting a heavy dust extinction with AV > 2.5 mag. Furthermore, the Paschen to Balmer line ratios of red quasars are difficult to explain with plausible physical conditions without adopting the concept of the dust extinction. The CFHD of red quasars are similar to, or marginally higher than, those of unobscured type 1 quasars. The Eddington ratios, computed for 19 out of 20 red quasars, are higher than those of unobscured type 1 quasars (by factors of 3-5), and hence the moderate viewing angle scenario is disfavored. Consequently, these results strongly suggest the dust extinction that is connected to an enhanced nuclear activity as the origin of the red color of red quasars, which is consistent with the merger-driven quasar evolution scenario. Full Table A.1 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/610/A31

WEAK LINE QUASARS AT HIGH REDSHIFT: EXTREMELY HIGH ACCRETION RATES OR ANEMIC BROAD-LINE REGIONS?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shemmer, Ohad; Trakhtenbrot, Benny; Netzer, Hagai; Anderson, Scott F.; Brandt, W. N.; Schneider, Donald P.; Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar M.; Fan Xiaohui; Lira, Paulina; Plotkin, Richard M.; Richards, Gordon T.; Strauss, Michael A.

2010-01-01

We present Gemini-North K-band spectra of two representative members of the class of high-redshift quasars with exceptionally weak rest-frame ultraviolet emission lines (WLQs), SDSS J114153.34+021924.3 at z = 3.55 and SDSS J123743.08+630144.9 at z = 3.49. In both sources, we detect an unusually weak broad Hβ line and place tight upper limits on the strengths of their [O III] lines. Virial, Hβ-based black hole mass determinations indicate normalized accretion rates of L/L Edd =0.4 for these sources, which is well within the range observed for typical quasars with similar luminosities and redshifts. We also present high-quality XMM-Newton imaging spectroscopy of SDSS J114153.34+021924.3 and find a hard-X-ray photon index of Γ = 1.91 +0.24 -0.22 , which supports the virial L/L Edd determination in this source. Our results suggest that the weakness of the broad emission lines in WLQs is not a consequence of an extreme continuum-emission source but instead due to abnormal broad emission line region properties.

THE ULTRAVIOLET-TO-MID-INFRARED SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTION OF WEAK EMISSION LINE QUASARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lane, Ryan A.; Shemmer, Ohad; Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar M.; Fan Xiaohui; Anderson, Scott F.; Brandt, W. N.; Schneider, Donald P.; Plotkin, Richard M.; Richards, Gordon T.; Strauss, Michael A.

2011-01-01

We present Spitzer Space Telescope photometry of 18 Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasars at 2.7 ≤ z ≤ 5.9 which have weak or undetectable high-ionization emission lines in their rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) spectra (hereafter weak-lined quasars, or WLQs). The Spitzer data are combined with SDSS spectra and ground-based, near-infrared (IR) photometry of these sources to produce a large inventory of spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of WLQs across the rest-frame ∼0.1-5 μm spectral band. The SEDs of our sources are inconsistent with those of BL Lacertae objects which are dominated by synchrotron emission due to a jet aligned close to our line of sight, but are consistent with the SED of ordinary quasars with similar luminosities and redshifts that exhibit a near-to-mid-IR 'bump', characteristic of hot dust emission. This indicates that broad emission lines in WLQs are intrinsically weak, rather than suffering continuum dilution from a jet, and that such sources cannot be selected efficiently from traditional photometric surveys.

THE ULTRAVIOLET-TO-MID-INFRARED SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTION OF WEAK EMISSION LINE QUASARS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lane, Ryan A.; Shemmer, Ohad [Department of Physics, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203 (United States); Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar M. [Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093 (United States); Fan Xiaohui [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Anderson, Scott F. [Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Box 351580, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Brandt, W. N.; Schneider, Donald P. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Plotkin, Richard M. [Astronomical Institute ' Anton Pannekoek' , University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, NL-1098 XH Amsterdam (Netherlands); Richards, Gordon T. [Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (United States); Strauss, Michael A., E-mail: RyanLane@my.unt.edu, E-mail: ohad@unt.edu [Princeton University Observatory, Peyton Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States)

2011-12-20

We present Spitzer Space Telescope photometry of 18 Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasars at 2.7 {<=} z {<=} 5.9 which have weak or undetectable high-ionization emission lines in their rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) spectra (hereafter weak-lined quasars, or WLQs). The Spitzer data are combined with SDSS spectra and ground-based, near-infrared (IR) photometry of these sources to produce a large inventory of spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of WLQs across the rest-frame {approx}0.1-5 {mu}m spectral band. The SEDs of our sources are inconsistent with those of BL Lacertae objects which are dominated by synchrotron emission due to a jet aligned close to our line of sight, but are consistent with the SED of ordinary quasars with similar luminosities and redshifts that exhibit a near-to-mid-IR 'bump', characteristic of hot dust emission. This indicates that broad emission lines in WLQs are intrinsically weak, rather than suffering continuum dilution from a jet, and that such sources cannot be selected efficiently from traditional photometric surveys.

DETERMINING QUASAR BLACK HOLE MASS FUNCTIONS FROM THEIR BROAD EMISSION LINES: APPLICATION TO THE BRIGHT QUASAR SURVEY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kelly, Brandon C.; Fan Xiaohui; Vestergaard, Marianne

2009-01-01

We describe a Bayesian approach to estimating quasar black hole mass functions (BHMF) using the broad emission lines to estimate black hole mass. We show how using the broad-line mass estimates in combination with statistical techniques developed for luminosity function estimation (e.g., the 1/V a correction) leads to statistically biased results. We derive the likelihood function for the BHMF based on the broad-line mass estimates, and derive the posterior distribution for the BHMF, given the observed data. We develop our statistical approach for a flexible model where the BHMF is modeled as a mixture of Gaussian functions. Statistical inference is performed using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods, and we describe a Metropolis-Hastings algorithm to perform the MCMC. The MCMC simulates random draws from the probability distribution of the BHMF parameters, given the data, and we use a simulated data set to show how these random draws may be used to estimate the probability distribution for the BHMF. In addition, we show how the MCMC output may be used to estimate the probability distribution of any quantities derived from the BHMF, such as the peak in the space density of quasars. Our method has the advantage that it is able to constrain the BHMF even beyond the survey detection limits at the adopted confidence level, accounts for measurement errors and the intrinsic uncertainty in broad-line mass estimates, and provides a natural way of estimating the probability distribution of any quantities derived from the BHMF. We conclude by using our method to estimate the local active BHMF using the z BH ∼> 10 8 M sun . Our analysis implies that at a given M BH , z < 0.5 broad-line quasars have a typical Eddington ratio of ∼0.4 and a dispersion in Eddington ratio of ∼<0.5 dex.

Surprises from a Deep ASCA Spectrum of the Broad Absorption Line Quasar PHL 5200

Science.gov (United States)

Mathur, Smita; Matt, G.; Green, P. J.; Elvis, M.; Singh, K. P.

2002-01-01

We present a deep (approx. 85 ks) ASCA observation of the prototype broad absorption line quasar (BALQSO) PHL 5200. This is the best X-ray spectrum of a BALQSO yet. We find the following: (1) The source is not intrinsically X-ray weak. (2) The line-of-sight absorption is very strong, with N(sub H) = 5 x 10(exp 23)/sq cm. (3) The absorber does not cover the source completely; the covering fraction is approx. 90%. This is consistent with the large optical polarization observed in this source, implying multiple lines of sight. The most surprising result of this observation is that (4) the spectrum of this BALQSO is not exactly similar to other radio-quiet quasars. The hard X-ray spectrum of PHL 5200 is steep, with the power-law spectral index alpha approx. 1.5. This is similar to the steepest hard X-ray slopes observed so far. At low redshifts, such steep slopes are observed in narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies, believed to be accreting at a high Eddington rate. This observation strengthens the analogy between BALQSOs and NLS1 galaxies and supports the hypothesis that BALQSOs represent an early evolutionary state of quasars. It is well accepted that the orientation to the line of sight determines the appearance of a quasar: age seems to play a significant role as well.

THE JET POWER AND EMISSION-LINE CORRELATIONS OF RADIO-LOUD OPTICALLY SELECTED QUASARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Punsly, Brian; Zhang Shaohua

2011-01-01

In this Letter, the properties of the extended radio emission form Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 quasars with 0.4 20-30 kpc). The frequency of quasars with FR II level extended radio emission is ∼2.3% and >0.4% of quasars have FR I level extended radio emission. The lower limit simply reflects the flux density limit of the survey. The distribution of the long-term time-averaged jet powers of these quasars, Q-bar , has a broad peak ∼3 x 10 44 erg s -1 that turns over below 10 44 erg s -1 and sources above 10 45 erg s -1 are extremely rare. It is found that the correlation between the bolometric (total thermal) luminosity of the accretion flow, L bol , and Q-bar is not strong. The correlation of Q-bar with narrow line luminosity is stronger than the correlation with broad line luminosity and the continuum luminosity. It is therefore concluded that previous interpretations of correlations of Q-bar with narrow line strengths in radio galaxies as a direct correlation of jet power and accretion power have been overstated. It is explained why this interpretation mistakenly overlooks the sizeable fraction of sources with weak accretion luminosity and powerful jets discovered by Ogle et al.

Nustar Reveals an Intrinsically X-ray Weak Broad Absorption Line Quasar in the Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxy Markarian 231

Science.gov (United States)

Teng, Stacy H.; Brandt. W. N.; Harrison, F. A.; Luo, B.; Alexander, D. M.; Bauer, F. E.; Boggs, S. E.; Christensen, F. E.; Comastri, A.; Craig, W. W.;

Occurrence and Global Properties of Narrow CIV lambda 1549 Absorption Lines in Moderate-Redshift Quasars

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vestergaard, Marianne

2003-01-01

A statistical study is presented of (a) the frequency of narrow CIV lambda 1549 absorption lines in 1.5 ~50%) of narrow CIV absorbers is detected for the radio-quiet and radio-loud quasars, and a constant ~25% of all the quasars, irrespective of radio type display associated CIV absorbers stronger...

On the discovery of fast molecular gas in the UFO/BAL quasar APM 08279+5255 at z = 3.912

Science.gov (United States)

Feruglio, C.; Ferrara, A.; Bischetti, M.; Downes, D.; Neri, R.; Ceccarelli, C.; Cicone, C.; Fiore, F.; Gallerani, S.; Maiolino, R.; Menci, N.; Piconcelli, E.; Vietri, G.; Vignali, C.; Zappacosta, L.

2017-12-01

We have performed a high sensitivity observation of the UFO/BAL quasar APM 08279+5255 at z = 3.912 with NOEMA at 3.2 mm, aimed at detecting fast moving molecular gas. We report the detection of blueshifted CO(4-3) with maximum velocity (v95%) of -1340 km s-1, with respect to the systemic peak emission, and a luminosity of L' = 9.9 × 109μ-1 K km s-1 pc-2, where μ is the lensing magnification factor. We discuss various scenarios for the nature of this emission and conclude that this is the first detection of fast molecular gas at redshift > 3. We derived a mass flow rate of molecular gas in the range Ṁ = 3-7.4 × 103M⊙/yr and momentum boost ṖOF/ṖAGN 2-6, which is therefore consistent with a momentum conserving flow. For the largest ṖOF the scaling is also consistent with an energy conserving flow with an efficiency of 10-20%. The present data can hardly discriminate between the two expansion modes. The mass loading factor of the molecular outflow η = ṀOF/SFR is ≫ 1. We also detected a molecular emission line at a frequency of 94.83 GHz corresponding to a rest-frame frequency of 465.8 GHz; we tentatively identified this frequency with the cation molecule N2H+(5-4), which would be the first detection of this species at high redshift. We discuss the alternative possibility that this emission is due to a CO emission line from the, so far undetected, lens galaxy. Further observations of additional transitions of the same species with NOEMA can discriminate between the two scenarios. This work is based on observations carried out under project numbers S15CW and E15AF with the IRAM NOEMA Interferometer. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany), and IGN (Spain). The reduced spectrum (FITS file) is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/608/A30

What are quasars. 3. ed.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dautcourt, G.

1982-01-01

The subject is covered under the following headings: gigantic explosions in galaxies, the puzzle of far radio sources, all records are broken, the quasar light - a messenger from the far past, the radio mantle of quasars, where do spectral lines originate, mysterious absorption, restless quasars, quasars as infrared sources, what is the gist of the matter, was Einstein wrong, when is a quasar no quasar, quasars and cosmology, youthful escapades of a galaxy, and once again the red shift

A large sample of Kohonen-selected SDSS quasars with weak emission lines: selection effects and statistical properties

Science.gov (United States)

Meusinger, H.; Balafkan, N.

2014-08-01

Aims: A tiny fraction of the quasar population shows remarkably weak emission lines. Several hypotheses have been developed, but the weak line quasar (WLQ) phenomenon still remains puzzling. The aim of this study was to create a sizeable sample of WLQs and WLQ-like objects and to evaluate various properties of this sample. Methods: We performed a search for WLQs in the spectroscopic data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 based on Kohonen self-organising maps for nearly 105 quasar spectra. The final sample consists of 365 quasars in the redshift range z = 0.6 - 4.2 (z¯ = 1.50 ± 0.45) and includes in particular a subsample of 46 WLQs with equivalent widths WMg iiattention was paid to selection effects. Results: The WLQs have, on average, significantly higher luminosities, Eddington ratios, and accretion rates. About half of the excess comes from a selection bias, but an intrinsic excess remains probably caused primarily by higher accretion rates. The spectral energy distribution shows a bluer continuum at rest-frame wavelengths ≳1500 Å. The variability in the optical and UV is relatively low, even taking the variability-luminosity anti-correlation into account. The percentage of radio detected quasars and of core-dominant radio sources is significantly higher than for the control sample, whereas the mean radio-loudness is lower. Conclusions: The properties of our WLQ sample can be consistently understood assuming that it consists of a mix of quasars at the beginning of a stage of increased accretion activity and of beamed radio-quiet quasars. The higher luminosities and Eddington ratios in combination with a bluer spectral energy distribution can be explained by hotter continua, i.e. higher accretion rates. If quasar activity consists of subphases with different accretion rates, a change towards a higher rate is probably accompanied by an only slow development of the broad line region. The composite WLQ spectrum can be reasonably matched by the

MULTIWAVELENGTH OBSERVATIONS OF RADIO-QUIET QUASARS WITH WEAK EMISSION LINES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plotkin, Richard M.; Anderson, Scott F.; MacLeod, Chelsea L.; Brandt, W. N.; Schneider, Donald P.; Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar M.; Fan Xiaohui; Shemmer, Ohad

2010-01-01

We present radio and X-ray observations, as well as optical light curves, for a subset of 26 BL Lac candidates from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) lacking strong radio emission and with z < 2.2. Half of these 26 objects are shown to be stars, galaxies, or absorbed quasars. We conclude that the other 13 objects are active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with abnormally weak emission features; 10 of those 13 are definitively radio quiet, and, for those with available optical light curves, their level of optical flux variability is consistent with radio-quiet quasars. We cannot exclude the possibility that some of these 13 AGNs lie on the extremely radio-faint tail of the BL Lac distribution, but our study generally supports the notion that all BL Lac objects are radio-loud. These radio-quiet AGNs appear to have intrinsically weak or absent broad emission line regions (BELRs), and, based on their X-ray properties, we argue that some are low-redshift analogs to weak line quasars (WLQs). SDSS BL Lac searches are so far the only systematic surveys of the SDSS database capable of recovering such exotic low-redshift WLQs. There are 71 more z < 2.2 radio-quiet BL Lac candidates already identified in the SDSS, but not considered here, and many of those might be best unified with WLQs as well. Future studies combining low- and high-redshift WLQ samples will yield new insight on our understanding of the structure and formation of AGN BELRs.

Outshining the quasars at reionization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Watson, D.; Reeves, J.N.; Hjorth, J.

2006-01-01

Gamma Rays: Bursts, Galaxies: Intergalactic Medium, Galaxies: Quasars: Absorption Lines, X-Rays: Galaxies, X-Rays: General Udgivelsesdato: 19 January......Gamma Rays: Bursts, Galaxies: Intergalactic Medium, Galaxies: Quasars: Absorption Lines, X-Rays: Galaxies, X-Rays: General Udgivelsesdato: 19 January...

Narrow Quasar Absorption Lines and the History of the Universe

Science.gov (United States)

Liebscher, Dierck-Ekkehard

In order to get an estimation of the parameters of the cosmological model the statistics of narrow absorption lines in quasar spectra is evaluated. To this end a phenomenological model of the evolution of the corresponding absorbers in density, size, number and dimension is presented and compared with the observed evolution in the spectral density of the lines and their column density seen in the equivalent width. In spite of the wide range of possible models, the Einstein-deSitter model is shown to be unlikely because of the implied fast evolution in mass.

Steep Hard-X-ray Spectra Indicate Extremely High Accretion Rates in Weak Emission-Line Quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Marlar, Andrea; Shemmer, Ohad; Anderson, Scott F.; Brandt, W. Niel; Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar M.; Fan, Xiaohui; Luo, Bin; Plotkin, Richard; Richards, Gordon T.; Schneider, Donald P.; Wu, Jianfeng

2018-06-01

We present XMM-Newton imaging spectroscopy of ten weak emission-line quasars (WLQs) at 0.928 ≤ z ≤ 3.767, six of which are radio quiet and four which are radio intermediate. The new X-ray data enabled us to measure the hard-X-ray power-law photon index (Γ) in each source with relatively high accuracy. These measurements allowed us to confirm previous reports that WLQs have steeper X-ray spectra, therefore indicating higher accretion rates with respect to "typical" quasars. A comparison between the Γ values of our radio-quiet WLQs and those of a carefully-selected, uniform sample of 84 quasars shows that the first are significantly higher, at the ≥ 3σ level. Collectively, the four radio-intermediate WLQs have lower Γ values with respect to the six radio-quiet WLQs, as may be expected if the spectra of the first group are contaminated by X-ray emission from a jet. These results suggest that, in the absence of significant jet emission along our line of sight, WLQs constitute the extreme high end of the accretion rate distribution in quasars. We detect soft excess emission in our lowest-redshift radio-quiet WLQ, in agreement with previous findings suggesting that the prominence of this feature is associated with a high accretion rate. We have not detected signatures of Compton reflection, Fe Kα lines, or strong variability between two X-ray epochs in any of our WLQs.

Is 1146+111B, C a lensed quasar or a quasar pair

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huchra, J.P.

1986-01-01

It has been speculated that the quasar pair 1146+B, C are two bright images of a single quasar produced by a gravitational lens. The author reports additional observations of these objects, made with an ultraviolet-sensitive spectrograph on the Multiple Mirror Telescope. The ultraviolet spectra of the two quasars are different. There are also different velocity shifts between the quasars as measured by the C III] and Mg II lines. Although it is impossible to rule out the lensing hypothesis, these observations increase the probability that these objects are just two quasars at nearly the same redshift. (author)

Discovery and spectrophotometry of high-redshift quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacAlpine, G.M.; Feldman, F.R.

1982-01-01

We report on the discovery and spectrophotometry of 30 new high-redshift quasars, which were detected using the Curtis Schmidt technique. We also discuss new follow-up spectrophotometry for 23 quasar candidates from University of Michigan Lists I--IV. Our program sample contains eight quasars with z>3, at least five objects exhibiting broad absorption troughs, and a pair of quasars which are 1' apart on the sky and nearly identical in redshift, at z near 2.13. The redshift distribution for the majority of quasars in UM List IV suggests that most of the single-line quasar candidates in the UM List have low to moderate redshifts, with the reported line often being Mg II lambda2798 or C III] lambda1909. For 17 high-redshift quasars where lambda912 at the emission-line redshift could be examined, we did not find any definite Lyman limit cutoffs. Although three objects show a decline of the continuum within 100 A of lambda912, we do not believe them to be unambiguous examples for emission-line clouds situated in the line of sight. When our O I lambda1304 measurements are combined with the data of others to yield a composite spectrum, we obtain O I lambda1304/lambda8446 = 1.35. This suggests reddening with E/sub B/-Vroughly-equal0.23. Finally, our data exhibit a correlation between Lyα emission line velocity widths and redshift. The higher z quasars in the sample tend to have narrower lines, due, at least in part, to bias in the detection technique

Quasar Black Hole Mass Estimates from High-Ionization Lines: Breaking a Taboo?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paola Marziani

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Can high ionization lines such as CIV λ 1549 provide useful virial broadening estimators for computing the mass of the supermassive black holes that power the quasar phenomenon? The question has been dismissed by several workers as a rhetorical one because blue-shifted, non-virial emission associated with gas outflows is often prominent in CIV λ 1549 line profiles. In this contribution, we first summarize the evidence suggesting that the FWHM of low-ionization lines like H β and MgII λ 2800 provide reliable virial broadening estimators over a broad range of luminosity. We confirm that the line widths of CIV λ 1549 is not immediately offering a virial broadening estimator equivalent to the width of low-ionization lines. However, capitalizing on the results of Coatman et al. (2016 and Sulentic et al. (2017, we suggest a correction to FWHM CIV λ 1549 for Eddington ratio and luminosity effects that, however, remains cumbersome to apply in practice. Intermediate ionization lines (IP ∼ 20–30 eV; AlIII λ 1860 and SiIII] λ 1892 may provide a better virial broadening estimator for high redshift quasars, but larger samples are needed to assess their reliability. Ultimately, they may be associated with the broad-line region radius estimated from the photoionization method introduced by Negrete et al. (2013 to obtain black hole mass estimates independent from scaling laws.

THE PITTSBURGH SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY Mg II QUASAR ABSORPTION-LINE SURVEY CATALOG

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quider, Anna M.; Nestor, Daniel B.; Turnshek, David A.; Rao, Sandhya M.; Weyant, Anja N.; Monier, Eric M.; Busche, Joseph R.

2011-01-01

We present a catalog of intervening Mg II quasar absorption-line systems in the redshift interval 0.36 ≤ z ≤ 2.28. The catalog was built from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release Four (SDSS DR4) quasar spectra. Currently, the catalog contains ∼17, 000 measured Mg II doublets. We also present data on the ∼44, 600 quasar spectra which were searched to construct the catalog, including redshift and magnitude information, continuum-normalized spectra, and corresponding arrays of redshift-dependent minimum rest equivalent widths detectable at our confidence threshold. The catalog is available online. A careful second search of 500 random spectra indicated that, for every 100 spectra searched, approximately one significant Mg II system was accidentally rejected. Current plans to expand the catalog beyond DR4 quasars are discussed. Many Mg II absorbers are known to be associated with galaxies. Therefore, the combination of large size and well understood statistics makes this catalog ideal for precision studies of the low-ionization and neutral gas regions associated with galaxies at low to moderate redshift. An analysis of the statistics of Mg II absorbers using this catalog will be presented in a subsequent paper.

AN APPARENT REDSHIFT DEPENDENCE OF QUASAR CONTINUUM: IMPLICATION FOR COSMIC DUST EXTINCTION?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xie, Xiaoyi; Shen, Shiyin; Shao, Zhengyi; Yin, Jun

2015-01-01

We investigate the luminosity and redshift dependence of the quasar continuum by means of the composite spectrum using a large non-BAL radio-quiet quasar sample drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Quasar continuum slopes in the UV-Opt band are measured at two different wavelength ranges, i.e., α ν12 (1000 ∼ 2000 Å) and α ν24 (2000 ∼ 4000 Å) derived from a power-law fitting. Generally, the UV spectra slope becomes harder (higher α ν ) toward higher bolometric luminosity. On the other hand, when quasars are further grouped into luminosity bins, we find that both α ν12 and α ν24 show significant anti-correlations with redshift (i.e., the quasar continuum becomes redder toward higher redshift). We suggest that the cosmic dust extinction is very likely the cause of this observed α ν − z relation. We build a simple cosmic dust extinction model to quantify the observed reddening tendency and find an effective dust density nσ v ∼ 10 −5 h Mpc −1 at z < 1.5. The other possibilities that could produce such a reddening effect have also been discussed

Highly Accreting Quasars at High Redshift

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-Aldama, Mary L.; Del Olmo, Ascensión; Marziani, Paola; Sulentic, Jack W.; Negrete, C. Alenka; Dultzin, Deborah; Perea, Jaime; D'Onofrio, Mauro

2017-12-01

We present preliminary results of a spectroscopic analysis for a sample of type 1 highly accreting quasars (LLedd>0.2) at high redshift, z 2-3. The quasars were observed with the OSIRIS spectrograph on the GTC 10.4 m telescope located at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos in La Palma. The highly accreting quasars were identified using the 4D Eigenvector 1 formalism, which is able to organize type 1 quasars over a broad range of redshift and luminosity. The kinematic and physical properties of the broad line region have been derived by fitting the profiles of strong UV emission lines such as AlIII, SiIII and CIII. The majority of our sources show strong blueshifts in the high-ionization lines and high Eddington ratios which are related with the productions of outflows. The importance of highly accreting quasars goes beyond a detailed understanding of their physics: their extreme Eddington ratio makes them candidates standard candles for cosmological studies.

Quasars Probing Quasars: The Circumgalactic Medium Surrounding Z 2 Quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, Marie Wingyee

parameter U positively correlates with impact parameter, which implies the foreground quasar does not dominate the radiation field. The circumgalactic medium is significantly enriched even beyond the virial radius, and has median [M/H] = -0.6. O/Fe is supersolar. No evolution in the total H column is found up to projected distance of 200 kpc, within which the median N H = 1020.5 cm-2. Within the virial radius, the mass of the cool CGM is estimated at MCGM ≈ 1.5*10 11 Msun. In two cases, detection of CII* implies electron density ne > 10 cm-3. Motivated by the preliminary kinematic results from this high-resolution sample, kinematic analysis of 148 pairs with precise foreground quasar redshifts is performed. The background spectra of this sample are of low and high resolution. The mean absorptions in metals exhibit velocity widths sigmav ≈ 300 km s-1, however the large widths do not require outflows. The mean absorptions have centroids redshifted from the systemic redshift by +200 km s-1. The asymmetry may be explained if the quasars are anisotropic or intermittent, and the gas is not flowing onto the galaxy. Finally, several observational and theoretical lines of future inquiry using multiwavelength data are presented.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Quasars narrow absorption lines from SDSS (Chen+, 2015)

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Z.-F.; Gu, Q.-S.; Chen, Y.-M.; Cao, Y.

2017-11-01

The Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS: Eisenstein et al. 2011AJ....142...72E; Paris et al. 2012, Cat. VII/269) is the main dark-time legacy survey of the third stage of the SDSS, which used the same 2.5-m telescope (Gunn et al. 2006AJ....131.2332G; Ross et al. 2012, J/ApJS/199/3) as the first and second stages of the SDSS (hereafter SDSS-I/II). SDSS-I/II spectra have a wavelength coverage from 3800-9200Å with a spectral resolution of 1800-2200 (e.g. York et al. 2000AJ....120.1579Y). BOSS spectra span a range from 3600-10500Å at a resolution of 1300-2500 (Paris et al. 2012, Cat. VII/269). During the first two years, BOSS detected 87822 quasars over an area of 3275 deg2, including 7932 quasars that were observed by SDSS-I/II as well. Quasars observed by both SDSS-I/II and BOSS provide a remarkable chance to study the variabilities of absorption lines in a large population. Throughout this work, we take the quasar emission redshifts provided by Hewett & Wild (2010, J/MNRAS/405/2302, http://das.sdss.org/va/HewettWilddr7qso_newz/) directly. (2 data files).

INVESTIGATING THE COMPLEX X-RAY SPECTRUM OF A BROAD-LINE 2MASS RED QUASAR: XMM-NEWTON OBSERVATION OF FTM 0830+3759

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piconcelli, Enrico; Nicastro, Fabrizio; Fiore, Fabrizio; Vignali, Cristian; Bianchi, Stefano; Miniutti, Giovanni

2010-01-01

We report results from a 50 ks XMM-Newton observation of the dust-reddened broad-line quasar FTM 0830+3759 (z = 0.413) selected from the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty cm/Two Micron All Sky Survey red quasar survey. For this active galactic nucleus (AGN), a very short 9 ks Chandra exposure had suggested a feature-rich X-ray spectrum and Hubble Space Telescope images revealed a very disturbed host galaxy morphology. Contrary to classical, optically selected quasars, the X-ray properties of red (i.e., with J - K s > 1.7 and R - K s > 4.0) broad-line quasars are still quite unexplored, although there is a growing consensus that, due to moderate obscuration, these objects can offer a unique view of spectral components typically swamped by the AGN light in normal, blue quasars. The XMM-Newton observation discussed here has definitely confirmed the complexity of the X-ray spectrum revealing the presence of a cold (or mildly ionized) absorber with N H ∼ 10 22 cm -2 along the line of sight to the nucleus and a Compton reflection component accompanied by an intense Fe Kα emission line in this quasar with a L 2-10 k eV ∼ 5 x 10 44 erg s -1 . A soft-excess component is also required by the data. The match between the column density derived by our spectral analysis and that expected on the basis of reddening due to the dust suggests the possibility that both absorptions occur in the same medium. FTM 0830+3759 is characterized by an extinction/absorption-corrected X-ray-to-optical flux ratio α ox = -2.3, which is steeper than expected on the basis of its UV luminosity. These findings indicate that the X-ray properties of FTM 0830+3759 differ from those typically observed for optically selected broad-line quasars with comparable hard X-ray luminosity.

Paired quasars near NGC 2639: Evidence for quasars in superclusters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ford, H.; Ciardullo, R.; Harms, R.

1983-01-01

Arp found 10 quasars near a low-redshift galaxy 27' SSE of NGC 2639. Six of the quasars can be grouped into three redshift pairs which align across the anonymous galaxy. The large number of quasars and pairings could show an association with the low-redshift galaxy, or alternatively, might be due to superclusters seen along the line of sight. We tested the latter hypothesis by using deep, red-sensitive Lick 3 m prime focus plates to search for a supercluster associated with the z = 0.3 quasar pair. The plates show extended nebulosity associated with the quasar U10 (thetaapprox.7'', or 20 kpc at z = 0.3) and a richness class 1, Bautz-Morgan type III cluster 4' NW of U10. A spectrum of one the cluster's brightest galaxies gives z = 0.34, suggesting that the cluster and quasar are unassociated. We obtained spectra of eight of the quasars and find that (i) two of the quasars have very strong absorption shortward of Lyα, and (ii) two of Arp's redshifts (including one which Arp considered uncertain) are incorrect. Our redshifts break two of the redshift pairs, including the pair at z = 0.3. We use the redshift distribution of optically selected quasars to argue that the third pair has no statistical significance, and conclude that there is no basis for associating the quasars with the low-redshift anonymous galaxy. The disappearance of the redshift pairs vitiates the possibility of testing the paired-quasars-in-superclusters hypothesis in the NGC 2639 field

The dependence of C IV broad absorption line properties on accompanying Si IV and Al III absorption: relating quasar-wind ionization levels, kinematics, and column densities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Filiz Ak, N.; Brandt, W. N.; Schneider, D. P.; Trump, J. R. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Hall, P. B. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3 (Canada); Anderson, S. F. [Astronomy Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Hamann, F. [Department of Astronomy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-2055 (United States); Myers, Adam D. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071 (United States); Pâris, I. [Departamento de Astronomía, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 36-D, Santiago (Chile); Petitjean, P. [Institut d' Astrophysique de Paris, Universite Paris 6, F-75014 Paris (France); Ross, Nicholas P. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Shen, Yue [Carnegie Observatories, 813 Santa Barbara Street, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States); York, Don, E-mail: nfilizak@astro.psu.edu [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States)

2014-08-20

We consider how the profile and multi-year variability properties of a large sample of C IV Broad Absorption Line (BAL) troughs change when BALs from Si IV and/or Al III are present at corresponding velocities, indicating that the line of sight intercepts at least some lower ionization gas. We derive a number of observational results for C IV BALs separated according to the presence or absence of accompanying lower ionization transitions, including measurements of composite profile shapes, equivalent width (EW), characteristic velocities, composite variation profiles, and EW variability. We also measure the correlations between EW and fractional-EW variability for C IV, Si IV, and Al III. Our measurements reveal the basic correlated changes between ionization level, kinematics, and column density expected in accretion-disk wind models; e.g., lines of sight including lower ionization material generally show deeper and broader C IV troughs that have smaller minimum velocities and that are less variable. Many C IV BALs with no accompanying Si IV or Al III BALs may have only mild or no saturation.

Elemental Abundances in the Broad Emission Line Region of Quasars at Redshifts larger than 4

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dietrich, M.; Appenzeller, I.; Hamann, F.

2003-01-01

the chemical composition of the line emitting gas. Comparisons to photoionization calculations indicate gas metallicities in the broad emission line region in the range of solar to several times solar. The average of the mean metallicity of each high-z quasar in this sample is $Z/Z_\\odot = 4.3 \\pm 0...

The Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fibre Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) Quasar Survey: Quasar Properties from Data Release Two and Three

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, X. Y.; Wu, Xue-Bing; Ai, Y. L.; Yang, J. Y.; Yang, Q.; Wang, F.; Zhang, Y. X.; Luo, A. L.; Xu, H.; Yuan, H. L.; Zhang, J. N.; Wang, M. X.; Wang, L. L.; Li, Y. B.; Zuo, F.; Hou, W.; Guo, Y. X.; Kong, X.; Chen, X. Y.; Wu, Y.; Yang, H. F.; Yang, M.

2018-05-01

This is the second installment for the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fibre Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) Quasar Survey, which includes quasars observed from 2013 September to 2015 June. There are 9024 confirmed quasars in DR2 and 10911 in DR3. After cross-match with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasar catalogs and NED, 12126 quasars are discovered independently. Among them, 2225 quasars were released by SDSS DR12 QSO catalog in 2014 after we finalized the survey candidates. 1801 sources were identified by SDSS DR14 as QSOs. The remaining 8100 quasars are considered as newly founded, and among them, 6887 quasars can be given reliable emission line measurements and the estimated black hole masses. Quasars found in LAMOST are mostly located at low-to-moderate redshifts, with a mean value of 1.5. The highest redshift observed in DR2 and DR3 is 5. We applied emission line measurements to Hα, Hβ, Mg II, and C IV. We deduced the monochromatic continuum luminosities using photometry data, and estimated the virial black hole masses for the newly discovered quasars. Results are compiled into a quasar catalog, which will be available online.

X-ray, optical, and radio properties of quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blumenthal, G.R.; Keel, W.C.; Miller, J.S.

1982-01-01

We have examined a sample of 26 low-redshift quasars for the relationships between X-ray luminosity and optical spectroscopic features. All quasars were observed with the Einstein Observatory and with the IDS on the Lick 3 meter telescope. We find evidence for correlations between quasar X-ray luminosity and both optical continuum luminosity and Hβ luminosity. In the latter case, there is a smooth relationship connecting quasars, Seyfert 1, and Seyfert 2 galaxies. For the quasars in this sample, there is also a strong correlation between optical continuum luminosity and both the Hβ luminosity and equivalent width. Unlike the case for Seyfert 1 nuclei, there is no evidence for a correlation between X-ray luminosity and either the Hβ/[O III] ratio or the width at zero intensity of the Hβ line. However, we do find some evidence for a weak correlation between α'/sub o/x, the mean continuum spectral index between 5000 A and 2 keV, and Fe II equivalent width, Hβ equivalent width, Hβ line width at zero intensity, and the ratio of Hβ equivalent width to its line width at zero intensity. Overall, we found few strong correlations between optical spectroscopic quanitites and X-ray properties of quasars. Some of the implications of these results for models of quasars and quasar emission line regions are discussed

Highly Accreting Quasars at High Redshift

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mary L. Martínez-Aldama

2018-01-01

Full Text Available We present preliminary results of a spectroscopic analysis for a sample of type 1 highly accreting quasars (L/LEdd ~ 1.0 at high redshift, z ~2–3. The quasars were observed with the OSIRIS spectrograph on the GTC 10.4 m telescope located at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos in La Palma. The highly accreting quasars were identified using the 4D Eigenvector 1 formalism, which is able to organize type 1 quasars over a broad range of redshift and luminosity. The kinematic and physical properties of the broad line region have been derived by fitting the profiles of strong UV emission lines such as Aliiiλ1860, Siiii]λ1892 and Ciii]λ1909. The majority of our sources show strong blueshifts in the high-ionization lines and high Eddington ratios which are related with the productions of outflows. The importance of highly accreting quasars goes beyond a detailed understanding of their physics: their extreme Eddington ratio makes them candidates standard candles for cosmological studies.

AN APPARENT REDSHIFT DEPENDENCE OF QUASAR CONTINUUM: IMPLICATION FOR COSMIC DUST EXTINCTION?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xie, Xiaoyi; Shen, Shiyin; Shao, Zhengyi; Yin, Jun, E-mail: ssy@shao.ac.cn [Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 80 Nandan Road, Shanghai 200030 (China)

2015-04-01

We investigate the luminosity and redshift dependence of the quasar continuum by means of the composite spectrum using a large non-BAL radio-quiet quasar sample drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Quasar continuum slopes in the UV-Opt band are measured at two different wavelength ranges, i.e., α{sub ν12} (1000 ∼ 2000 Å) and α{sub ν24} (2000 ∼ 4000 Å) derived from a power-law fitting. Generally, the UV spectra slope becomes harder (higher α{sub ν}) toward higher bolometric luminosity. On the other hand, when quasars are further grouped into luminosity bins, we find that both α{sub ν12} and α{sub ν24} show significant anti-correlations with redshift (i.e., the quasar continuum becomes redder toward higher redshift). We suggest that the cosmic dust extinction is very likely the cause of this observed α{sub ν} − z relation. We build a simple cosmic dust extinction model to quantify the observed reddening tendency and find an effective dust density nσ{sub v} ∼ 10{sup −5}h Mpc{sup −1} at z < 1.5. The other possibilities that could produce such a reddening effect have also been discussed.

REVERBERATION AND PHOTOIONIZATION ESTIMATES OF THE BROAD-LINE REGION RADIUS IN LOW-z QUASARS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Negrete, C. Alenka [Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica (Mexico); Dultzin, Deborah [Instituto de Astronomia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (Mexico); Marziani, Paola [INAF, Astronomical Observatory of Padova, I-35122 Padova (Italy); Sulentic, Jack W., E-mail: cnegrete@inaoep.mx, E-mail: deborah@astro.unam.mx, E-mail: paola.marziani@oapd.inaf.it, E-mail: sulentic@iaa.es [Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia, E-18008 Granada (Spain)

2013-07-01

Black hole mass estimation in quasars, especially at high redshift, involves the use of single-epoch spectra with signal-to-noise ratio and resolution that permit accurate measurement of the width of a broad line assumed to be a reliable virial estimator. Coupled with an estimate of the radius of the broad-line region (BLR) this yields the black hole mass M{sub BH}. The radius of the BLR may be inferred from an extrapolation of the correlation between source luminosity and reverberation-derived r{sub BLR} measures (the so-called Kaspi relation involving about 60 low-z sources). We are exploring a different method for estimating r{sub BLR} directly from inferred physical conditions in the BLR of each source. We report here on a comparison of r{sub BLR} estimates that come from our method and from reverberation mapping. Our ''photoionization'' method employs diagnostic line intensity ratios in the rest-frame range 1400-2000 A (Al III {lambda}1860/Si III] {lambda}1892, C IV {lambda}1549/Al III {lambda}1860) that enable derivation of the product of density and ionization parameter with the BLR distance derived from the definition of the ionization parameter. We find good agreement between our estimates of the density, ionization parameter, and r{sub BLR} and those from reverberation mapping. We suggest empirical corrections to improve the agreement between individual photoionization-derived r{sub BLR} values and those obtained from reverberation mapping. The results in this paper can be exploited to estimate M{sub BH} for large samples of high-z quasars using an appropriate virial broadening estimator. We show that the width of the UV intermediate emission lines are consistent with the width of H{beta}, thereby providing a reliable virial broadening estimator that can be measured in large samples of high-z quasars.

CORRELATIONS OF QUASAR OPTICAL SPECTRA WITH RADIO MORPHOLOGY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimball, Amy E.; Ivezic, Zeljko; Wiita, Paul J.; Schneider, Donald P.

2011-01-01

Using the largest homogeneous quasar sample with high-quality optical spectra and robust radio morphology classifications assembled to date, we investigate relationships between radio and optical properties with unprecedented statistical power. The sample consists of 4714 radio quasars from FIRST with S 20 ≥ 2 mJy and with spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Radio morphology classes include core-only (core), core-lobe (lobe), core-jet (jet), lobe-core-lobe (triple), and double-lobe. Electronic tables of the quasar samples, along with spectral composites for individual morphology classes, are made available. We examine the optical colors of these subsamples and find that radio quasars with core emission unresolved by FIRST (on ∼5'' scale) have a redder color distribution than radio-quiet quasars (S 20 ∼ I ) are correlated, which supports the hypothesis that both parameters are indicative of line-of-sight orientation. We investigate spectral line equivalent widths (EWs) as a function of R and R I , including the O [III] narrow line doublet and the C IV λ1549 and Mg II λ2799 broad lines. We find that the rest EWs of the broad lines correlate positively with R I at the 4σ-8σ level. However, we find no strong dependence of EW on R, in contrast to previously published results. A possible interpretation of these results is that EWs of quasar emission lines increase as the line-of-sight angle to the radio-jet axis decreases. These results are in stark contrast to commonly accepted orientation-based theories, which suggest that continuum emission should increase as the angle to the radio-jet axis decreases, resulting in smaller EWs of emission lines (assumed isotropic). Finally, we observe the Baldwin effect in our sample and find that it does not depend strongly on quasar radio morphology.

Low resolution infrared spectra of quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soifer, B.T.; Neugebauer, G.; Oke, J.B.; Matthews, K.

1980-01-01

Low resolution spectra of a significant sample of quasars show that the Paschen α and Balmer line ratios do not agree with the radiative recombination case B result and vary widely within the quasars sampled. The range in Pα:Hβ ratios is a factor of approximately 6, while the range in Lyα:Hα ratios is a factor of approximately 5. For the Pα:Balmer series, the deviations from case B recombination are not consistent with reddening, but appear, within large dispersions, to be consistent with optical depth effects in the Balmer lines affecting the line ratios. The Lyα:Hα ratio is, however, correlated with the continuum spectral index, and can be explained as due to reddening affecting both the lines and continuum. Recent observational results based on a joint infrared/optical survey of the hydrogen line spectra of a significant number of the brightest low and high redshift quasars are summarised. This survey includes 12 quasars in the redshift range 0.07 1.5, where Hα and/or Hβ is redshifted into the 1.65μm or 2.2μm atmospheric windows. (Auth.)

The z=0.0912 and z=0.2212 damped Ly alpha galaxies along the sight line toward the quasar OI 363

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Turnshek, DA; Rao, S; Nestor, D; Lane, W; Monier, E; Bergeron, J; Smette, A

2001-01-01

New optical and infrared observations along the sight line toward the quasar OI 363 (0738+313) are presented and discussed. Excluding quasars selectively observed because they were known to be located behind gas-rich galaxies and systems which lack confirming UV spectroscopic observations of the

Investigating the reasons of variability in Si IV and C IV broad absorption line troughs of quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Stathopoulos, Dimitrios; Lyratzi, Evangelia; Danezis, Emmanuel; Antoniou, Antonios; Tzimeas, Dimitrios

2017-09-01

In this paper we analyze the C IV and Si IV broad absorption troughs of two BALQSOs (J101056.69+355833.3, J114548.38+393746.6) to the individual components they consist of. By analyzing a BAL trough to its components we have the advantage to study the variations of the individual absorbing systems in the line of sight and not just the variations of the whole absorption trough or the variations of selected portions of BAL troughs exhibiting changes. We find that the velocity shifts and FWHMs (Full Width at Half Maximum) of the individual components do not vary between an interval of six years. All variable components show changes in the optical depths at line centers which are manifested as variations in the EW (Equivalent Width) of the components. In both BALQSOs, over corresponding velocities, Si IV has higher incidence of variability than C IV. From our analysis, evidence is in favour of different covering fractions between C IV and Si IV. Finally, although most of our results favour the crossing cloud scenario as the cause of variability, there is also strong piece of evidence indicating changing ionization as the source of variability. Thus, a mixed situation where both physical mechanisms contribute to BAL variability is the most possible scenario.

Spectroscopic Observations of the Outflowing Wind in the Lensed Quasar SDSS J1001+5027

Science.gov (United States)

Misawa, Toru; Inada, Naohisa; Oguri, Masamune; Charlton, Jane C.; Eracleous, Michael; Koyamada, Suzuka; Itoh, Daisuke

2018-02-01

We performed spectroscopic observations of the small-separation lensed quasar SDSS J1001+5027, whose images have an angular separation θ =2\\buildrel{\\prime\\prime}\\over{.} 86, and placed constraints on the physical properties of gas clouds in the vicinity of the quasar (i.e., in the outflowing wind launched from the accretion disk). The two cylinders of sight to the two lensed images go through the same region of the outflowing wind and they become fully separated with no overlap at a very large distance from the source (∼330 pc). We discovered a clear difference in the profile of the C IV broad absorption line (BAL) detected in the two lensed images in two observing epochs. Because the kinematic components in the BAL profile do not vary in concert, the observed variations cannot be reproduced by a simple change of ionization state. If the variability is due to gas motion around the background source (i.e., the continuum source), the corresponding rotational velocity is {v}rot} ≥ 18,000 km s‑1, and their distance from the source is r≤slant 0.06 pc assuming Keplerian motion. Among three Mg II and three C IV NAL systems that we detected in the spectra, only the Mg II system at {z}abs} = 0.8716 shows a hint of variability in its Mg I profile on a rest-frame timescale of {{Δ }}{t}rest} ≤slant 191 days and an obvious velocity shear between the sightlines whose physical separation is ∼7 kpc. We interpret this as the result of motion of a cosmologically intervening absorber, perhaps located in a foreground galaxy. Based on data collected at the Subaru Telescope, which is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.

The Size-Luminosity Relationship of Quasar Narrow-Line Regions

Science.gov (United States)

Dempsey, Ross; Zakamska, Nadia L.

2018-04-01

The presence of an active galactic nucleus (AGN) can strongly affect its host. Due to the copious radiative power of the nucleus, the effects of radiative feedback can be detected over the entire host galaxy and sometimes well into the intergalactic space. In this paper we model the observed size-luminosity relationship of the narrow-line regions (NLRs) of AGN. We model the NLR as a collection of clouds in pressure equilibrium with the ionizing radiation, with each cloud producing line emission calculated by Cloudy. The sizes of the NLRs of powerful quasars are reproduced without any free parameters, as long as they contain massive (105M⊙ to 107M⊙) ionization-bounded clouds. At lower AGN luminosities the observed sizes are larger than the model sizes, likely due to additional unmodeled sources of ionization (e.g., star formation). We find that the observed saturation of sizes at ˜10kpc which is observed at high AGN luminosities (Lion ≃ 1046erg/s) is naturally explained by optically thick clouds absorbing the ionizing radiation and preventing illumination beyond a critical distance. Using our models in combination with observations of the [O III]/IR ratio and the [O III] size - IR luminosity relationship, we calculate the covering factor of the obscuring torus (and therefore the type 2 fraction within the quasar population) to be f = 0.5, though this is likely an upper bound. Finally, because the gas behind the ionization front is invisible in ionized gas transitions, emission-based NLR mass calculations underestimate the mass of the NLR and therefore of the energetics of ionized-gas winds.

THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF BROAD-LINE QUASARS IN THE MASS-LUMINOSITY PLANE. II. BLACK HOLE MASS AND EDDINGTON RATIO FUNCTIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kelly, Brandon C. [Department of Physics, Broida Hall, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93107 (United States); Shen, Yue [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, MS-51, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

2013-02-10

We employ a flexible Bayesian technique to estimate the black hole (BH) mass and Eddington ratio functions for Type 1 (i.e., broad line) quasars from a uniformly selected data set of {approx}58, 000 quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) DR7. We find that the SDSS becomes significantly incomplete at M {sub BH} {approx}< 3 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 8} M {sub Sun} or L/L {sub Edd} {approx}< 0.07, and that the number densities of Type 1 quasars continue to increase down to these limits. Both the mass and Eddington ratio functions show evidence of downsizing, with the most massive and highest Eddington ratio BHs experiencing Type 1 quasar phases first, although the Eddington ratio number densities are flat at z < 2. We estimate the maximum Eddington ratio of Type 1 quasars in the observable universe to be L/L {sub Edd} {approx} 3. Consistent with our results in Shen and Kelly, we do not find statistical evidence for a so-called sub-Eddington boundary in the mass-luminosity plane of broad-line quasars, and demonstrate that such an apparent boundary in the observed distribution can be caused by selection effect and errors in virial BH mass estimates. Based on the typical Eddington ratio in a given mass bin, we estimate growth times for the BHs in Type 1 quasars and find that they are comparable to or longer than the age of the universe, implying an earlier phase of accelerated (i.e., with higher Eddington ratios) and possibly obscured growth. The large masses probed by our sample imply that most of our BHs reside in what are locally early-type galaxies, and we interpret our results within the context of models of self-regulated BH growth.

Galaxy correlations at high redshift and the environment of quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillipps, Steven

1986-01-01

In close line-of-sight pairs of quasars absorption lines may be seen in the spectrum of the further quasar at a redshift corresponding to that of the nearer quasar. This is indicative of the presence of an intervening galaxy belonging to the same cluster as the (galaxy containing the) nearer quasar. The likelihood of this occurring is calculated in terms of the galaxy correlation function and it is found that present results already suggest that quasars at redshifts above one must be associated with rich clusters. (author)

Superconducting cosmic string evolution of quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Yulin.

1988-09-01

The quasars may have been undergoing two evolutionary processes after they formed. As a result of the string loops shrinking at the first stage, the luminosities of the quasars increased gradually up to their maximum value at the redshift z ∼ 2, after then the second evolutionary stage began and the luminosity reduced. This result can be fitted by luminosity counting of quasars. Observable limit of quasars can be obtained naturally. Many phenomena, such as radiomorphology, density distribution between fuzz structure and broad line region and rotational curve may also originate from the first evolutionary stage of quasars as cosmic string. (author). 10 refs

Black hole mass estimates and emission-line properties of a sample of redshift z > 6.5 quasars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

De Rosa, Gisella; Peterson, Bradley M.; Frank, Stephan [Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University, 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States); Venemans, Bram P.; Decarli, Roberto; Walter, Fabian [Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Gennaro, Mario [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Simcoe, Robert A. [MIT-Kavli Center for Astrophysics and Space Research, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Dietrich, Matthias [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ohio University, Clippinger Lab 251B, Athens, OH 45701 (United States); McMahon, Richard G.; Hewett, Paul C. [Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA (United Kingdom); Mortlock, Daniel J. [Astrophysics Group, Imperial College London, Blackett Laboratory, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); Simpson, Chris [Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool Science Park, 146 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool L3 5RF (United Kingdom)

2014-08-01

We present the analysis of optical and near-infrared spectra of the only four z > 6.5 quasars known to date, discovered in the UKIDSS-LAS and VISTA-VIKING surveys. Our data set consists of new Very Large Telescope/X-Shooter and Magellan/FIRE observations. These are the best optical/NIR spectroscopic data that are likely to be obtained for the z > 6.5 sample using current 6-10 m facilities. We estimate the black hole (BH) mass, the Eddington ratio, and the Si IV/C IV, C III]/C IV, and Fe II/Mg II emission-line flux ratios. We perform spectral modeling using a procedure that allows us to derive a probability distribution for the continuum components and to obtain the quasar properties weighted upon the underlying distribution of continuum models. The z > 6.5 quasars show the same emission properties as their counterparts at lower redshifts. The z > 6.5 quasars host BHs with masses of ∼10{sup 9} M{sub ☉} that are accreting close to the Eddington luminosity ((log(L{sub Bol}/L{sub Edd})) = –0.4 ± 0.2), in agreement with what has been observed for a sample of 4.0 < z < 6.5 quasars. By comparing the Si IV/C IV and C III]/C IV flux ratios with the results obtained from luminosity-matched samples at z ∼ 6 and 2 ≤ z ≤ 4.5, we find no evidence of evolution of the line ratios with cosmic time. We compare the measured Fe II/Mg II flux ratios with those obtained for a sample of 4.0 < z < 6.4 sources. The two samples are analyzed using a consistent procedure. There is no evidence that the Fe II/Mg II flux ratio evolves between z = 7 and z = 4. Under the assumption that the Fe II/Mg II traces the Fe/Mg abundance ratio, this implies the presence of major episodes of chemical enrichment in the quasar hosts in the first ∼0.8 Gyr after the Big Bang.

An extreme Fe II emitter the narrow line quasar PHL 1092

CERN Document Server

Bergeron, J

1980-01-01

A search for Fe II emission in a sample of radio-quiet quasars has revealed the outstanding properties of PHL 1092. Intense Fe II lines dominate the entire spectrum, and the Fe II UV multiplets are nearly as strong as the optical ones. In contrast the extreme weakness of the Balmer and Mg II lines is striking. For the first time, Fe I lines are identified in an extra-galactic object. The lines are narrow, with a FWHM of 1300 km s/sup -1/. The presence of Fe II UV lines and Fe I lines from the ground state requires moderate column densities. However Fe/sup 0/ can exist only in a region completely shielded from the UV continuum. The weakness of Mg II and H beta relative to Fe II lines is best explained by their thermalization. The emitting region is of high electron density n/sub e/ approximately=10/sup 12/ cm/sup -3/, low temperature T approximately=10000K, and has an optical depth in the Fe II UV lines tau /sub UV/ approximately=10/sup 3/-10/sup 4/. It is speculated that for higher densities all the lines wou...

Thomson Thick X-Ray Absorption in a Broad Absorption Line Quasar, PG 0946+301.

Science.gov (United States)

Mathur; Green; Arav; Brotherton; Crenshaw; deKool; Elvis; Goodrich; Hamann; Hines; Kashyap; Korista; Peterson; Shields; Shlosman; van Breugel W; Voit

2000-04-20

We present a deep ASCA observation of a broad absorption line quasar (BALQSO) PG 0946+301. The source was clearly detected in one of the gas imaging spectrometers, but not in any other detector. If BALQSOs have intrinsic X-ray spectra similar to normal radio-quiet quasars, our observations imply that there is Thomson thick X-ray absorption (NH greater, similar1024 cm-2) toward PG 0946+301. This is the largest column density estimated so far toward a BALQSO. The absorber must be at least partially ionized and may be responsible for attenuation in the optical and UV. If the Thomson optical depth toward BALQSOs is close to 1, as inferred here, then spectroscopy in hard X-rays with large telescopes like XMM would be feasible.

Discovery of Variable Hydrogen Balmer Absorption Lines with Inverse Decrement in PG 1411+442

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shi, Xi-Heng; Pan, Xiang; Zhang, Shao-Hua; Sun, Lu-Ming; Ji, Tuo; Liu, Bo; Zhou, Hong-Yan [Polar Research Institute of China, Jinqiao Road 451, Shanghai 200136 (China); Wang, Jian-Guo [Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650011 (China); Yang, Chen-Wei; Jiang, Ning, E-mail: zhouhongyan@pric.org.cn, E-mail: shixiheng@pric.org.cn [Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Department of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China)

2017-07-01

We present new optical spectra of the well-known broad absorption line (BAL) quasar PG 1411+442, using the DBSP spectrograph at the Palomar 200 inch telescope in 2014 and 2017 and the YFOSC spectrograph at the Lijiang 2.4 m telescope in 2015. A blueshifted narrow absorption line system is clearly revealed in 2014 and 2015 consisting of hydrogen Balmer series and metastable He i lines. The velocity of these lines is similar to the centroid velocity of the UV BALs, suggesting that both originate from the outflow. The Balmer lines vary significantly between the two observations and vanished in 2017. They were also absent in the archived spectra obtained before 2001. The variation is thought to be driven by photoionization change. Besides, the absorption lines show inversed Balmer decrement, i.e., the apparent optical depths of higher-order Balmer absorption lines are larger than those of lower-order lines, which is inconsistent with the oscillator strengths of the transitions. We suggest that such anomalous line ratios can be naturally explained by the thermal structure of a background accretion disk, which allows the obscured part of the disk to contribute differently to the continuum flux at different wavelengths. High-resolution spectroscopic and photometric monitoring would be very useful to probe the structure of the accretion disk as well as the geometry and physical conditions of the outflow.

Circum-Galactic Medium in the Halo of Quasars

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Riccardo Ottolina

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The properties of circum-galactic gas in the halo of quasar host galaxies are investigated analyzing Mg II 2800 and C IV 1540 absorption-line systems along the line of sight close to quasars. We used optical spectroscopy of closely aligned pairs of quasars (projected distance ≤ 200 kpc, but at very different redshift obtained at the VLT and Gran Telescopio Canarias to investigate the distribution of the absorbing gas for a sample of quasars at z ~1. Absorption systems of EW ≥0.3 associated with the foreground quasars are revealed up to 200 kpc from the centre of the host galaxy, showing that the structure of the absorbing gas is patchy with a covering fraction quickly decreasing beyond 100 kpc. In this contribution we use optical and near-IR images obtained at VLT to investigate the relations between the properties of the circum-galactic medium of the host galaxies and of the large scale galaxy environments of the foreground quasars.

Quasar Parallax: a Method for Determining Direct Geometrical Distances to Quasars

OpenAIRE

Elvis, Martin; Karovska, Margarita

2002-01-01

We describe a novel method to determine direct geometrical distances to quasars that can measure the cosmological constant, Lambda, with minimal assumptions. This method is equivalent to geometric parallax, with the `standard length' being the size of the quasar broad emission line region (BELR) as determined from the light travel time measurements of reverberation mapping. The effect of non-zero Lambda on angular diameter is large, 40% at z=2, so mapping angular diameter distances vs. redshi...

Vineeta Bal

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Vineeta Bal. Articles written in Resonance – Journal of Science Education. Volume 2 Issue 1 January 1997 pp 25-33 Series Article. The Immune System and Bodily Defence Why Do We Need an Immune System? Vineeta Bal Satyajit Rath · More Details Fulltext PDF. Volume 2 Issue 2 February 1997 pp 17-24 Series Article.

Simultaneous detection and analysis of optical and ultraviolet broad emission lines in quasars at z 2.2

Science.gov (United States)

Bisogni, S.; di Serego Alighieri, S.; Goldoni, P.; Ho, L. C.; Marconi, A.; Ponti, G.; Risaliti, G.

2017-06-01

We studied the spectra of six z 2.2 quasars obtained with the X-shooter spectrograph at the Very Large Telescope. The redshift of these sources and the X-shooter's spectral coverage allow us to cover the rest of the spectral range 1200-7000 Å for the simultaneous detection of optical and ultraviolet lines emitted by the broad-line region. Simultaneous measurements, avoiding issues related to quasars variability, help us understand the connection between the different broad-line region line profiles generally used as virial estimators of black hole masses in quasars. The goal of this work is to compare the different emission lines for each object to check on the reliability of Hα, Mg II and C iv with respect to Hβ. Hα and Mg II linewidths correlate well with Hβ, while C iv shows a poorer correlation, due to the presence of strong blueshifts and asymmetries in the profile. We compared our sample with the only other two whose spectra were taken with the same instrument and for all examined lines our results are in agreement with the ones obtained with X-shooter at z 1.5-1.7. We finally evaluate C III] as a possible substitute of C iv in the same spectral range and find that its behaviour is more coherent with those of the other lines: we believe that, when a high quality spectrum such as the ones we present is available and a proper modelization with the Fe II and Fe III emissions is performed, it is more appropriate to use this line than that of C iv if not corrected for the contamination by non-virialized components. Based on observations collected at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, Chile, under programme 086.B-0320(A).The reduced spectra (FITS files) are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/603/A1

A main sequence for quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Marziani, Paola; Dultzin, Deborah; Sulentic, Jack W.; Del Olmo, Ascensión; Negrete, C. A.; Martínez-Aldama, Mary L.; D'Onofrio, Mauro; Bon, Edi; Bon, Natasa; Stirpe, Giovanna M.

2018-03-01

The last 25 years saw a major step forward in the analysis of optical and UV spectroscopic data of large quasar samples. Multivariate statistical approaches have led to the definition of systematic trends in observational properties that are the basis of physical and dynamical modeling of quasar structure. We discuss the empirical correlates of the so-called “main sequence” associated with the quasar Eigenvector 1, its governing physical parameters and several implications on our view of the quasar structure, as well as some luminosity effects associated with the virialized component of the line emitting regions. We also briefly discuss quasars in a segment of the main sequence that includes the strongest FeII emitters. These sources show a small dispersion around a well-defined Eddington ratio value, a property which makes them potential Eddington standard candles.

A Main Sequence for Quasars

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paola Marziani

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The last 25 years saw a major step forward in the analysis of optical and UV spectroscopic data of large quasar samples. Multivariate statistical approaches have led to the definition of systematic trends in observational properties that are the basis of physical and dynamical modeling of quasar structure. We discuss the empirical correlates of the so-called “main sequence” associated with the quasar Eigenvector 1, its governing physical parameters and several implications on our view of the quasar structure, as well as some luminosity effects associated with the virialized component of the line emitting regions. We also briefly discuss quasars in a segment of the main sequence that includes the strongest FeII emitters. These sources show a small dispersion around a well-defined Eddington ratio value, a property which makes them potential Eddington standard candles.

Proper motions and distances of quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varshni, Y.P.

1982-01-01

The author's theory that quasars are stars raises the question of their proper motions. From the evidence presented in a previous paper, it is hypothesised that planetary nuclei and quasars are related objects and that their distributions in the galaxy are not very different. Proper motions of 30 quasars, calculated from existing measurements, are discussed. It is shown that three of these, namely PHL 1033, LB 8956 and LB 8991, have proper motions comparable to the largest proper motion known amongst the planetary nuclei. From this it is estimated that these three quasars lie within a few hundred parsecs from the sun. The evidence presented in a previous paper and the present one clearly supports the theory that quasars are stars. The possibility of using the interstellar K and H lines as distance indicators of quasars is discussed and the available evidence summarised. The desirability of determining more accurate values of the proper motions of quasars is emphasised. (Auth.)

X-ray Spectral Survey of WGACAT Quasars, II: Optical and Radio Properties of Quasars with Low Energy X-ray Cut-offs

OpenAIRE

Elvis, Martin; Fiore, Fabrizio; Giommi, Paolo; Padovani, Paolo

1997-01-01

We have selected quasars with X-ray colors suggestive of a low energy cut-off, from the ROSAT PSPC pointed archive. We examine the radio and optical properties of these 13 quasars. Five out of the seven quasars with good optical spectra show associated optical absorption lines, with two having high delta-v candidate systems. Two other cut-off quasars show reddening associated with the quasar. We conclude that absorption is highly likely to be the cause of the X-ray cut-offs, and that the abso...

Luminosity and Redshift dependence of quasar spectral properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daniel E. Vanden Berk et al.

2004-03-09

Using a large sample of quasar spectra from the SDSS, we examine the composite spectral trends of quasars as functions of both redshift and luminosity, independently of one another. Aside from the well known Baldwin effect (BE)--the decrease of line equivalent width with luminosity--the average spectral properties are remarkably similar. Host galaxy contamination and the BE are the primary causes for apparent changes in the average spectral slope of the quasars. The BE is detected for most emission lines, including the Balmer lines, but with several exceptions including NV1240A. Emission line shifts of several lines are associated with the BE. The BE is mainly a function of luminosity, but also partly a function of redshift in that line equivalent widths become stronger with redshift. Some of the complex iron features change with redshift, particularly near the small blue bump region.

Polarization of the changing-look quasar J1011+5442

Science.gov (United States)

Hutsemékers, D.; Agís González, B.; Sluse, D.; Ramos Almeida, C.; Acosta Pulido, J.-A.

2017-07-01

If the disappearance of the broad emission lines observed in changing-look quasars were caused by the obscuration of the quasar core through moving dust clouds in the torus, high linear polarization typical of type 2 quasars would be expected. We measured the polarization of the changing-look quasar J1011+5442 in which the broad emission lines have disappeared between 2003 and 2015. We found a polarization degree compatible with null polarization. This measurement suggests that the observed change of look is not due to a change of obscuration hiding the continuum source and the broad line region, and that the quasar is seen close to the system axis. Our results thus support the idea that the vanishing of the broad emission lines in J1011+5442 is due to an intrinsic dimming of the ionizing continuum source that is most likely caused by a rapid decrease in the rate of accretion onto the supermassive black hole. Based on observations made with the William Herschel telescope operated on the island of La Palma by the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias.

One millimeter continuum observations of high redshift quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ennis, D.J.; Soifer, B.T.

1981-01-01

Upper limits to the one-millimeter continuum flux densities of the high redshift quasars B2 1225 + 31, Ton 490, and PHL 957 are presented. The upper limit to the power observed from these quasars at 1 mm is, on the average, one half of the observed power in the continuum at L-alpha. These observations are used to constrain the temperature of a hypothetical dust shell which reddens the quasar line and continuum emission by an extinction optical depth sufficient to account for the anomalously low L-alpha/H-alpha emission line ratio observed in each of these quasars. For the quasars studied, dust shell temperatures between 25 K and 50 to 95 K are prohibited by the present data. A dust shell at a temperature within this span reradiating all the power absorbed from the quasar ultraviolet continuum would produce a one-millimeter flux density greater than the measured upper limit. The average radius of the model dust shell cannot be between 70 kpc and 1 Mpc

Gravitationally Lensed Quasars in Gaia: II. Discovery of 24 Lensed Quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Lemon, Cameron A.; Auger, Matthew W.; McMahon, Richard G.; Ostrovski, Fernanda

2018-04-01

We report the discovery, spectroscopic confirmation and preliminary characterisation of 24 gravitationally lensed quasars identified using Gaia observations. Candidates were selected in the Pan-STARRS footprint with quasar-like WISE colours or as photometric quasars from SDSS, requiring either multiple detections in Gaia or a single Gaia detection near a morphological galaxy. The Pan-STARRS grizY images were modelled for the most promising candidates and 60 candidate systems were followed up with the William Herschel Telescope. 13 of the lenses were discovered as Gaia multiples and 10 as single Gaia detections near galaxies. We also discover 1 lens identified through a quasar emission line in an SDSS galaxy spectrum. The lenses have median image separation 2.13″ and the source redshifts range from 1.06 to 3.36. 4 systems are quadruply-imaged and 20 are doubly-imaged. Deep CFHT data reveal an Einstein ring in one double system. We also report 12 quasar pairs, 10 of which have components at the same redshift and require further follow-up to rule out the lensing hypothesis. We compare the properties of these lenses and other known lenses recovered by our search method to a complete sample of simulated lenses to show the lenses we are missing are mainly those with small separations and higher source redshifts. The initial Gaia data release only catalogues all images of ˜ 30% of known bright lensed quasars, however the improved completeness of Gaia data release 2 will help find all bright lensed quasars on the sky.

Study of the optical and x-ray properties of quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bradley, S.E.

1985-01-01

It is now widely believed that photoionization by the central nucleus is primarily responsible for the emission lines observed in quasars. If this view is correct, x-ray wavelength photons from the nucleus could play a role in determining the emission line strengths of the various chemical species present in quasars. Indeed, recent photoionization models predict the enhancement of some emission lines arising from an extended ionized zone heated by soft x-rays. In an attempt to investigate this possibility, a sample of 17 quasars exhibiting a wide range of x-ray to optical luminosities has been observed spectrophotometrically in an effort to correlate their optical spectroscopic features with published x-ray and radio luminosities. Such correlations are known to exist for Seyfert galaxies, but at present it is unclear whether quasars also exhibit these correlations. All of the quasars in this sample have been previously observed with the Einstein Observatory. Strengths of the broad permitted emission lines as well as the narrow forbidden lines are analyzed for correlations with the x-ray strength and the optical strength; also, ratios of lines such as Hβ to [O III] and Fe II to Hβ are considered, as well as high excitation lines such as [Ne V]. Because of the difficulty in obtaining high signal-to-noise data for objects as faint as quasars, resolving this issue may well require many such studies as this one, each contributing a fraction of knowledge to the whole, before the question can adequately be answered

Unshifted Metastable He I* Mini-broad Absorption Line System in the Narrow-line Type 1 Quasar SDSS J080248.18+551328.9

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Tuo; Zhou, Hongyan; Jiang, Peng; Wang, Tinggui; Ge, Jian; Wang, Huiyuan; Komossa, S.; Hamann, Fred; Zuther, Jens; Liu, Wenjuan; Lu, Honglin; Zuo, Wenwen; Yang, Chenwei; Yuan, Weimin

2015-02-01

We report the identification of an unusual absorption-line system in the quasar SDSS J080248.18+551328.9 and present a detailed study of the system, incorporating follow-up optical and near-IR spectroscopy. A few tens of absorption lines are detected, including He I*, Fe II*, and Ni II*, which arise from metastable or excited levels, as well as resonant lines in Mg I, Mg II, Fe II, Mn II, and Ca II. All of the isolated absorption lines show the same profile of width Δv ~ 1500 km s-1 centered at a common redshift as that of the quasar emission lines, such as [O II], [S II], and hydrogen Paschen and Balmer series. With narrow Balmer lines, strong optical Fe II multiplets, and weak [O III] doublets, its emission-line spectrum is typical for that of a narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy (NLS1). We have derived reliable measurements of the gas-phase column densities of the absorbing ions/levels. Photoionization modeling indicates that the absorber has a density of n H ~ (1.0-2.5) × 105 cm-3 and a column density of N H ~ (1.0-3.2) × 1021 cm-2 and is located at R ~100-250 pc from the central supermassive black hole. The location of the absorber, the symmetric profile of the absorption lines, and the coincidence of the absorption- and emission-line centroid jointly suggest that the absorption gas originates from the host galaxy and is plausibly accelerated by stellar processes, such as stellar winds and/or supernova explosions. The implications for the detection of such a peculiar absorption-line system in an NLS1 are discussed in the context of coevolution between supermassive black hole growth and host galaxy buildup.

Optical spectra and radio properties of quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wills, B.J.

1982-01-01

Using high quality spectrophotometric scans obtained at the McDonald Observatory, and data from the literature the author shows that, for quasars, the relative strength of optical Fe II emission (the broad blended feature lambda4570) may be roughly inversely proportional to line widths (full width at half maximum, FWHM). A similar relation between the relative intensity of the UV Fe II blend between 2300 and 2600 A (the lambda2500 feature) and the widths of Mg II and Hβ is shown. She distinguishes between compact and extended radio sources and includes radio quiet quasars, Seyfert 1 galaxies and BLRG's. The quasars associated with extended radio sources have the broadest emission lines and the weakest Fe II, falling close to the region occupied by BLRG's which also have extended radio structure. Those quasars with strong Fe II and compact radio structure are most similar to the Seyfert 1 galaxies. (Auth.)

Rapid BAL Variability: Re-Emerging Absorption

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Erakuman, Damla [Department of Astronomy and Space Sciences, Faculty of Science, Erciyes University, Kayseri (Turkey); Filiz Ak, Nurten, E-mail: damla.erakuman@gmail.com [Department of Astronomy and Space Sciences, Faculty of Science, Erciyes University, Kayseri (Turkey); Astronomy and Space Sciences Observatory and Research Center, Erciyes University, Kayseri (Turkey)

2017-11-08

We study BAL variations of SDSS J141955.28+522741.4 utilizing 32 epochs of spectroscopic observations from SDSS. We identify three individual BAL troughs for C iv and one BAL trough for Si iv. The deepest C iv BAL trough shows significant EW variations in timescales of a few 10 h. The fast component of the deepest C iv BAL presents disappearance and re-emergence preserving its initial velocity range and profile. All identified BAL troughs show coordinated variations supporting that the possible mechanism behind variations are the ionization level changes of the absorbing gas.

Quasars Probing Quasars: the Circumgalactic Medium Surrounding z ~ 2 Quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, Marie; Quasars Probing Quasars survey

2018-01-01

Understanding the circumgalactic medium--the gaseous halo surrounding a galaxy, is an integral part to understanding galaxy evolution. The z ~ 2-3 universe is interesting as this is when the star formation rate and AGN activity peak. My thesis concludes the decade-long Quasars Probing Quasars survey designed for studying massive galaxy formation and quasar feedback. I use background quasar sightlines that pass close to foreground quasars to study the circumgalactic medium of quasar-host galaxies in absorption. My sample of 149 quasar pairs involve spectra taken with 17 different optical and near IR instruments. I present results on the statistical and physical properties of the circumgalactic medium. The circumgalactic medium is enriched even beyond the virial radius. The alpha/Fe abundance ratio is enhanced, suggesting enrichment from core-collapse supernovae. The cool gas mass within the virial radius is enough to fuel star formation for another Gyr, and may account for 1/3 of the baryonic budget of the galaxy halo. The ionization state increases with projected distance from the quasar, which implies the quasar does not dominate the ionizing radiation flux. However, detection of fluorescent Lyman-alpha emission and NV absorption imply these transverse absorbers are partially illuminated by the quasar. In one peculiar case, the absorbing clump has density >100 cm^-3 and sub-parsec size. The average absorption in the circumgalactic medium exhibits large velocity widths, and is asymmetric about the systemic redshift of the galaxies. The widths are consistent with gravitational motions and Hubble flow, and outflows are not required to explain them. The asymmetry can be explained if the ionizing radiation from the quasar is anisotropic or intermittent and the gas is not in inflow. My results pose challenges for cosmological hydrodynamic simulations to produce a substantial cool gas reservoir surrounding quasars, that is also enriched and shows extreme kinematics.

Using quasars as standard clocks for measuring cosmological redshift.

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, De-Chang; Starkman, Glenn D; Stojkovic, Branislav; Stojkovic, Dejan; Weltman, Amanda

2012-06-08

We report hitherto unnoticed patterns in quasar light curves. We characterize segments of the quasar's light curves with the slopes of the straight lines fit through them. These slopes appear to be directly related to the quasars' redshifts. Alternatively, using only global shifts in time and flux, we are able to find significant overlaps between the light curves of different pairs of quasars by fitting the ratio of their redshifts. We are then able to reliably determine the redshift of one quasar from another. This implies that one can use quasars as standard clocks, as we explicitly demonstrate by constructing two independent methods of finding the redshift of a quasar from its light curve.

NuSTAR reveals an intrinsically x-ray weak broad absorption line quasar in the ultraluminous infrared galaxy Markarian 231

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Teng, Stacy H.; Brandt, W. N.; Harrison, F. A.

2014-01-01

-ionization broad absorption line quasar that is intrinsically X-ray weak. The weak ionizing continuum may explain the lack of mid-infrared [O IV], [Ne V], and [Ne VI] fine-structure emission lines which are present in sources with otherwise similar AGN properties. We argue that the intrinsic X-ray weakness may...

A CONSTRAINT ON QUASAR CLUSTERING AT z = 5 FROM A BINARY QUASAR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGreer, Ian D.; Fan, Xiaohui; Eftekharzadeh, Sarah; Myers, Adam D.

2016-01-01

We report the discovery of a quasar pair at z = 5 separated by 21″. Both objects were identified as quasar candidates using simple color selection techniques applied to photometric catalogs from the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) Legacy Survey (CFHTLS). Spectra obtained with the MMT present no discernible offset in redshift between the two objects; on the other hand, there are clear differences in the emission line profiles and in the multiwavelength spectral energy distributions that strongly disfavor the hypothesis that they are gravitationally lensed images of a single quasar. Both quasars are surprisingly bright given their proximity (a projected separation of ∼135 kpc), with i = 19.4 and i = 21.4. Previous measurements of the luminosity function demonstrate that luminous quasars are extremely rare at z = 5; the existence of this pair suggests that quasars have strong small-scale clustering at high redshift. Assuming a real-space correlation function of the form ξ(r) ∝ (r/r 0 ) −2 , this discovery implies a correlation length of r 0 ≳ 20h −1 Mpc, consistent with a rapid strengthening of quasar clustering at high redshift as seen in previous observations and predicted by theoretical models where feedback effects are inefficient at shutting down black hole growth at high redshift

A CONSTRAINT ON QUASAR CLUSTERING AT z = 5 FROM A BINARY QUASAR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McGreer, Ian D.; Fan, Xiaohui [Steward Observatory, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Eftekharzadeh, Sarah; Myers, Adam D., E-mail: imcgreer@as.arizona.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071 (United States)

2016-03-15

We report the discovery of a quasar pair at z = 5 separated by 21″. Both objects were identified as quasar candidates using simple color selection techniques applied to photometric catalogs from the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) Legacy Survey (CFHTLS). Spectra obtained with the MMT present no discernible offset in redshift between the two objects; on the other hand, there are clear differences in the emission line profiles and in the multiwavelength spectral energy distributions that strongly disfavor the hypothesis that they are gravitationally lensed images of a single quasar. Both quasars are surprisingly bright given their proximity (a projected separation of ∼135 kpc), with i = 19.4 and i = 21.4. Previous measurements of the luminosity function demonstrate that luminous quasars are extremely rare at z = 5; the existence of this pair suggests that quasars have strong small-scale clustering at high redshift. Assuming a real-space correlation function of the form ξ(r) ∝ (r/r{sub 0}){sup −2}, this discovery implies a correlation length of r{sub 0} ≳ 20h{sup −1} Mpc, consistent with a rapid strengthening of quasar clustering at high redshift as seen in previous observations and predicted by theoretical models where feedback effects are inefficient at shutting down black hole growth at high redshift.

Quasars Probing Quasars. X. The Quasar Pair Spectral Database

Science.gov (United States)

Findlay, Joseph R.; Prochaska, J. Xavier; Hennawi, Joseph F.; Fumagalli, Michele; Myers, Adam D.; Bartle, Stephanie; Chehade, Ben; DiPompeo, Michael A.; Shanks, Tom; Lau, Marie Wingyee; Rubin, Kate H. R.

2018-06-01

The rare close projection of two quasars on the sky provides the opportunity to study the host galaxy environment of a foreground quasar in absorption against the continuum emission of a background quasar. For over a decade the “Quasars probing quasars” series has utilized this technique to further the understanding of galaxy formation and evolution in the presence of a quasar at z > 2, resolving scales as small as a galactic disk and from bound gas in the circumgalactic medium to the diffuse environs of intergalactic space. Presented here is the public release of the quasar pair spectral database utilized in these studies. In addition to projected pairs at z > 2, the database also includes quasar pair members at z useful for small-scale clustering studies. In total, the database catalogs 5627 distinct objects, with 4083 lying within 5‧ of at least one other source. A spectral library contains 3582 optical and near-infrared spectra for 3028 of the cataloged sources. As well as reporting on 54 newly discovered quasar pairs, we outline the key contributions made by this series over the last 10 years, summarize the imaging and spectroscopic data used for target selection, discuss the target selection methodologies, describe the database content, and explore some avenues for future work. Full documentation for the spectral database, including download instructions, is supplied at http://specdb.readthedocs.io/en/latest/.

Narrow CIV lambda 1549A Absorption Lines in Moderate-Redshift Quasars

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vestergaard, Marianne

2002-01-01

A large, high-quality spectral data base of well-selected, moderate-redshift radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars is used to characterize the incidence of narrow associated CIV lambda 1549 absorption, and how this may depend on some quasar properties, including radio-type. Preliminary results...

Space Density Of Optically-Selected Type II Quasars From The SDSS

Science.gov (United States)

Reyes, Reinabelle; Zakamska, N. L.; Strauss, M. A.; Green, J.; Krolik, J. H.; Shen, Y.; Richards, G. T.

2007-12-01

Type II quasars are luminous Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) whose central regions are obscured by large amounts of gas and dust. In this poster, we present a catalog of 887 type II quasars with redshifts z<0.83 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), selected based on their emission lines, and derive the 1/Vmax [OIII] 5007 luminosity function from this sample. Since some objects may not be included in the sample because they lack strong emission lines, the derived luminosity function is only a lower limit. We also derive the [OIII] 5007 luminosity function for a sample of type I (broad-line) quasars in the same redshift range. Taking [OIII] 5007 luminosity as a tracer of intrinsic luminosity in both type I and type II quasars, we obtain lower limits to the type II quasar fraction as a function of [OIII] 5007 luminosity, from L[OIII] = 108.3 to 1010 Lsun, which roughly correspond to bolometric luminosities of 1044 to 1046 erg/s.

Mass Functions of the Active Black Holes in Distant Quasars from the Large Bright Quasar Survey, the Bright Quasar Survey, and the Color-Selected Sample of the SDSS Fall Equatorial Stripe

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vestergaard, Marianne; Osmer, Patrick S.

2009-01-01

We present mass functions of distant actively accreting supermassive black holes residing in luminous quasars discovered in the Large Bright Quasar Survey, the Bright Quasar Survey, and the Fall Equatorial Stripe of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The quasars cover a wide range of redshifts (0...... functions at similar redshifts based on the SDSS Data Release 3 quasar catalog presented by Vestergaard et al. We see clear evidence of cosmic downsizing in the comoving space density distribution of active black holes in the LBQS sample alone. In forthcoming papers, further analysis, comparison......, and discussion of these mass functions will be made with other existing black hole mass functions, notably that based on the SDSS DR3 quasar catalog. We present the relationships used to estimate the black hole mass based on the MgII emission line; the relations are calibrated to the Hbeta and CIV relations...

Summary of the workshop on active galaxies and quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weistrop, D.

1981-01-01

The paper reports highlights of discussions carried out at the Tenth Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics concerning BL Lacertae objects and quasars and their relationship to active galactic nuclei. The discussions considered X-ray, optical and radio observations of active galaxies and quasars showing features which may be interpreted as jets or beams, and X-ray and VLBI observations of core-jet structures exhibiting apparent supraluminal expansion. Attention was also given to the properties of the energy source in the center of the active galaxies and quasars, the nature of quasar emission line regions, the production of the continuum in quasars and active galactic nuclei, and evidence for the association of quasars and BL Lac objects with galaxies

Time-dependent narrow emission-line profiles of quasars and active galactic nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Capriotti, E.R.; Foltz, C.B.

1982-01-01

The narrow-line emitting regions of quasars and active nuclei of galaxies are assumed to consist of material undergoing gravitational infall due to acceleration by centrally located mass concentrations. Two cases are considered. In one, the material is assumed to be in the form of optically thick, similar clouds which emit line radiation monochromatically, isotropically and in inverse proportion to the square of the distance from the center of the system. In the other case, the material is assumed to be homogeneous, isothermal and to have the same ionization structure everywhere. The material is assumed to be excited by an ionizing continuum created ty a supernova-like outburst of radiation. Line profiles are computed for various combinations of epoch after outburst, continuum decay times, and spectral resolution. The computed profiles are clearly asymmetric to the blue of the profile peak and for certain combinations of epoch and decay time, clearly asymmetric to the blue of line center. The computed profiles compare well with many observed [O III] profiles

QUASARS PROBING QUASARS. VIII. THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THE COOL CIRCUMGALACTIC MEDIUM SURROUNDING z ∼ 2–3 MASSIVE GALAXIES HOSTING QUASARS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lau, Marie Wingyee; Prochaska, J. Xavier [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, UCO/Lick Observatory, University of California, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Hennawi, Joseph F., E-mail: lwymarie@ucolick.org [Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, D-69115 Heidelberg (Germany)

2016-10-01

We characterize the physical properties of the cool T  ∼ 10{sup 4} K circumgalactic medium (CGM) surrounding z  ∼ 2–3 quasar host galaxies, which are predicted to evolve into present-day massive ellipticals. Using a statistical sample of 14 quasar pairs with projected separation <300 kpc and spectra of high dispersion and high signal-to-noise ratio, we find extreme kinematics with low metal ion lines typically spanning ≈500 km s{sup −1}, exceeding any previously studied galactic population. The CGM is significantly enriched, even beyond the virial radius, with a median metallicity [M/H] ≈ −0.6. The α /Fe abundance ratio is enhanced, suggesting that halo gas is primarily enriched by core-collapse supernovae. The projected cool gas mass within the virial radius is estimated to be 1.9 × 10{sup 11} M {sub ⊙} ( R {sub ⊥}/160 kpc){sup 2}, accounting for ≈1/3 of the baryonic budget of the galaxy halo. The ionization state of CGM gas increases with projected distance from the foreground quasars, contrary to expectation if the quasar dominates the ionizing radiation flux. However, we also found peculiarities not exhibited in the CGM of other galaxy populations. In one absorption system, we may be detecting unresolved fluorescent Ly α emission, and another system shows strong N v lines. Taken together, these anomalies suggest that transverse sightlines are—at least in some cases—possibly illuminated. We also discovered a peculiar case where detection of the C ii fine-structure line implies an electron density >100 cm{sup −3} and sub-parsec-scale gas clumps.

Diversity of soft X-ray spectra in quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elvis, M.; Wilkes, B.J.; Tananbaum, H.

1985-01-01

Soft X-ray spectra for three quasars obtained with the Einstein Imaging Proportional Counter covering the 0.1-4.0 keV band are reported. Power-law fits to these spectra have best-fit energy indices of 1.2 +0.6 or -0.2, for the quasar NAB 0205 + 024, 0.6 +0.3 or -0.2 for the quasar B2 1028 + 313, and 2.2 + or -0.4 for the quasar PG 1211 + 143. None of the quasars shows any evidence for a column density of cold matter in excess of the galactic values. The derived spectra demonstrate that there is no single universal power law slope for quasar X-ray spectra. The implications of these results for the X-ray background, X-ray continuum emission mechanisms, and the production of the optical/UV emission lines are briefly discussed. 46 references

DISSECTING THE QUASAR MAIN SEQUENCE: INSIGHT FROM HOST GALAXY PROPERTIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Jiayi; Shen, Yue

2015-01-01

The diverse properties of broad-line quasars appear to follow a well-defined main sequence along which the optical Fe ii strength increases. It has been suggested that this sequence is mainly driven by the Eddington ratio (L/L Edd ) of the black hole (BH) accretion. Shen and Ho demonstrated with quasar clustering analysis that the average BH mass decreases with increasing Fe ii strength when quasar luminosity is fixed, consistent with this suggestion. Here we perform an independent test by measuring the stellar velocity dispersion σ * (hence, the BH mass via the M–σ * relation) from decomposed host spectra in low-redshift Sloan Digital Sky Survey quasars. We found that at fixed quasar luminosity, σ * systematically decreases with increasing Fe ii strength, confirming that the Eddington ratio increases with Fe ii strength. We also found that at fixed luminosity and Fe ii strength, there is little dependence of σ * on the broad Hβ FWHM. These new results reinforce the framework that the Eddington ratio and orientation govern most of the diversity seen in broad-line quasar properties

Outflow and Accretion Physics in Active Galactic Nuclei

Science.gov (United States)

McGraw, Sean Michael

2016-09-01

This dissertation focuses on placing observational constraints on outflows and accretion disks in active galactic nuclei (AGN) for the purpose of better understanding the physics of super-massive black holes (SMBHs) and their evolution with the host galaxy over cosmic time. Quasar outflows and their importance in SMBH-host galaxy co-evolution can be further understood by analyzing broad absorption lines (BALs) in rest-frame UV spectra that trace a range of wind conditions. We quantify the properties of the flows by conducting BAL variability studies using multiple-epoch spectra acquired primarily from MDM Observatory and from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Iron low-ionization BALs (FeLoBALs) are a rare type of outflow that may represent a transient phase in galaxy evolution, and we analyze the variations in 12 FeLoBAL quasars with redshifts between 0.7 ≤ z ≤ 1.9 and rest frame timescales between ˜10 d to 7.6 yr. We investigate BAL variability in 71 quasar outflows that exhibit P V absorption, a tracer of high column density gas (i.e. NH ≥ 1022 cm -2), in order to quantify the energies and momenta of the flows. We also characterize the variability patterns of 26 quasars with mini-BALs, an interesting class of absorbers that may represent a distinct phase in the evolution of outflows. Low-luminosity AGN (LLAGN) are important objects to study since their prominence in the local Universe suggest a possible evolution from the quasar era, and their low radiative outputs likely indicate a distinct mode of accretion onto the SMBH. We probe the accretion conditions in the LLAGN NGC 4203 by estimating the SMBH mass, which is obtained by modeling the 2-dimensional velocity field of the nebular gas using spectra from the Hubble Space Telescope. We detect significant BAL and mini-BAL variability in a subset of quasars from each of our samples, with measured rest-frame variability time-scales from days to years and over multiple years on average. Variable wavelength

Moderate resolution spectrophotometry of high redshift quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Donald P.; Schmidt, Maarten; Gunn, James E.

1991-01-01

A uniform set of photometry and high signal-to-noise moderate resolution spectroscopy of 33 quasars with redshifts larger than 3.1 is presented. The sample consists of 17 newly discovered quasars (two with redshifts in excess of 4.4) and 16 sources drawn from the literature. The objects in this sample have r magnitudes between 17.4 and 21.4; their luminosities range from -28.8 to -24.9. Three of the 33 objects are broad absorption line quasars. A number of possible high redshift damped Ly-alpha systems were found.

A POPULATION OF X-RAY WEAK QUASARS: PHL 1811 ANALOGS AT HIGH REDSHIFT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Jianfeng; Brandt, W. N.; Schneider, Donald P.; Hall, Patrick B.; Gibson, Robert R.; Schmidt, Sarah J.; Richards, Gordon T.; Shemmer, Ohad; Just, Dennis W.

2011-01-01

We report the results from Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of a sample of 10 type 1 quasars selected to have unusual UV emission-line properties (weak and blueshifted high-ionization lines; strong UV Fe emission) similar to those of PHL 1811, a confirmed intrinsically X-ray weak quasar. These quasars were identified by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey at high redshift (z ∼ 2.2); eight are radio quiet while two are radio intermediate. All of the radio-quiet PHL 1811 analogs, without exception, are notably X-ray weak by a mean factor of ∼13. These sources lack broad absorption lines and have blue UV/optical continua, supporting the hypothesis that they are intrinsically X-ray weak like PHL 1811 itself. However, their average X-ray spectrum appears to be harder than those of typical quasars, which may indicate the presence of heavy intrinsic X-ray absorption. Our sample of radio-quiet PHL 1811 analogs supports a connection between an X-ray weak spectral energy distribution and PHL 1811-like UV emission lines; this connection provides an economical way to identify X-ray weak type 1 quasars. The fraction of radio-quiet PHL 1811 analogs in the radio-quiet quasar population is estimated to be ∼< 1.2%. We have investigated correlations between relative X-ray brightness and UV emission-line properties (e.g., C IV equivalent width and blueshift) for a sample combining our radio-quiet PHL 1811 analogs, PHL 1811 itself, and typical type 1 quasars. These correlation analyses suggest that PHL 1811 analogs may have extreme wind-dominated broad emission-line regions. Observationally, the radio-quiet PHL 1811 analogs appear to be a subset (∼30%) of radio-quiet weak-line quasars (WLQs). The existence of a subset of quasars in which high-ionization 'shielding gas' covers most of the broad emission-line region (BELR), but little more than the BELR, could potentially unify the PHL 1811 analogs and WLQs. The two radio-intermediate PHL 1811 analogs are X-ray bright. X

Hints on the Broad Line Region Structure of Quasars at High and Low Luminosities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marziani Paola

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Quasars show a considerable spectroscopic diversity. However, the variety of quasar spectra at low redshifts is non-random: a principal component analysis applied to large samples customarily identifies two main eigenvectors. In this contribution we show that the range of quasar optical spectral properties observed at low-z and associated with the first eigenvector is preserved up to z ≈ 2 in a sample of high luminosity quasars. We also describe two major luminosity effects.

Luminosity function of high redshift quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vaucher, B.G.

1982-01-01

Data from ten different emission-line surveys are included in a study of the luminosity function of high redshift quasars. Five of the surveys are analyzed through microdensitometric techniques and the data for new quasars are given. The uncertainties in magnitudes, redshifts, and line equivalent widths are assessed and found to be +-0.3 mag. +-0.04 in z and approx. 30%, respectively. Criteria for selecting the redshift range 1.8 less than or equal to z - 1 Mpc - 1 for each of two cosmologies (q 0 = 1 and q 0 = 0). For either cosmology, the function exhibits a steep increase with magnitude at high luminosities and a gentler increase at intermediate luminosities. Data from the new surveys indicate a possible turnover at the faint end of the distribution. Total volume densities of quasars are computed for each of three extrapolations of the trend of the data to low luminosities. These densities are compared to those of active galaxies and field galaxies

The Quasar Fraction in Low-Frequency Selected Complete Samples and Implications for Unified Schemes

Science.gov (United States)

Willott, Chris J.; Rawlings, Steve; Blundell, Katherine M.; Lacy, Mark

2000-01-01

Low-frequency radio surveys are ideal for selecting orientation-independent samples of extragalactic sources because the sample members are selected by virtue of their isotropic steep-spectrum extended emission. We use the new 7C Redshift Survey along with the brighter 3CRR and 6C samples to investigate the fraction of objects with observed broad emission lines - the 'quasar fraction' - as a function of redshift and of radio and narrow emission line luminosity. We find that the quasar fraction is more strongly dependent upon luminosity (both narrow line and radio) than it is on redshift. Above a narrow [OII] emission line luminosity of log(base 10) (L(sub [OII])/W) approximately > 35 [or radio luminosity log(base 10) (L(sub 151)/ W/Hz.sr) approximately > 26.5], the quasar fraction is virtually independent of redshift and luminosity; this is consistent with a simple unified scheme with an obscuring torus with a half-opening angle theta(sub trans) approximately equal 53 deg. For objects with less luminous narrow lines, the quasar fraction is lower. We show that this is not due to the difficulty of detecting lower-luminosity broad emission lines in a less luminous, but otherwise similar, quasar population. We discuss evidence which supports at least two probable physical causes for the drop in quasar fraction at low luminosity: (i) a gradual decrease in theta(sub trans) and/or a gradual increase in the fraction of lightly-reddened (0 approximately quasar luminosity; and (ii) the emergence of a distinct second population of low luminosity radio sources which, like M8T, lack a well-fed quasar nucleus and may well lack a thick obscuring torus.

Discovery of a very Lyman-α-luminous quasar at z = 6.62.

Science.gov (United States)

Koptelova, Ekaterina; Hwang, Chorng-Yuan; Yu, Po-Chieh; Chen, Wen-Ping; Guo, Jhen-Kuei

2017-02-02

Distant luminous quasars provide important information on the growth of the first supermassive black holes, their host galaxies and the epoch of reionization. The identification of quasars is usually performed through detection of their Lyman-α line redshifted to 0.9 microns at z > 6.5. Here, we report the discovery of a very Lyman-α luminous quasar, PSO J006.1240 + 39.2219 at redshift z = 6.618, selected based on its red colour and multi-epoch detection of the Lyman-α emission in a single near-infrared band. The Lyman-α line luminosity of PSO J006.1240 + 39.2219 is unusually high and estimated to be 0.8 × 10 12 Solar luminosities (about 3% of the total quasar luminosity). The Lyman-α emission of PSO J006.1240 + 39.2219 shows fast variability on timescales of days in the quasar rest frame, which has never been detected in any of the known high-redshift quasars. The high luminosity of the Lyman-α line, its narrow width and fast variability resemble properties of local Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxies which suggests that the quasar is likely at the active phase of the black hole growth accreting close or even beyond the Eddington limit.

GALEX FAR-ULTRAVIOLET COLOR SELECTION OF UV-BRIGHT HIGH-REDSHIFT QUASARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Worseck, Gabor; Prochaska, J. Xavier

2011-01-01

We study the small population of high-redshift (z em >2.7) quasars detected by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer(GALEX), whose far-UV emission is not extinguished by intervening H I Lyman limit systems. These quasars are of particular importance to detect intergalactic He II absorption along their sight lines. We correlate almost all verified z em >2.7 quasars to the GALEX GR4 source catalog covering ∼ 25,000 deg 2 , yielding 304 sources detected at signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) >3. However, ∼50% of these are only detected in the GALEX NUV band, signaling the truncation of the FUV flux by low-redshift optically thick Lyman limit systems. We exploit the GALEX UV color m FUV - m NUV to cull the most promising targets for follow-up studies, with blue (red) GALEX colors indicating transparent (opaque) sight lines. Extensive Monte Carlo simulations indicate an He II detection rate of ∼60% for quasars with m FUV - m NUV ∼ em ∼ 3 to be most promising for Hubble Space Telescope follow-up, with an additional 114 quasars if we consider S/N >2 detections in the FUV. Combining the statistical properties of H I absorbers with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasar luminosity function, we predict a large all-sky population of ∼200 quasars with z em >2.7 and i ∼ 304 em ∼ em ∼ em ∼< 3.5 quasars have likely underestimated their space density by selecting intergalactic medium sight lines with an excess of strong H I absorbers.

The optical variability of SDSS quasars from multi-epoch spectroscopy. I. Results from 60 quasars with ≥ six-epoch spectra

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, Hengxiao; Gu, Minfeng, E-mail: hxguo@shao.ac.cn, E-mail: gumf@shao.ac.cn [Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 80 Nandan Road, Shanghai 200030 (China)

2014-09-01

In a sample of 60 quasars selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey with at least six-epoch spectroscopy, we investigate the variability of emission lines and continuum luminosity at various aspects. A strong anti-correlation between the variability and continuum luminosity at 2500 Å is found for the sample, which is consistent with previous works. In individual sources, we find that half of the sample objects follow the trend of being bluer when brighter, while the remaining half follow the redder-when-brighter (RWB) trend. Although the mechanism for RWB is unclear, the effects of host galaxy contribution due to seeing variations cannot be completely ruled out. As expected from the photoionization model, the positive correlations between the broad emission line and continuum luminosity are found in most individual sources, as well as for the whole sample. We confirm the Baldwin effect in most individual objects and the whole sample, while a negative Baldwin effect is also found in several quasars, which can be at least partly (if not all) due to the host galaxy contamination. We find positive correlations between the broad emission line luminosity and line width in most individual quasars, as well as the whole sample, implying a line base that is more variable than the line core.

Kinematics of the ionized gas around the quasar MR 2251-178

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mulder, P.S.; Valentijn, E. A.

O III forbidden line observations of the nearby quasar MR 2251-178 were made with the Taurus II imaging Fabry-Perot instrument. The line emission around the quasar is found to consist of several regions of high surface brightness located in two half-cones with an opening angle of about 37 deg

Seeing the Unseen: MIR Spectroscopic Constraints on Quasar Big Blue Bumps

Science.gov (United States)

Gallagher, Sarah; Hines, Dean; Leighly, Karen; Ogle, Patrick; Richards, Gordon

2008-03-01

The IRS on Spitzer offers an exciting opportunity for detailed, mid-infrared spectroscopy of z~2 quasars for the first time. This epoch, sampling the peak of the quasar luminosity evolution, is particularly important for understanding the nature of quasar activity in the most massive galaxies. We aim to use this powerful tool to constrain the shape and power of the far-ultraviolet through soft-X-ray ionizing continuum of luminous quasars. Though these so-called `big blue bumps' dominate the power of quasar spectral energy distributions, they are largely unobservable as a result of hydrogen opacity in the Universe. However, we can determine the properties of the big blue bump by studying emission lines from ions in the coronal line region that emit in the mid-infrared and are created by those same energetic and elusive photons. We propose deep, high quality IRS observations of 5 luminous quasars with a range of HeII emission properties to investigate the mid-infrared spectral region in depth and constrain the shape of the ionizing continuum in each quasar. In addition, these high S/N spectra will provide templates for interpreting lower resolution, lower S/N IRS spectra.

OUTFLOW AND HOT DUST EMISSION IN HIGH-REDSHIFT QUASARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Huiyuan; Xing, Feijun; Wang, Tinggui; Zhou, Hongyan; Zhang, Kai; Zhang, Shaohua

2013-01-01

Correlations of hot dust emission with outflow properties are investigated, based on a large z ∼ 2 non-broad absorption line quasar sample built from the Wide-field Infrared Survey and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data releases. We use the near-infrared slope and the infrared to UV luminosity ratio to indicate the hot dust emission relative to the emission from the accretion disk. In our luminous quasars, these hot dust emission indicators are almost independent of the fundamental parameters, such as luminosity, Eddington ratio and black hole mass, but moderately dependent on the blueshift and asymmetry index (BAI) and FWHM of C IV lines. Interestingly, the latter two correlations dramatically strengthen with increasing Eddington ratio. We suggest that, in high Eddington ratio quasars, C IV regions are dominated by outflows so the BAI and FWHM (C IV) can reliably reflect the general properties and velocity of outflows, respectively. In low Eddington ratio quasars, on the other hand, C IV lines are primarily emitted by virialized gas so the BAI and FWHM (C IV) become less sensitive to outflows. Therefore, the correlations for the highest Eddington ratio quasars are more likely to represent the true dependence of hot dust emission on outflows and the correlations for the entire sample are significantly diluted by the low Eddington ratio quasars. Our results show that an outflow with a large BAI or velocity can double the hot dust emission on average. We suggest that outflows either contain hot dust in themselves or interact with the dusty interstellar medium or torus

FeII/MgII Emission Line Ratio in High Redshift Quasars

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dietrich, M.; Hamann, F.; Appenzeller, I.

2003-01-01

the evolution of the FeII/MgII ratio over a wider range in cosmic time, we measured this ratio for composite quasar spectra which cover a redshift range of 0 4 quasars must have started already at an epoch corresponding to z_f = 6 to 9, when the age of the universe was ~0.5 Gyr (H_o = 72 km/s/Mpc, Omega_M = 0...

Mean and Extreme Radio Properties of Quasars and the Origin of Radio Emission

Science.gov (United States)

Richards, Gordon T.; Kratzer, R.

2014-01-01

We explore the evolution of the fraction of radio loud quasars and the mean radio properties of quasars. Although any quasar has only a ~10% chance of being radio loud and the average quasar has a radio luminosity of ~4x10^30 ergs/s/Hz, these properties are strong functions of not only luminosity, redshift, black hole mass, and accretion rate, but also the strength of the accretion disk wind (as characterized by CIV emission line properties). Quasars with higher optical luminosity and/or lower redshift have a higher than average probability of being radio loud, but their median radio luminosity (relative to optical) is much lower than average. We find that, while radio properties of quasars generally cannot be predicted from their optical properties, objects where one expects a strong radiation line driven wind (based on emission line features) have virtually no chance of being radio loud. The redder quasars are in the optical, the more radio flux (relative to optical) they have; this trend holds even for quasars that are not expected to be significantly dust reddened/extincted in the optical. Finally, we consider the radio properties of quasars in the framework of models which describe the radio loud extrema as being due to particularly high spin resulting from second generation mergers and in the context of star formation at lower levels of radio flux. This work was supported by NSF AAG grant 1108798.

Space density of optically-selected type 2 quasars

OpenAIRE

Reyes, Reinabelle; Zakamska, Nadia L.; Strauss, Michael A.; Green, Joshua; Krolik, Julian H.; Shen, Yue; Richards, Gordon; Anderson, Scott; Schneider, Donald

2008-01-01

Type 2 quasars are luminous active galactic nuclei (AGN) whose central regions are obscured by large amounts of gas and dust. In this paper, we present a catalog of type 2 quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), selected based on their optical emission lines. The catalog contains 887 objects with redshifts z < 0.83; this is six times larger than the previous version and is by far the largest sample of type 2 quasars in the literature. We derive the [OIII]5008 luminosity function for...

CHEMICAL EVOLUTION OF THE UNIVERSE AT 0.7 < z < 1.6 DERIVED FROM ABUNDANCE DIAGNOSTICS OF THE BROAD-LINE REGION OF QUASARS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sameshima, H. [Laboratory of Infrared High-resolution Spectroscopy, Koyama Astronomical Observatory, Kyoto Sangyo University, Motoyama, Kamigamo, Kita-ku, Kyoto 603-8555 (Japan); Yoshii, Y.; Kawara, K., E-mail: sameshima@cc.kyoto-su.ac.jp [Institute of Astronomy, School of Science, University of Tokyo, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-0015 (Japan)

2017-01-10

We present an analysis of Mg ii λ 2798 and Fe ii UV emission lines for archival Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasars to explore the diagnostics of the magnesium-to-iron abundance ratio in a broad-line region cloud. Our sample consists of 17,432 quasars selected from the SDSS Data Release 7 with a redshift range of 0.72 <  z  < 1.63. A strong anticorrelation between the Mg ii equivalent width (EW) and the Eddington ratio is found, while only a weak positive correlation is found between the Fe ii EW and the Eddington ratio. To investigate the origin of these differing behaviors of Mg ii and Fe ii emission lines, we perform photoionization calculations using the Cloudy code, where constraints from recent reverberation mapping studies are considered. We find from calculations that (1) Mg ii and Fe ii emission lines are created at different regions in a photoionized cloud, and (2) their EW correlations with the Eddington ratio can be explained by just changing the cloud gas density. These results indicate that the Mg ii/Fe ii flux ratio, which has been used as a first-order proxy for the Mg/Fe abundance ratio in chemical evolution studies with quasar emission lines, depends largely on the cloud gas density. By correcting this density dependence, we propose new diagnostics of the Mg/Fe abundance ratio for a broad-line region cloud. In comparing the derived Mg/Fe abundance ratios with chemical evolution models, we suggest that α -enrichment by mass loss from metal-poor intermediate-mass stars occurred at z  ∼ 2 or earlier.

GNIRS-DQS: A Gemini Near Infrared Spectrograph Distant Quasar Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Matthews, Brandon; Shemmer, Ohad; Brotherton, Michael S.; Andruchow, Ileana; Boroson, Todd A.; Brandt, W. Niel; Cellone, Sergio; Ferrero, Gabriel; Gallagher, Sarah; Green, Richard F.; Hennawi, Joseph F.; Lira, Paulina; Myers, Adam D.; Plotkin, Richard; Richards, Gordon T.; Runnoe, Jessie; Schneider, Donald P.; Shen, Yue; Strauss, Michael A.; Willott, Chris J.; Wills, Beverley J.

2018-06-01

We describe an ongoing three-year Gemini survey, launched in 2017, that will obtain near-infrared spectroscopy of 416 Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasars between redshifts of 1.5 and 3.5 in the ~1.0-2.5 μm band. These spectra will cover critical diagnostic emission lines, such as Mg II, Hβ, and [O III], in each source. This project will more than double the existing inventory of near-infrared spectra of luminous quasars at these redshifts, including the era of fast quasar growth. Additional rest frame ultraviolet coverage of at least the C IV emission line is provided by the SDSS spectrum of each source. We will utilize the spectroscopic inventory to determine the most accurate and precise quasar black hole masses, accretion rates, and redshifts, and use the results to derive improved prescriptions for UV-based proxies for these parameters. The improved redshifts will establish velocities of quasar outflows that interact with the host galaxies, and will help constrain how imprecise distance estimates bias quasar clustering measurements. Furthermore, our measurements will facilitate a more complete understanding of how the rest-frame UV-optical spectral properties depend on redshift and luminosity, and test whether the physical properties of the quasar central engine evolve over cosmic time. We will make our data immediately available to the public, provide reduced spectra via a dedicated website, and produce a catalog of measurements and fundamental quasar properties.

Objective-prism spectrophotometry of quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clowes, R.G.

1980-01-01

A procedure is derived for obtaining low-resolution spectrophotometry of quasars directly from the objective-prism plates on which they were discovered. Measurements with a PDS microdensitometer of approximately 130 quasar candidates in approximately the central 19 square degrees of the UK Schmidt prism plate UJ3682P were used in the application of the procedure. The success of the objective-prism spectrophotometry is demonstrated in a comparison with 12 slit spectra. Redshifts and equivalent widths can be determined with typical discrepancies of 1% and 40% respectively. This work on objective-prism spectrophotometry leads to a quantification of the selection effects that operate in the searches for emission-line objects on objective-prism plates. The quantification successfully explains an apparent discrepancy in the detection efficiencies of the CTIO-4m and Curtis Schmidt surveys for quasars. Spectra of quasars that were observed with the Image Photon Counting System on the Anglo-Australian Telescope are presented. The observations of quasars with broad absorption troughs indicate the ejection of matter with velocities up to approximately 22000kms -1 and with velocity dispersions up to approximately 11000kms -1 . Data on the wavelength dependences of the contrast γ and the grain response function g of the Kodak emulsion IIIaJ are presented. (author)

Constraining The Abundance Of Massive Black Hole Binaries By Spectroscopic Monitoring Of Quasars With Offset Broad Emission Lines

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xin; Shen, Y.

2012-05-01

A fraction of quasars have long been known to show significant bulk velocity offsets (of a few hundred to thousands of km/s) in the broad permitted emission lines with respect to host galaxy systemic redshift. Various scenarios may explain these features such as massive black hole binaries or broad line region gas kinematics. As previously demonstrated by the dedicated work of Eracleous and colleagues, long-term spectroscopic monitoring provides a promising test to discriminate between alternative scenarios. Here, we present a sample of 300 shifted-line quasars homogeneously selected from the SDSS DR7. For 60 of them, we have conducted second-epoch optical spectra using MMT/BCS, ARC 3.5m/DIS, and/or FLWO 1.5m/FAST. These new observations, combined with the existing SDSS spectra, enable us to constrain the velocity drifts of these shifted broad lines with time baselines of a few years up to a decade. Previous work has been focusing on objects with extreme velocity offsets: > 1000 km/s. Our work extends to the parameter space of smaller velocity offsets, where larger velocity drifts would be expected in the binary scenario. Our results may be used to identify strong candidates for and to constrain the abundance of massive black hole binaries, which are expected in the hierarchical universe, but have so far been illusive.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: BAL QSOs from SDSS DR3 (Trump+, 2006)

Science.gov (United States)

Trump, J. R.; Hall, P. B.; Reichard, T. A.; Richards, G. T.; Schneider, D. P.; vanden Berk, D. E.; Knapp, G. R.; Anderson, S. F.; Fan, X.; Brinkman, J.; Kleinman, S. J.; Nitta, A.

2007-11-01

We present a total of 4784 unique broad absorption line quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Third Data Release (Cat. ). An automated algorithm was used to match a continuum to each quasar and to identify regions of flux at least 10% below the continuum over a velocity range of at least 1000km/s in the CIV and MgII absorption regions. The model continuum was selected as the best-fit match from a set of template quasar spectra binned in luminosity, emission line width, and redshift, with the power-law spectral index and amount of dust reddening as additional free parameters. We characterize our sample through the traditional balnicity index and a revised absorption index, as well as through parameters such as the width, outflow velocity, fractional depth, and number of troughs. (1 data file).

Microlensing of quasar ultraviolet iron emission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guerras, E.; Mediavilla, E. [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Vía Láctea S/N, La Laguna 38200, Tenerife (Spain); Jimenez-Vicente, J. [Departamento de Física Teórica y del Cosmos, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Fuentenueva, 18071 Granada (Spain); Kochanek, C. S. [Department of Astronomy and the Center for Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, The Ohio State University, 4055 McPherson Lab, 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43221 (United States); Muñoz, J. A. [Departamento de Astronomía y Astrofísica, Universidad de Valencia, 46100 Burjassot, Valencia (Spain); Falco, E. [Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Motta, V.; Rojas, K. [Departamento de Física y Astronomía, Universidad de Valparaíso, Avda. Gran Bretaña 1111, Valparaíso (Chile)

2013-12-01

We measure the differential microlensing of the UV Fe II and Fe III emission line blends between 14 quasar image pairs in 13 gravitational lenses. We find that the UV iron emission is strongly microlensed in four cases with amplitudes comparable to that of the continuum. Statistically modeling the magnifications, we infer a typical size of r{sub s}∼4√(M/M{sub ⊙}) light-days for the Fe line-emitting regions, which is comparable to the size of the region generating the UV continuum (∼3-7 light-days). This may indicate that a significant part of the UV Fe II and Fe III emission originates in the quasar accretion disk.

The intrinsic far-UV spectrum of the high-redshift quasar B1422+231

Science.gov (United States)

O'Dowd, M.; Bate, N. F.; Webster, R. L.; Labrie, K.; King, A. L.; Yong, S.-. Y.

2018-02-01

We present new spectroscopy of the z = 3.62 gravitationally lensed quasar B1422+117 from the Gemini North GMOS integral field spectrograph. We observe significant differential magnifications between the broad emission lines and the continuum, as well as across the velocity structure of the Lyman-α line. We take advantage of this differential microlensing to algebraically decompose the quasar spectrum into the absorbed broad emission line and absorbed continuum components. We use the latter to derive the intrinsic Ly α forest absorption spectrum. The proximity effect is clearly detected, with a proximity zone edge of 8.6-17.3 Mpc from the quasar, implying (perhaps intermittent) activity over at least 28 Myr. The Ly α line profile exhibits a blue excess that is inconsistent with a symmetric fit to the unabsorbed red side. This has important implications for the use of this fitting technique in estimating the absorbed blue Ly α wings of Gunn-Peterson trough quasars.

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Catalog: Fourteenth data release

Science.gov (United States)

Pâris, Isabelle; Petitjean, Patrick; Aubourg, Éric; Myers, Adam D.; Streblyanska, Alina; Lyke, Brad W.; Anderson, Scott F.; Armengaud, Éric; Bautista, Julian; Blanton, Michael R.; Blomqvist, Michael; Brinkmann, Jonathan; Brownstein, Joel R.; Brandt, William Nielsen; Burtin, Étienne; Dawson, Kyle; de la Torre, Sylvain; Georgakakis, Antonis; Gil-Marín, Héctor; Green, Paul J.; Hall, Patrick B.; Kneib, Jean-Paul; LaMassa, Stephanie M.; Le Goff, Jean-Marc; MacLeod, Chelsea; Mariappan, Vivek; McGreer, Ian D.; Merloni, Andrea; Noterdaeme, Pasquier; Palanque-Delabrouille, Nathalie; Percival, Will J.; Ross, Ashley J.; Rossi, Graziano; Schneider, Donald P.; Seo, Hee-Jong; Tojeiro, Rita; Weaver, Benjamin A.; Weijmans, Anne-Marie; Yèche, Christophe; Zarrouk, Pauline; Zhao, Gong-Bo

2018-05-01

We present the data release 14 Quasar catalog (DR14Q) from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV (SDSS-IV). This catalog includes all SDSS-IV/eBOSS objects that were spectroscopically targeted as quasar candidates and that are confirmed as quasars via a new automated procedure combined with a partial visual inspection of spectra, have luminosities Mi [z = 2] < -20.5 (in a Λ CDM cosmology with H0 = 70 km s-1 Mpc-1, Ω M =0.3, and Ω Λ = 0.7), and either display at least one emission line with a full width at half maximum larger than 500 km s-1 or, if not, have interesting/complex absorption features. The catalog also includes previously spectroscopically-confirmed quasars from SDSS-I, II, and III. The catalog contains 526 356 quasars (144 046 are new discoveries since the beginning of SDSS-IV) detected over 9376 deg2 (2044 deg2 having new spectroscopic data available) with robust identification and redshift measured by a combination of principal component eigenspectra. The catalog is estimated to have about 0.5% contamination. Redshifts are provided for the Mg II emission line. The catalog identifies 21 877 broad absorption line quasars and lists their characteristics. For each object, the catalog presents five-band (u, g, r, i, z) CCD-based photometry with typical accuracy of 0.03 mag. The catalog also contains X-ray, ultraviolet, near-infrared, and radio emission properties of the quasars, when available, from other large-area surveys. The calibrated digital spectra, covering the wavelength region 3610-10 140 Å at a spectral resolution in the range 1300 < R < 2500, can be retrieved from the SDSS Science Archiver Server. http://www.sdss.org/dr14/algorithms/qso_catalog

High redshift quasars and high metallicities

Science.gov (United States)

Ferland, Gary J.

1997-01-01

A large-scale code called Cloudy was designed to simulate non-equilibrium plasmas and predict their spectra. The goal was to apply it to studies of galactic and extragalactic emission line objects in order to reliably deduce abundances and luminosities. Quasars are of particular interest because they are the most luminous objects in the universe and the highest redshift objects that can be observed spectroscopically, and their emission lines can reveal the composition of the interstellar medium (ISM) of the universe when it was well under a billion years old. The lines are produced by warm (approximately 10(sup 4)K) gas with moderate to low density (n less than or equal to 10(sup 12) cm(sup -3)). Cloudy has been extended to include approximately 10(sup 4) resonance lines from the 495 possible stages of ionization of the lightest 30 elements, an extension that required several steps. The charge transfer database was expanded to complete the needed reactions between hydrogen and the first four ions and fit all reactions with a common approximation. Radiative recombination rate coefficients were derived for recombination from all closed shells, where this process should dominate. Analytical fits to Opacity Project (OP) and other recent photoionization cross sections were produced. Finally, rescaled OP oscillator strengths were used to compile a complete set of data for 5971 resonance lines. The major discovery has been that high redshift quasars have very high metallicities and there is strong evidence that the quasar phenomenon is associated with the birth of massive elliptical galaxies.

Gemini Near-infrared Spectroscopy of Luminous z~6 Quasars

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jiang, Linhua; Fan, Xiaohui; Vestergaard, Marianne

2007-01-01

We present Gemini near-infrared spectroscopic observations of six luminous quasars at z=5.8$\\sim$6.3. Five of them were observed using Gemini-South/GNIRS, which provides a simultaneous wavelength coverage of 0.9--2.5 $\\mu$m in cross dispersion mode. The other source was observed in K band...... with Gemini-North/NIRI. We calculate line strengths for all detected emission lines and use their ratios to estimate gas metallicity in the broad-line regions of the quasars. The metallicity is found to be supersolar with a typical value of $\\sim$4 Z_{\\sun}, and a comparison with low-redshift observations...... shows no strong evolution in metallicity up to z$\\sim$6. The FeII/MgII ratio of the quasars is 4.9+/-1.4, consistent with low-redshift measurements. We estimate central BH masses of 10^9 to 10^{10} M_{\\sun} and Eddington luminosity ratios of order unity. We identify two MgII $\\lambda\\lambda$2796...

Quasars, Seyfert galaxies and active galactic nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osterbrock, D.E.

1987-01-01

This chapter is devoted to the spectroscopic methods for analyzing the observed plasma in the nuclei of quasars, Seyfert galazies, and active galactic nuclei. Both the narrow-line region and the broad-line region are discussed. Physical models are presented

On the periodicity in the distribution of quasar redshifts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kjaergaard, P.

1978-01-01

The periodicity in the distribution of quasar redshifts is explained in terms of selection effects. Special attention is drawn to a selection effect caused by the redshift dependent influence of the strong emission lines on the limiting magnitude for detecting quasars. This is especially important since the number of quasars increases with a large factor per magnitude. The limiting magnitude effect applies both to spectroscopic and to UV-excess surveys. It is shown that the redshift distribution of quasars selected by a combination of UV-excess information and agreement between radio and optical position is intermediate between the redshift distribution of the two groups of quasars selected by one of the two criteria. It is also shown that the distribution of redshifts for UV-excess selected quasars is very similar to the variation of the ultrsviolet excess as a function of redshift. This evidence indicates that strong selection effects are in play. (Auth.)

Optical spectral properties of active galactic nuclei and quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yee, H.K.C.

1981-01-01

Four separate investigations dealing with the properties of optical continuum and emission-lines of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and quasars are presented. Multichannel scans of 3CR radio galaxies are decomposed by using a two-component model-an elliptical galaxy and a power-law nonthermal component. It is found that there is a strong correlation between the luminosity of the power-law component and the strength of the Balmer emission-lines. In most cases, by extrapolating to the Lyman continuum, the power-law models derived provide enough ionizing radiation to account for the Balmer line strengths. Extending the study of radio galaxies to include Seyfert galaxies and quasars, it is found that there is a strong continuity between broad-line AGN's and quasars in terms of similarities in the correlations between line luminosities and nonthermal continuum luminosity. Next, a study of the variability of absolute optical energy distribution and emission-lines of the N-galaxies 3C382 and 3C390.3 is made. Lastly, a preliminary study of surface photometry of Markarian Seyfert galaxies are presented. It is found that the properties of the underlying galaxies such as scale-length and surface brightness of the disk, color, and total brightness, do not depart systematically from those of luminous normal spiral galaxies

Hubble Space Telescope Ultraviolet Spectroscopy of Fourteen Low-Redshift Quasars

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ganguly, Rajib; Brotherton, Michael S.; Arav, Nahum

2007-01-01

We present low-resolution ultraviolet spectra of 14 low redshift (z zz 1.4 Large Bright Quasar samples. By design, our objects sample luminosities in between these two surveys, and our four absorbed objects are consistent with the v ~ L^0.62 relation derived by Laor & Brandt (2002). Another quasar......, HE0441-2826, contains extremely weak emission lines and our spectrum is consistent with a simple power-law continuum. The quasar is radio-loud, but has a steep spectral index and a lobe-dominated morphology, which argues against it being a blazar. The unusual spectrum of this quasar resembles...... the spectra of the quasars PG1407+265, SDSSJ1136+0242, and PKS1004+13 for which several possible explanations have been entertained....

Extreme Variability Quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the Dark Energy Survey

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rumbaugh, N.; Shen, Yue; Morganson, Eric; Liu, Xin; Banerji, M.; McMahon, R. G.; Abdalla, F. B.; Benoit-Lévy, A.; Bertin, E.; Brooks, D.; Buckley-Geer, E.; Capozzi, D.; Carnero Rosell, A.; Carrasco Kind, M.; Carretero, J.; Cunha, C. E.; D’Andrea, C. B.; da Costa, L. N.; DePoy, D. L.; Desai, S.; Doel, P.; Frieman, J.; García-Bellido, J.; Gruen, D.; Gruendl, R. A.; Gschwend, J.; Gutierrez, G.; Honscheid, K.; James, D. J.; Kuehn, K.; Kuhlmann, S.; Kuropatkin, N.; Lima, M.; Maia, M. A. G.; Marshall, J. L.; Martini, P.; Menanteau, F.; Plazas, A. A.; Reil, K.; Roodman, A.; Sanchez, E.; Scarpine, V.; Schindler, R.; Schubnell, M.; Sheldon, E.; Smith, M.; Soares-Santos, M.; Sobreira, F.; Suchyta, E.; Swanson, M. E. C.; Walker, A. R.; Wester, W.

2018-02-20

We perform a systematic search for long-term extreme variability quasars (EVQs) in the overlapping Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and 3-Year Dark Energy Survey (DES) imaging, which provide light curves spanning more than 15 years. We identified ~1000 EVQs with a maximum g band magnitude change of more than 1 mag over this period, about 10% of all quasars searched. The EVQs have L_bol~10^45-10^47 erg/s and L/L_Edd~0.01-1. Accounting for selection effects, we estimate an intrinsic EVQ fraction of ~30-50% among all g<~22 quasars over a baseline of ~15 years. These EVQs are good candidates for so-called "changing-look quasars", where a spectral transition between the two types of quasars (broad-line and narrow-line) is observed between the dim and bright states. We performed detailed multi-wavelength, spectral and variability analyses for the EVQs and compared to their parent quasar sample. We found that EVQs are distinct from a control sample of quasars matched in redshift and optical luminosity: (1) their UV broad emission lines have larger equivalent widths; (2) their Eddington ratios are systematically lower; and (3) they are more variable on all timescales. The intrinsic difference in quasar properties for EVQs suggest that internal processes associated with accretion are the main driver for the observed extreme long-term variability. However, despite their different properties, EVQs seem to be in the tail of a continuous distribution of quasar properties, rather than standing out as a distinct population. We speculate that EVQs are normal quasars accreting at relatively low accretion rates, where the accretion flow is more likely to experience instabilities that drive the factor of few changes in flux on multi-year timescales.

Quasars in the field of SA94. III. A colour survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cristiani, S.; Barbieri, C.; La Franca, F.; Nota, A.

1989-01-01

A new sample of quasars has been selected in the central 10 square degrees of SA 94. The colour-colour U - B, B - V diagram has been used to identify low-redshift quasar candidates down to B = 19.8.99 extragalactic emission-line objects have been spectroscopically confirmed. The quasar surface density for QSOs with z ≤ 2.25 and other properties of this sample are derived and compared with other surveys

THE FIRST HIGH-REDSHIFT QUASAR FROM Pan-STARRS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morganson, Eric; De Rosa, Gisella; Decarli, Roberto; Walter, Fabian; Rix, Hans-Walter [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Astronomie, Koenigstuhl 17, 69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Chambers, Ken; Burgett, William; Flewelling, Heather; Hodapp, Klaus; Kaiser, Nick; Magnier, Eugene; Sweeney, Bill; Waters, Christopher [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States); McGreer, Ian; Fan, Xiaohui [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 N Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Greiner, Jochen [Max-Planck-Institut fuer extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstrasse 1, 85748 Garching (Germany); Price, Paul, E-mail: morganson@mpia.de [Princeton University Observatory, 4 Ivy Lane, Peyton Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States)

2012-06-15

We present the discovery of the first high-redshift (z > 5.7) quasar from the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System 1 (Pan-STARRS1 or PS1). This quasar was initially detected as an i{sub P1} dropout in PS1, confirmed photometrically with the SAO Wide-field InfraRed Camera at Arizona's Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) and the Gamma-Ray Burst Optical/Near-Infrared Detector at the MPG 2.2 m telescope in La Silla. The quasar was verified spectroscopically with the MMT Spectrograph, Red Channel and the Cassegrain Twin Spectrograph at the Calar Alto 3.5 m telescope. Its near-infrared spectrum was taken at the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory (LBT) with the LBT Near-Infrared Spectroscopic Utility with Camera and Integral Field Unit for Extragalactic Research. It has a redshift of 5.73, an AB z{sub P1} magnitude of 19.4, a luminosity of 3.8 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 47} erg s{sup -1}, and a black hole mass of 6.9 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 9} M{sub Sun }. It is a broad absorption line quasar with a prominent Ly{beta} peak and a very blue continuum spectrum. This quasar is the first result from the PS1 high-redshift quasar search that is projected to discover more than 100 i{sub P1} dropout quasars and could potentially find more than 10 z{sub P1} dropout (z > 6.8) quasars.

THE FIRST HIGH-REDSHIFT QUASAR FROM Pan-STARRS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morganson, Eric; De Rosa, Gisella; Decarli, Roberto; Walter, Fabian; Rix, Hans-Walter; Chambers, Ken; Burgett, William; Flewelling, Heather; Hodapp, Klaus; Kaiser, Nick; Magnier, Eugene; Sweeney, Bill; Waters, Christopher; McGreer, Ian; Fan, Xiaohui; Greiner, Jochen; Price, Paul

2012-01-01

We present the discovery of the first high-redshift (z > 5.7) quasar from the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System 1 (Pan-STARRS1 or PS1). This quasar was initially detected as an i P1 dropout in PS1, confirmed photometrically with the SAO Wide-field InfraRed Camera at Arizona's Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) and the Gamma-Ray Burst Optical/Near-Infrared Detector at the MPG 2.2 m telescope in La Silla. The quasar was verified spectroscopically with the MMT Spectrograph, Red Channel and the Cassegrain Twin Spectrograph at the Calar Alto 3.5 m telescope. Its near-infrared spectrum was taken at the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory (LBT) with the LBT Near-Infrared Spectroscopic Utility with Camera and Integral Field Unit for Extragalactic Research. It has a redshift of 5.73, an AB z P1 magnitude of 19.4, a luminosity of 3.8 × 10 47 erg s –1 , and a black hole mass of 6.9 × 10 9 M ☉ . It is a broad absorption line quasar with a prominent Lyβ peak and a very blue continuum spectrum. This quasar is the first result from the PS1 high-redshift quasar search that is projected to discover more than 100 i P1 dropout quasars and could potentially find more than 10 z P1 dropout (z > 6.8) quasars.

Space Density of Optically Selected Type 2 Quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Reyes, Reinabelle; Zakamska, Nadia L.; Strauss, Michael A.; Green, Joshua; Krolik, Julian H.; Shen, Yue; Richards, Gordon T.; Anderson, Scott F.; Schneider, Donald P.

2008-12-01

Type 2 quasars are luminous active galactic nuclei whose central regions are obscured by large amounts of gas and dust. In this paper, we present a catalog of type 2 quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, selected based on their optical emission lines. The catalog contains 887 objects with redshifts z < 0.83; this is 6 times larger than the previous version and is by far the largest sample of type 2 quasars in the literature. We derive the [O III]5007 luminosity function (LF) for 108.3 L sun < L [O III] < 1010 L sun (corresponding to intrinsic luminosities up to M[2500 Å] ~= -28 mag or bolometric luminosities up to 4 × 1047 erg s-1). This LF provides robust lower limits to the actual space density of obscured quasars due to our selection criteria, the details of the spectroscopic target selection, and other effects. We derive the equivalent LF for the complete sample of type 1 (unobscured) quasars and determine the ratio of type 2 to type 1 quasar number densities. Our data constrain this ratio to be at least ~1.5:1 for 108.3 L sun < L [O III] < 109.5 L sun at z < 0.3, and at least ~1.2:1 for L [O III] ~ 1010 L sun at 0.3 < z < 0.83. Type 2 quasars are at least as abundant as type 1 quasars in the relatively nearby universe (z <~ 0.8) for the highest luminosities.

Probing Extragalactic Planets Using Quasar Microlensing

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Xinyu; Guerras, Eduardo

2018-02-01

Previously, planets have been detected only in the Milky Way galaxy. Here, we show that quasar microlensing provides a means to probe extragalactic planets in the lens galaxy, by studying the microlensing properties of emission close to the event horizon of the supermassive black hole of the background quasar, using the current generation telescopes. We show that a population of unbound planets between stars with masses ranging from Moon to Jupiter masses is needed to explain the frequent Fe Kα line energy shifts observed in the gravitationally lensed quasar RXJ 1131–1231 at a lens redshift of z = 0.295 or 3.8 billion lt-yr away. We constrain the planet mass-fraction to be larger than 0.0001 of the halo mass, which is equivalent to 2000 objects ranging from Moon to Jupiter mass per main-sequence star.

A search for changing look quasars in second epoch imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Findlay, Joseph; Myers, Adam; McGreer, Ian

2018-01-01

Over nearly two decades, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey has compiled a catalog of over half a million confirmed quasars. During that period approximately ten percent of these objects have been spectroscopically observed in two or more epochs over baselines of ten or more years. This led recently to the discovery of the largest change in luminosity ever before observed in a quasar. The dimming emission was a reflection of very significant changes in continuum and broad line properties, the source had effectively transitioned from a Type I quasar to a Type II AGN. Since then several more "changing look" quasars have been discovered in multi-epoch SDSS spectroscopy. Among them are objects with rising and falling luminosities, appearing and disappearing broad lines. The origin of this behavior is still very uncertain, currently favored is the scenario in which an accreting black hole is simply starved of fuel. Other plausible scenarios include flaring due to stellar tidal disruption close to the black hole or large changes in accretion flow, which can occur during transitions between radiatively efficient and inefficient accretion regimes. Monitoring of larger numbers of changing look quasars will help to elucidate these ideas.In this poster, we report on the progress of a pilot study in which we hope to learn how to select changing look quasars in multi-epoch imaging. This will allow us to take advantage of the entire SDSS quasar catalog rather than just the ten percent of objects with multi-epoch spectroscopy. Comparing archival SDSS and more recent Legacy Survey imaging over ten-year baselines we select objects whose photometry is consistent with the large changes in luminosity expected in changing look quasars. We aim to build up a catalog of both transitioned and transitioning objects for future monitoring.

Bal Tashchit : the Jewish prohibition against needless destruction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wolff, K.A.

2009-01-01

Bal tashchit is possibly the most important religious principle directly relating to the relationship between man and his environment. This thesis attempts to answer three basic questions: 1) what exactly is bal tashchit? 2) How might a principle of bal tashchit be applied to current environmental

C IV EMISSION AND THE ULTRAVIOLET THROUGH X-RAY SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTION OF RADIO-QUIET QUASARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruczek, Nicholas E.; Richards, Gordon T.; Deo, Rajesh P.; Krawczyk, Coleman M.; Gallagher, S. C.; Hall, Patrick B.; Hewett, Paul C.; Leighly, Karen M.; Proga, Daniel

2011-01-01

In the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV), two of the parameters that best characterize the range of emission-line properties in quasar broad emission-line regions are the equivalent width and the blueshift of the C IV λ1549 line relative to the quasar rest frame. We explore the connection between these emission-line properties and the UV through X-ray spectral energy distribution (SED) for radio-quiet (RQ) quasars. Our sample consists of a heterogeneous compilation of 406 quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (at z > 1.54) and Palomar-Green survey (at z < 0.4) that have well-measured C IV emission-line and X-ray properties (including 164 objects with measured Γ). We find that RQ quasars with both strong C IV emission and small C IV blueshifts can be classified as 'hard-spectrum' sources that are (relatively) strong in the X-ray as compared to the UV. On the other hand, RQ quasars with both weak C IV emission and large C IV blueshifts are instead 'soft-spectrum' sources that are (relatively) weak in the X-ray as compared to the UV. This work helps to further bridge optical/soft X-ray 'eigenvector 1' relationships to the UV and hard X-ray. Based on these findings, we argue that future work should consider systematic errors in bolometric corrections (and thus accretion rates) that are derived from a single mean SED. Detailed analysis of the C IV emission line may allow for SED-dependent corrections to these quantities.

Observational Constraints on Quasar Black Hole Mass Distributions, Eddington Ratio Distributions, and Lifetimes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kelly, Brandon C.; Vestergaard, Marianne; Fan, X.

2010-01-01

I will present the black hole mass function (BHMF) of broad line quasars in the SDSS DR3. We employ a powerful Bayesian statistical technique that corrects for incompleteness and the statistical uncertainty in the mass estimates. We find evidence that the most massive black hole appeared as quasars...... earlier in the universe, and that most quasars are not radiating at or near the Eddington limit. I will also present constraints on the quasar lifetime and maximum black hole mass, derived from the mass functions....

CONSTRAINTS ON BLACK HOLE GROWTH, QUASAR LIFETIMES, AND EDDINGTON RATIO DISTRIBUTIONS FROM THE SDSS BROAD-LINE QUASAR BLACK HOLE MASS FUNCTION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kelly, Brandon C.; Hernquist, Lars; Siemiginowska, Aneta; Vestergaard, Marianne; Fan Xiaohui; Hopkins, Philip

2010-01-01

We present an estimate of the black hole mass function of broad-line quasars (BLQSOs) that self-consistently corrects for incompleteness and the statistical uncertainty in the mass estimates, based on a sample of 9886 quasars at 1 1 it is highly incomplete at M BH ∼ 9 M sun and L/L Edd ∼ BL > 150 ± 15 Myr for black holes at z = 1 with a mass of M BH = 10 9 M sun , and we constrain the maximum mass of a black hole in a BLQSO to be ∼3 x 10 10 M sun . Our estimated distribution of BLQSO Eddington ratios peaks at L/L Edd ∼ 0.05 and has a dispersion of ∼0.4 dex, implying that most BLQSOs are not radiating at or near the Eddington limit; however, the location of the peak is subject to considerable uncertainty. The steep increase in number density of BLQSOs toward lower Eddington ratios is expected if the BLQSO accretion rate monotonically decays with time. Furthermore, our estimated lifetime and Eddington ratio distributions imply that the majority of the most massive black holes spend a significant amount of time growing in an earlier obscured phase, a conclusion which is independent of the unknown obscured fraction. These results are consistent with models for self-regulated black hole growth, at least for massive systems at z > 1, where the BLQSO phase occurs at the end of a fueling event when black hole feedback unbinds the accreting gas, halting the accretion flow.

AGN feedback on molecular gas reservoirs in quasars at z 2.4

Science.gov (United States)

Carniani, S.; Marconi, A.; Maiolino, R.; Feruglio, C.; Brusa, M.; Cresci, G.; Cano-Díaz, M.; Cicone, C.; Balmaverde, B.; Fiore, F.; Ferrara, A.; Gallerani, S.; La Franca, F.; Mainieri, V.; Mannucci, F.; Netzer, H.; Piconcelli, E.; Sani, E.; Schneider, R.; Shemmer, O.; Testi, L.

2017-09-01

We present new ALMA observations aimed at mapping molecular gas reservoirs through the CO(3-2) transition in three quasars at z ≃ 2.4, LBQS 0109+0213, 2QZ J002830.4-281706, and [HB89] 0329-385. Previous [Oiii]λ5007 observations of these quasars showed evidence for ionised outflows quenching star formation in their host galaxies. Systemic CO(3-2) emission has been detected only in one quasar, LBQS 0109+0213, where the CO(3-2) emission is spatially anti-correlated with the ionised outflow, suggesting that most of the molecular gas may have been dispersed or heated in the region swept by the outflow. In all three sources, including the one detected in CO, our constraints on the molecular gas mass indicate a significantly reduced reservoir compared to main-sequence galaxies at the same redshift, supporting a negative feedback scenario. In the quasar 2QZ J002830.4-281706, we tentatively detect an emission line blob blue-shifted by v - 2000 km s-1 with respect to the galaxy systemic velocity and spatially offset by 0.2'' (1.7 kpc) with respect to the ALMA continuum peak. Interestingly, such emission feature is coincident in both velocity and space with the ionised outflow as seen in [Oiii]λ5007. This tentative detection must be confirmed with deeper observations but, if real, it could represent the molecular counterpart of the ionised gas outflow driven by the Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN). Finally, in all ALMA maps we detect the presence of serendipitous line emitters within a projected distance 160 kpc from the quasars. By identifying these features with the CO(3-2) transition, we find that the serendipitous line emitters would be located within | Δv | < 500 km s-1 from the quasars, hence suggesting an overdensity of galaxies in two out of three quasars.

High Redshift Quasars, Emission Lines and ‘Cloudy’

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ferland Gary J.

2011-09-01

Full Text Available I describe some of the outstanding “big picture” questions in quasar research and how the development of the plasma simulation code Cloudy is being guided to answer them. QSO spectra are complex and challenge even the most sophisticated spectral codes. Particular emphasis is given to a central question - how do the properties of the central black hole and the accretion disk are manifested in the observed spectrum.

FERMI/LARGE AREA TELESCOPE DISCOVERY OF GAMMA-RAY EMISSION FROM A RELATIVISTIC JET IN THE NARROW-LINE QUASAR PMN J0948+0022

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdo, A. A.; Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Bechtol, K.; Bloom, E. D.; Borgland, A. W.; Axelsson, M.; Battelino, M.; Baldini, L.; Bellazzini, R.; Bregeon, J.; Brez, A.; Ballet, J.; Barbiellini, G.; Bastieri, D.; Baughman, B. M.; Bonamente, E.; Brigida, M.; Caliandro, G. A.; Bruel, P.

2009-01-01

We report the discovery by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) onboard the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope of high-energy γ-ray emission from the peculiar quasar PMN J0948+0022 (z = 0.5846). The optical spectrum of this object exhibits rather narrow Hβ (FWHM(Hβ) ∼1500 km s -1 ), weak forbidden lines, and is therefore classified as a narrow-line type I quasar. This class of objects is thought to have relatively small black hole mass and to accrete at a high Eddington ratio. The radio loudness and variability of the compact radio core indicate the presence of a relativistic jet. Quasi-simultaneous radio/optical/X-ray and γ-ray observations are presented. Both radio and γ-ray emissions (observed over five months) are strongly variable. The simultaneous optical and X-ray data from Swift show a blue continuum attributed to the accretion disk and a hard X-ray spectrum attributed to the jet. The resulting broadband spectral energy distribution (SED) and, in particular, the γ-ray spectrum measured by Fermi are similar to those of more powerful Flat-Spectrum Radio Quasars (FSRQs). A comparison of the radio and γ-ray characteristics of PMN J0948+0022 with the other blazars detected by LAT shows that this source has a relatively low radio and γ-ray power with respect to other FSRQs. The physical parameters obtained from modeling the SED also fall at the low power end of the FSRQ parameter region discussed in Celotti and Ghisellini. We suggest that the similarity of the SED of PMN J0948+0022 to that of more massive and more powerful quasars can be understood in a scenario in which the SED properties depend on the Eddington ratio rather than on the absolute power.

Quasars.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, H J

1966-11-01

A short historical outline of the discovery and a description of observed properties of quasars introduces questions as to their nature. Some of the principal arguments concerning their reality, distance, intrinsic properties and age lead to the conclusion that, while there is room for other points of view; a strong case can be made for the interpretation, on which quasars are the most distant observable objects in the known universe. To produce such luminosities over times of thousands to millions of years requires the presence of millions of solar masses. For each quasar this enormous mass may be concentrated into a single object, in which case novel physics comes into play. Whatever the final interpretation, quasars seem certain to illuminate such questions as the origin and evolution of galaxies, perhaps also the structure and origin of the universe.

SPITZER OBSERVATIONS OF YOUNG RED QUASARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Urrutia, Tanya; Lacy, Mark; Spoon, Henrik; Glikman, Eilat; Petric, Andreea; Schulz, Bernhard

2012-01-01

We present mid-infrared spectra and photometry of 13 redshift 0.4 < z < 1 dust reddened quasars obtained with Spitzer IRS and MIPS. We compare properties derived from their infrared spectral energy distributions (intrinsic active galactic nucleus (AGN) luminosity and far-infrared luminosity from star formation) to the host luminosities and morphologies from Hubble Space Telescope imaging, and black hole masses estimated from optical and/or near-infrared spectroscopy. Our results are broadly consistent with models in which most dust reddened quasars are an intermediate phase between a merger-driven starburst triggering a completely obscured AGN, and a normal, unreddened quasar. We find that many of our objects have high accretion rates, close to the Eddington limit. These objects tend to fall below the black hole mass-bulge luminosity relation as defined by local galaxies, whereas most of our low accretion rate objects are slightly above the local relation, as typical for normal quasars at these redshifts. Our observations are therefore most readily interpreted in a scenario in which galaxy stellar mass growth occurs first by about a factor of three in each merger/starburst event, followed sometime later by black hole growth by a similar amount. We do not, however, see any direct evidence for quasar feedback affecting star formation in our objects, for example, in the form of a relationship between accretion rate and star formation. Five of our objects, however, do show evidence for outflows in the [O III]5007 Å emission line profile, suggesting that the quasar activity is driving thermal winds in at least some members of our sample.

Quasars and superclusters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osmer, P.S.

1983-01-01

The evidence for quasar superclusters is discussed, together with implications and survey techniques. The data base of clusters of pairs of quasars with similar redshifts, which is supportive of theories of gravitational lenses, indicates that quasar superclusters do exist. Surveys of large redshift quasars have shown that the quasars do not necessarily cluster. It is cautioned that randomness in an observational scheme, followed by assumptions of uniformity in analyses, will produce results that support a uniformity that may not exist. It is suggested that clusters observed in one survey should be sought in other direction using the same techniques. Continuing expanded surveys of large redshift quasars are recommended in order to form an all-sky distribution of the objects. 18 references

ANOMALOUSLY STEEP REDDENING LAW IN QUASARS: AN EXCEPTIONAL EXAMPLE OBSERVED IN IRAS 14026+4341

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Peng; Zhou Hongyan; Ji Tuo; Shu Xinwen; Liu Wenjuan; Dong Xiaobo; Wang Huiyuan; Wang Tinggui; Wang Jianguo; Bai Jinming

2013-01-01

A fraction of the heavily reddened quasars require a reddening curve that is even steeper than that of the Small Magellanic Cloud. In this paper, we thoroughly characterize the anomalously steep reddening law in quasars via an exceptional example observed in IRAS 14026+4341. By comparing the observed spectrum to the quasar composite spectrum, we derive a reddening curve in the rest-frame wavelength range of 1200-10000 Å. It has a steep rise at wavelengths shorter than 3000 Å, but no significant reddening at longer wavelengths. The absence of dust reddening in the optical continuum is confirmed by the normal broad-line Balmer decrement (the Hα/Hβ ratio) in IRAS 14026+4341. The anomalous reddening curve can be satisfactorily reproduced with a dust model containing silicate grains in a power-law size distribution, dn(a)/da∝a –1.4 , truncated at a maximum size of a max = 70 nm. The unusual size distribution may be caused by the destruction of large 'stardust' grains by quasar activities or a different dust formation mechanism (i.e., the in situ formation of dust grains in quasar outflows). It is also possible that the analogies of the dust grains observed near the Galactic center are responsible for the steep reddening curve. In addition, we find that IRAS 14026+4341 is a weak emission-line quasar (i.e., PHL 1811 analogies) with heavy dust reddening and blueshifted broad absorption lines.

New constraints on Lyman-α opacity using 92 quasar lines of sight

Science.gov (United States)

Bosman, Sarah E. I.; Fan, Xiaohui; Jiang, Linhua; Reed, Sophie; Matsuoka, Yoshiki; Becker, George; Rorai, Albert

2018-05-01

The large scatter in Lyman-α opacity at z > 5.3 has been an ongoing mystery, prompting a flurry of numerical models. A uniform ultra-violet background has been ruled out at those redshifts, but it is unclear whether any proposed models produce sufficient inhomogeneities. In this paper we provide an update on the measurement which first highlighted the issue: Lyman-α effective optical depth along high-z quasar lines of sight. We nearly triple on the previous sample size in such a study thanks to the cooperation of the DES-VHS, SHELLQs, and SDSS collaborations as well as new reductions and spectra. We find that a uniform UVB model is ruled out at 5.1 < z < 5.3, as well as higher redshifts, which is perplexing. We provide the first such measurements at z ~ 6. None of the numerical models we confronted to this data could reproduce the observed scatter.

Quasar energy distributions. I. Soft X-ray spectra of quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilkes, B.J.; Elvis, M.

1987-01-01

As the initial stage of a study of quasar energy distributions (QEDs), Einstein IPC spectra of 24 quasars are presented. These are combined with previously reported IPC spectra to form a sample of 33 quasars with well-determined soft X-ray slopes. A correlation analysis shows that radio loudness, rather than redshift or luminosity, is fundamentally related to the X-ray slope. This correlation is not followed by higher energy spectra of active galaxies. Two components are required to explain both sets of results. The best-fit column densities are systematically smaller than the Galactic values. The same effect is not present in a sample of BL Lac objects, implying that the effect is intrinsic to the quasars and is caused by a low-energy turnup in the quasar spectra. 74 references

THE SUBARU HIGH-z QUASAR SURVEY: DISCOVERY OF FAINT z ∼ 6 QUASARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kashikawa, Nobunari; Furusawa, Hisanori; Niino, Yuu; Ishizaki, Yoshifumi; Onoue, Masafusa; Toshikawa, Jun; Ishikawa, Shogo; Willott, Chris J.; Im, Myungshin; Shimasaku, Kazuhiro; Ouchi, Masami; Hibon, Pascale

2015-01-01

We present the discovery of one or two extremely faint z ∼ 6 quasars in 6.5 deg 2 utilizing a unique capability of the wide-field imaging of the Subaru/Suprime-Cam. The quasar selection was made in (i'-z B ) and (z B -z R ) colors, where z B and z R are bandpasses with central wavelengths of 8842 Å and 9841 Å, respectively. The color selection can effectively isolate quasars at z ∼ 6 from M/L/T dwarfs without the J-band photometry down to z R < 24.0, which is 3.5 mag deeper than the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We have selected 17 promising quasar candidates. The follow-up spectroscopy for seven targets identified one apparent quasar at z = 6.156 with M 1450 = –23.10. We also identified one possible quasar at z = 6.041 with a faint continuum of M 1450 = –22.58 and a narrow Lyα emission with HWHM =427 km s –1 , which cannot be distinguished from Lyman α emitters. We derive the quasar luminosity function at z ∼ 6 by combining our faint quasar sample with the bright quasar samples by SDSS and CFHQS. Including our data points invokes a higher number density in the faintest bin of the quasar luminosity function than the previous estimate employed. This suggests a steeper faint-end slope than lower z, though it is yet uncertain based on a small number of spectroscopically identified faint quasars, and several quasar candidates still remain to be diagnosed. The steepening of the quasar luminosity function at the faint end does increase the expected emission rate of the ionizing photon; however, it only changes by a factor of approximately two to six. This was found to still be insufficient for the required photon budget of reionization at z ∼ 6

Quasar 2175 Å dust absorbers - II. Correlation analysis and relationship with other absorption line systems

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Jingzhe; Ge, Jian; Prochaska, J. Xavier; Zhang, Shaohua; Ji, Tuo; Zhao, Yinan; Zhou, Hongyan; Lu, Honglin; Schneider, Donald P.

2018-03-01

We present the cold neutral content (H I and C I gas) of 13 quasar 2175 Å dust absorbers (2DAs) at z = 1.6-2.5 to investigate the correlation between the presence of the UV extinction bump with other physical characteristics. These 2DAs were initially selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys I-III and followed up with the Keck-II telescope and the Multiple Mirror Telescope as detailed in our Paper I. We perform a correlation analysis between metallicity, redshift, depletion level, velocity width, and explore relationships between 2DAs and other absorption line systems. The 2DAs on average have higher metallicity, higher depletion levels, and larger velocity widths than Damped Lyman α absorbers (DLAs) or subDLAs. The correlation between [Zn/H] and [Fe/Zn] or [Zn/H] and logΔV90 can be used as alternative stellar mass estimators based on the well-established mass-metallicity relation. The estimated stellar masses of the 2DAs in this sample are in the range of ˜109 to ˜2 × 1011 M⊙ with a median value of ˜2 × 1010 M⊙. The relationship with other quasar absorption line systems can be described as (1) 2DAs are a subset of Mg II and Fe II absorbers, (2) 2DAs are preferentially metal-strong DLAs/subDLAs, (3) More importantly, all of the 2DAs show C I detections with logN(C I) > 14.0 cm-2, and (4) 2DAs can be used as molecular gas tracers. Their host galaxies are likely to be chemically enriched, evolved, massive (more massive than typical DLA/subDLA galaxies), and presumably star-forming galaxies.

Quasar Elemental Abundances at High Redshifts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dietrich, M.; Hamann, F.; Shields, J. C.

2003-01-01

the framework of the most recent photoionization models to estimate the metallicity of the gas associated with the high-z quasars. Standard photoionization parameters and the assumption of secondary nitrogen enrichment indicate an average abundance of Z/Z_sol = 4 to 5 in the line emitting gas. Assuming a time...

Reverberation Mapping of High-Luminosity Quasars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaspi, Shai [Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv (Israel); Brandt, William N. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States); Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States); Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States); Maoz, Dan; Netzer, Hagai [Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv (Israel); Schneider, Donald P. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States); Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States); Shemmer, Ohad, E-mail: shai@wise.tau.ac.il [Department of Physics, University of North Texas, Denton, TX (United States)

2017-10-30

Over the past three decades reverberation mapping (RM) has been applied to about 100 AGNs. Their broad line region (BLR) sizes were measured and yielded mass estimates of the black holes in their center. However, very few attempts were carried out for high-luminosity quasars, at luminosities higher than 10{sup 46} erg/sec in the optical. Most of these attempts failed since RM of such quasars is difficult due to a number of reasons, mostly due to the long time needed to monitor these objects. During the past two decades we carried out a RM campaign on six high-luminosity quasars. This contribution presents some of the final light curves of that RM campaign in which we measured the BLR size in C iv of three of the objects (S5 0836+71, SBS 1116+603, and SBS 1425+606). We present the C iv BLR size and luminosity relation over eight orders of magnitude in luminosity, pushing the luminosity limit to its highest point so far.

The WISSH quasars project. II. Giant star nurseries in hyper-luminous quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Duras, F.; Bongiorno, A.; Piconcelli, E.; Bianchi, S.; Pappalardo, C.; Valiante, R.; Bischetti, M.; Feruglio, C.; Martocchia, S.; Schneider, R.; Vietri, G.; Vignali, C.; Zappacosta, L.; La Franca, F.; Fiore, F.

2017-08-01

Context. Studying the coupling between the energy output produced by the central quasar and the host galaxy is fundamental to fully understand galaxy evolution. Quasar feedback is indeed supposed to dramatically affect the galaxy properties by depositing large amounts of energy and momentum into the interstellar medium (ISM). Aims: In order to gain further insights on this process, we study the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of sources at the brightest end of the quasar luminosity function, for which the feedback mechanism is assumed to be at its maximum, given their high efficiency in driving powerful outflows. Methods: We modelled the rest-frame UV-to-far-IR SEDs of 16 WISE-SDSS Selected Hyper-luminous (WISSH) quasars at 1.8 code to account for the contribution of the quasar-related emission to the far-IR fluxes. Results: Most SEDs are well described by a standard combination of accretion disc plus torus and cold dust emission. However, about 30% of SEDs require an additional emission component in the near-IR, with temperatures peaking at 750 K, which indicates that a hotter dust component is present in these powerful quasars. We measure extreme values of both AGN bolometric luminosity (LBOL > 1047 erg/s) and star formation rate (up to 2000 M⊙/yr) based on the quasar-corrected, IR luminosity of the host galaxy. A new relation between quasar and star formation luminosity is derived (LSF ∝ L0.73QSO) by combining several Herschel-detected quasar samples from z 0 to 4. WISSH quasars have masses ( 108M⊙) and temperatures ( 50 K) of cold dust in agreement with those found for other high-z IR luminous quasars. Conclusions: Thanks to their extreme nuclear and star formation luminosities, the WISSH quasars are ideal targets to shed light on the feedback mechanism and its effect on the evolution of their host galaxies, as well as on the merger-induced scenario that is commonly assumed to explain these exceptional luminosities. Future observations will be

The Relationship between Mg ii Broad Emission and Quasar Inclination Angle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Conor Wildy

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Several observed spectral properties of quasars are believed to be influenced by quasar orientation. In this investigation we examine the effect of orientation on the Mg ii line located at 2,798 Å in a sample of 36 radio-loud quasars, with orientation angles having been obtained in a previous study using radio observations. We find no significant relationship between orientation angle and either Mg ii line full-width at half-maximum or equivalent width. The lack of correlation with inclination angle contradicts previous studies which also use radio data as a proxy for inclination angle and suggests the Mg ii emission region does not occupy a disk-like geometry. The lack of correlation with Mg ii equivalent width, however, is reported in at least one previous study. Although the significance is not very strong (86%, there is a possible negative relationship between inclination angle and Fe ii strength which, if true, could explain the Fe ii anti-correlation with [O iii] strength associated with Eigenvector 1. Interestingly, there are objects having almost edge-on inclinations while still exhibiting broad lines. This could be explained by a torus which is either clumpy (allowing sight lines to the central engine or mis-aligned with the accretion disk.

The Relationship between Mg ii Broad Emission and Quasar Inclination Angle

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wildy, Conor; Czerny, Bozena, E-mail: wildy@cft.edu.pl [Center for Theoretical Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw (Poland)

2017-11-14

Several observed spectral properties of quasars are believed to be influenced by quasar orientation. In this investigation we examine the effect of orientation on the Mg ii line located at 2,798 Å in a sample of 36 radio-loud quasars, with orientation angles having been obtained in a previous study using radio observations. We find no significant relationship between orientation angle and either Mg ii line full-width at half-maximum or equivalent width. The lack of correlation with inclination angle contradicts previous studies which also use radio data as a proxy for inclination angle and suggests the Mg ii emission region does not occupy a disk-like geometry. The lack of correlation with Mg ii equivalent width, however, is reported in at least one previous study. Although the significance is not very strong (86%), there is a possible negative relationship between inclination angle and Fe ii strength which, if true, could explain the Fe ii anti-correlation with [O iii] strength associated with Eigenvector 1. Interestingly, there are objects having almost edge-on inclinations while still exhibiting broad lines. This could be explained by a torus which is either clumpy (allowing sight lines to the central engine) or mis-aligned with the accretion disk.

Quasars in galaxy cluster environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellingson, E.

1989-01-01

The evolution of radio loud quasars is found to be strongly dependent upon their galaxy cluster environment. Previous studies have shown that bright quasars are found in rich clusters, while high luminosity quasars are found only in poorer environments. The analysis of low luminosity radio quiet quasars indicate that they are never found in rich environments, suggesting that they are a physically different class of objects. Properties of the quasar environment are investigated to determine constraints on the physical mechanisms of quasar formation and evolution. The optical cluster morphology indicates that the cluster cores have smaller radii and higher galaxy densities than are typical for low redshift clusters of similar richness. Radio morphologies may indicate that the formation of a dense intra-cluster medium is associated with the quasars' fading at these epochs. Galaxy colors appear to be normal, but there may be a tendency for clusters associated with high luminosity quasars to contain a higher fraction of gas-rich galaxies than those associated with low luminosity quasars. Multislit spectroscopic observations of galaxies associated with high luminosity quasars indicate that quasars are preferentially located in regions of low relative velocity dispersion, either in rich clusters of abnormally low dispersion, or in poor groups which are dynamically normal. This suggests that galaxy-galaxy interactions may play a role in quasar formation and sustenanace. Virialization of rich clusters and the subsequent increase in galaxy velocities may therefore be responsible for the fading of quasars in rich environments

Starburst-driven Superwinds in Quasar Host Galaxies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barthel, Peter; Podigachoski, Pece [Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen (Netherlands); Wilkes, Belinda [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA (United States); Haas, Martin, E-mail: pdb@astro.rug.nl, E-mail: podigachoski@astro.rug.nl [Astronomisches Institut, Ruhr Universität, Bochum (Germany)

2017-07-01

During the past five decades astronomers have been puzzled by the presence of strong absorption features including metal lines, observed in the optical and ultraviolet spectra of quasars, signaling inflowing and outflowing gas winds with relative velocities up to several thousands of km s{sup −1}. In particular, the location of these winds—close to the quasar, further out in its host galaxy, or in its direct environment—and the possible impact on their surroundings have been issues of intense discussion and uncertainty. Using our Herschel Space Observatory data, we report a tendency for this so-called associated metal absorption to occur along with prodigious star formation in the quasar host galaxy, indicating that the two phenomena are likely to be interrelated, that the gas winds likely occur on the kiloparsec scale and would then have a strong impact on the interstellar medium of the galaxy. This correlation moreover would imply that the unusually high cold dust luminosities in these quasars are connected with ongoing star formation. Given that we find no correlation with the AGN strength, the wind feedback that we establish in these radio-loud objects is most likely associated with their host star formation rather than with their black hole accretion.

Starburst-driven Superwinds in Quasar Host Galaxies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Barthel, Peter; Podigachoski, Pece; Wilkes, Belinda; Haas, Martin

2017-01-01

During the past five decades astronomers have been puzzled by the presence of strong absorption features including metal lines, observed in the optical and ultraviolet spectra of quasars, signaling inflowing and outflowing gas winds with relative velocities up to several thousands of km s-1. In

Mean and extreme radio properties of quasars and the origin of radio emission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kratzer, Rachael M.; Richards, Gordon T. [Department of Physics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA (United States)

2015-02-01

We investigate the evolution of both the radio-loud fraction (RLF) and (using stacking analysis) the mean radio loudness of quasars. We consider how these properties evolve as a function of redshift and luminosity, black hole (BH) mass and accretion rate, and parameters related to the dominance of a wind in the broad emission-line region. We match the FIRST source catalog to samples of luminous quasars (both spectroscopic and photometric), primarily from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. After accounting for catastrophic errors in BH mass estimates at high redshift, we find that both the RLF and the mean radio luminosity increase for increasing BH mass and decreasing accretion rate. Similarly, both the RLF and mean radio loudness increase for quasars that are argued to have weaker radiation line driven wind components of the broad emission-line region. In agreement with past work, we find that the RLF increases with increasing optical/UV luminosity and decreasing redshift, while the mean radio loudness evolves in the exact opposite manner. This difference in behavior between the mean radio loudness and the RLF in L−z may indicate selection effects that bias our understanding of the evolution of the RLF; deeper surveys in the optical and radio are needed to resolve this discrepancy. Finally, we argue that radio-loud (RL) and radio-quiet (RQ) quasars may be parallel sequences, but where only RQ quasars at one extreme of the distribution are likely to become RL, possibly through slight differences in spin and/or merger history.

A Massive X-ray Outflow From The Quasar PDS 456

Science.gov (United States)

Reeves, J. N.; O'Brien, P. T.; Ward, M. J.

2003-01-01

We report on XMM-Newton spectroscopic observations of the luminous, radio-quiet quasar PDS 456. The hard X-ray spectrum of PDS 456 shows a deep absorption trough (constituting 50% of the continuum) at energies above 7 keV in the quasar rest frame, which can be attributed to a series of blue-shifted K-shell absorption edges due to highly ionized iron. The higher resolution soft X-ray grating RGS spectrum exhibits a broad absorption line feature near 1 keV, which can be modeled by a blend of L-shell transitions from highly ionized iron (Fe XVII - XXIV). An extreme outflow velocity of approx. 50000 km/s is required to model the K and L shell iron absorption present in the XMM-Newton data. Overall, a large column density (N(sub H) = 5 x 10(exp 23)/sq cm) of highly ionized gas (log xi = 2.5) is required in PDS 456. A large mass outflow rate of approx. 10 solar mass/year (assuming a conservative outflow covering factor of 0.1 steradian) is derived, which is of the same order as the overall mass accretion rate in PDS 456. This represents a substantial fraction (approx. 10%) of the quasar energy budget, whilst the large column and outflow velocity place PDS 456 towards the extreme end of the broad absorption line quasar population.

A high signal-to-noise ratio composite quasar spectrum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Francis, P.J.; Hewett, P.C.; Foltz, C.B.; Chaffee, F.H.; Weymann, R.J.

1991-01-01

A very high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N of about 400) composite spectrum of the rest-frame ultraviolet and optical region of high luminosity quasars is presented. The spectrum is derived from 718 individual spectra obtained as part of the Large Bright Quasar Survey. The moderate resolution, 4A or less, and high signal-to-noise ratio allow numerous weak emission features to be identified. Of particular note is the large equivalent-width of the Fe II emission in the rest-frame ultraviolet and the blue continuum slope of the composite. The primary aim of this paper is to provide a reference spectrum for use in line identifications, and a series of large-scale representations of the composite spectrum are shown. A measure of the standard deviation of the individual quasar spectra from the composite spectrum is also presented. 12 refs

Star formation in active galaxies and quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heckman, T.M.

1987-01-01

I review the observational evidence for a causal or statistical link between star formation and active galactic nuclei. The chief difficulty is in quantitatively ascertaining the star formation rate in active galaxies: most of the readily observable manifestations of star formation superficially resemble those of an active nucleus. Careful multi-wavelength spatially-resolved observations demonstrate that many Seyfert galaxies are undergoing star formation. Our survey of CO emission from Seyferts (interpreted in conjunction IRAS data) suggests that type 2 Seyferts have unusually high rates of star formation, but type 1 Seyferts do not. Recent work also suggests that many powerful radio galaxies may be actively forming stars: radio galaxies with strong emission-lines often have blue colors and strong far-infrared emission. Determining the star formation rate in the host galaxies of quasars is especially difficult. Multi-color imaging and long-slit spectroscopy suggests that many of the host galaxies of radio-loud quasars are blue and a cold interstellar medium has been detected in some quasar hosts

A Survey of z>5.8 Quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. I. Discovery of Three New Quasars and the Spatial Density of Luminous Quasars at z~6

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Xiaohui; Narayanan, Vijay K.; Lupton, Robert H.; Strauss, Michael A.; Knapp, Gillian R.; Becker, Robert H.; White, Richard L.; Pentericci, Laura; Leggett, S. K.; Haiman, Zoltán; Gunn, James E.; Ivezić, Željko; Schneider, Donald P.; Anderson, Scott F.; Brinkmann, J.; Bahcall, Neta A.; Connolly, Andrew J.; Csabai, István; Doi, Mamoru; Fukugita, Masataka; Geballe, Tom; Grebel, Eva K.; Harbeck, Daniel; Hennessy, Gregory; Lamb, Don Q.; Miknaitis, Gajus; Munn, Jeffrey A.; Nichol, Robert; Okamura, Sadanori; Pier, Jeffrey R.; Prada, Francisco; Richards, Gordon T.; Szalay, Alex; York, Donald G.

2001-12-01

We present the results from a survey of i-dropout objects selected from ~1550 deg2 of multicolor imaging data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to search for luminous quasars at z>~5.8. Objects with i*-z*>2.2 and z*0.90. The ARC 3.5 m spectrum of SDSSp J103027.10+052455.0 shows that over a range of ~300 Å immediately blueward of the Lyα emission, the average transmitted flux is only 0.003+/-0.020 times that of the continuum level, consistent with zero flux over a ~300 Å range of the Lyα forest region and suggesting a tentative detection of the complete Gunn-Peterson trough. The existence of strong metal lines in the quasar spectra suggests early metal enrichment in the quasar environment. The three new objects, together with the previously published z=5.8 quasar SDSSp J104433.04-012502.2, form a complete color-selected flux-limited sample at z>~5.8. We estimate the selection function of this sample, taking into account the estimated variations in the quasar spectral energy distribution, as well as observational photometric errors. We find that at z=6, the comoving density of luminous quasars at M1450Canada), CONICYT (Chile), the Australian Research Council (Australia), CNPq (Brazil), and CONICET (Argentina) on observations obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation; on observations obtained at the German-Spanish Astronomical Centre, Calar Alto Observatory, operated by the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, jointly with the Spanish National Commission for Astronomy; and on observations obtained at UKIRT, which is operated by the Joint Astronomy Centre on behalf of the UK Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council.

Using Quasars as Standard Candles for Studying Dark Energy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Denney, Kelly D.; Vestergaard, Marianne; Watson, D.

2012-01-01

, which relies on the technique of reverberation mapping to measure time delays between the quasar continuum and emission line variability signatures. Measuring this time delay effectively measures the radius between the central source and the emission-line gas. The emission line gas is photo-ionized...... by the continuum photons, and the radius to this emission-line region scales tightly with the nuclear luminosity - a consequence of the photoionization physics responsible for regulating the production of line-emitting photons. Hence, measuring the radius of the emission-line gas provides a measure...

A Polarimetric Search for Hidden Quasars in Three Radio-selected Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tran, H.D.; Brotherton, M.S.; Stanford, S.A.; Breugel, W. van; Dey, A.; Stern, D.; Antonucci, R.

1999-01-01

We have carried out a spectropolarimetric search for hidden broad-line quasars in three ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) discovered in the positional correlations between sources detected in deep radio surveys and the IRAS Faint Source Catalog. Only the high-ionization Seyfert 2 galaxy TF J1736+1122 is highly polarized, displaying a broad-line spectrum visible in polarized light. The other two objects, TF J1020+6436 and FF J1614+3234, display spectra dominated by a population of young (A type) stars similar to those of open-quotes E+Aclose quotes galaxies. They are unpolarized, showing no sign of hidden broad-line regions. The presence of young starburst components in all three galaxies indicates that the ULIRG phenomenon encompasses both active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and starburst activity, but the most energetic ULIRGs do not necessarily harbor open-quotes buried quasars.close quotes We find that a luminous infrared galaxy is most likely to host an obscured quasar if it exhibits a high-ionization ([O iii] λ5007/Hβ approx-gt 5) spectrum typical of a 'classic' Seyfert 2 galaxy with little or no Balmer absorption lines, is 'ultraluminous' (L IR approx-gt 10 12 L circle-dot ), and has a 'warm' IR color (f 25 /f 60 approx-gt 0.25). The detection of hidden quasars in this group but not in the low-ionization, starburst-dominated ULIRGs (classified as LINERs or H ii galaxies) may indicate an evolutionary connection, with the latter being found in younger systems. copyright copyright 1999. The American Astronomical Society

Balıklarda Sperm Kalitesine Yağ Asitlerinin Etkisi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayşe Gül HARLIOĞLU

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Kontrollü şartlar altında balık üretimini gerçekleştirebilmek için damızlık olarak kullanılmaları amaçlanan balıklarda sperm kalitesi büyük önem taşımaktadır. Sperm kalitesi üzerinde etkili olan ve üreme fizyolojisini etkileyen en önemli faktörler arasında ise anaç erkek balıkların beslenmeleri gelmektedir. Yapılan araştırmalar sonucunda; tatlı su balıklarında spermada n-3 serisi doymamış yağ asitleri ve linoleik asidin yemlerde azalması ile sperm motilitesinin azaldığı belirlenmiştir. Bununla birlikte, birçok deniz balığında spermadaki linolenik yağ asidinin spermanın kalitesini yükselttiği, kısırlığı giderdiği ve sperma fonksiyonlarını düzenlediği gözlemlenmiştir. Ayrıca, yağ asitlerinin spermanın kısa süreli muhafazasında canlı kalma süresini uzattığı, sperm motilitesi ile fertiliteye pozitif etkisi olduğu bulunmuştur. Bununla birlikte, balıklarda seminal sıvıda kalite ve miktar konusunda yapılan araştırmalarda ise lipidlerin spermadabulunan büyük kompanentler olduğu ve seminal sıvıdaki lipidlerin anaç balıkların beslenmeleriyle etkilendiği belirlenmiştir. Diğer taraftan, diyette bulunan farklı düzeylerde eikosapentaenoik asit (EPA ve araşidonik asit (AA döllenme oranını etkileyebilmektedir. Spermada bulunan yağ asitlerinin, anaç balıkların diyetlerinde bulunan esansiyel yağ asitleri düzeylerine bağlı olduğu da bildirilmiştir. Sonuç olarak; beslenmenin gamet kalitesi üzerinde önemli etkilerinin olduğu görülmektedir. Anaç balıkların çoklu doymamış yağ asitlerini, özellikle linolenik yağ asidi, EPA, AA ve dokosaheksaenoik asit (DHA içeren diyetlerle beslenmesi sperma kalitesini ve döllenme oranını önemli oranda artırmaktadır. Anaç balıkların farklı besin maddeleriylebeslenmesi ve besinlerin üreme verimi üzerindeki etkileri konusundaki gelişmelerin izlenilmesi, bu yeniliklerin takip edilip ülkemiz ko

THE PROPERTIES OF QUASAR HOSTS AT THE PEAK OF THE QUASAR ACTIVITY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kotilainen, Jari K.; Falomo, Renato; Decarli, Roberto; Treves, Aldo; Uslenghi, Michela; Scarpa, Riccardo

2009-01-01

We present near-infrared imaging obtained with ESO VLT/ISAAC of a sample of 16 low luminosity radio-quiet quasars (RQQs) at the epoch around the peak of the quasar activity (2 2. The luminosity trend with a cosmic epoch resembles that observed for massive inactive galaxies, suggesting a similar star formation history. In particular, both quasar host galaxies and massive inactive galaxies appear mostly assembled already at the peak age of the quasar activity. This result is of key importance for testing the models of joint formation and evolution of galaxies and their active nuclei.

Radio structure in quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barthel, P.D.

1984-01-01

In this thesis, observational attention is given to the extended extragalactic radio sources associated with quasars. The isolated compact radio sources, often identified with quasars, are only included in the discussions. Three aspects of the radio structure in quasars and their cosmic evolution are considered: a study of the parsec scale morphology in quasar cores, in relation to the extended morphologies; an investigation of possible epoch dependent hotspot properties as well as a more detailed investigation of this fine scale structure; a VLA project was carried out to obtain morphological information on scales of 0.5 arcsec on high redshift quasars and to investigate possible epoch dependent morphological properties. MERLIN observations at 0.1 arcsec resolution to supplement the VLA data were initiated. (Auth.)

Quasars in the 4D Eigenvector 1 Context: a stroll down memory lane

Science.gov (United States)

Sulentic, Jack; Marziani, Paola

2015-10-01

Recently some pessimism has been expressed about our lack of progress in understanding quasars over more than fifty year since their discovery. It is worthwhile to look back at some of the progress that has been made - but still lies under the radar - perhaps because few people are working on optical/UV spectroscopy in this field. Great advances in understanding quasar phenomenology have emerged using eigenvector techniques. The 4D eigenvector 1 context provides a surrogate H-R Diagram for quasars with a source main sequence driven by Eddington ratio convolved with line-of-sight orientation. Appreciating the striking differences between quasars at opposite ends of the main sequence (so-called population A and B sources) opens the door towards a unified model of quasar physics, geometry and kinematics. We present a review of some of the progress that has been made over the past 15 years, and point out unsolved issues.

Quasars in the 4D Eigenvector 1 Context: a stroll down memory lane

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jack W. Sulentic

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Recently some pessimism has been expressed about our lack of progress in understanding quasars over more than fifty year since their discovery. It is worthwhile to look back at some of the progress that has been made – but still lies under the radar – perhaps because few people are working on optical/UV spectroscopy in this field. Great advances in understanding quasar phenomenology have emerged using eigenvector techniques. The 4D eigenvector 1 context provides a surrogate H-R Diagram for quasars with a source main sequence driven by Eddington ratio convolved with line-of-sight orientation. Appreciating the striking differences between quasars at opposite ends of the main sequence (so-called population A and B sources opens the door towards a unified model of quasar physics, geometry and kinematics. We present a review of some of the progress that has been made over the past 15 years, and point out unsolved issues.

Quasars in the 4D eigenvector 1 context: a stroll down memory lane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sulentic, Jack W.; Marziani, Paola

2015-01-01

Recently some pessimism has been expressed about our lack of progress in understanding quasars over the 50+ year since their discovery (Antonucci, 2013). It is worthwhile to look back at some of the progress that has been made—but still lies under the radar—perhaps because few people are working on optical/UV spectroscopy in this field. Great advances in understanding quasar phenomenology have emerged using eigenvector techniques. The 4D eigenvector 1 context provides a surrogate H-R Diagram for quasars with a source main sequence driven by Eddington ratio convolved with line-of-sight orientation. Appreciating the striking differences between quasars at opposite ends of the main sequence (so-called population A and B sources) opens the door toward a unified model of quasar physics, geometry and kinematics. We present a review of some of the progress that has been made over the past 15 years, and point out unsolved issues.

Quasars in the 4D eigenvector 1 context: a stroll down memory lane

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sulentic, Jack W. [Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Granada (Spain); Marziani, Paola, E-mail: paola.marziani@oapd.inaf.it [Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Padova (Italy)

2015-10-13

Recently some pessimism has been expressed about our lack of progress in understanding quasars over the 50+ year since their discovery (Antonucci, 2013). It is worthwhile to look back at some of the progress that has been made—but still lies under the radar—perhaps because few people are working on optical/UV spectroscopy in this field. Great advances in understanding quasar phenomenology have emerged using eigenvector techniques. The 4D eigenvector 1 context provides a surrogate H-R Diagram for quasars with a source main sequence driven by Eddington ratio convolved with line-of-sight orientation. Appreciating the striking differences between quasars at opposite ends of the main sequence (so-called population A and B sources) opens the door toward a unified model of quasar physics, geometry and kinematics. We present a review of some of the progress that has been made over the past 15 years, and point out unsolved issues.

Selecting Cells for Bioartificial Liver Devices and the Importance of a 3D Culture Environment: A Functional Comparison between the HepaRG and C3A Cell Lines.

Science.gov (United States)

van Wenum, Martien; Adam, Aziza A A; Hakvoort, Theodorus B M; Hendriks, Erik J; Shevchenko, Valery; van Gulik, Thomas M; Chamuleau, Robert A F M; Hoekstra, Ruurdtje

2016-01-01

Recently, the first clinical trials on Bioartificial Livers (BALs) loaded with a proliferative human hepatocyte cell source have started. There are two cell lines that are currently in an advanced state of BAL development; HepaRG and HepG2/C3A. In this study we aimed to compare both cell lines on applicability in BALs and to identify possible strategies for further improvement. We tested both cell lines in monolayer- and BAL cultures on growth characteristics, hepatic differentiation, nitrogen-, carbohydrate-, amino acid- and xenobiotic metabolism. Interestingly, both cell lines adapted the hepatocyte phenotype more closely when cultured in BALs; e.g. monolayer cultures produced lactate, while BAL cultures showed diminished lactate production (C3A) or conversion to elimination (HepaRG), and urea cycle activity increased upon BAL culturing in both cell lines. HepaRG-BALs outperformed C3A-BALs on xenobiotic metabolism, ammonia elimination and lactate elimination, while protein synthesis was comparable. In BAL cultures of both cell lines ammonia elimination correlated positively with glutamine production and glutamate consumption, suggesting ammonia elimination was mainly driven by the balance between glutaminase and glutamine synthetase activity. Both cell lines lacked significant urea cycle activity and both required multiple culture weeks before reaching optimal differentiation in BALs. In conclusion, culturing in BALs enhanced hepatic functionality of both cell lines and from these, the HepaRG cells are the most promising proliferative cell source for BAL application.

Distribution in depth of quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, M.; Green, R.F.

1980-01-01

The authors discuss the distribution in depth of different kinds of quasars: quasi-stellar radio sources with steep radio spectrum, those with flat radio spectrum, and optically selected quasars. All exhibit an increase of space density with distance to a different degree. The optically selected quasars, in particular, show a steep increase of surface density with magnitude. The steepness of the increase is inconsistent with a uniform distribution of quasars in the local hypothesis. In the cosmological hypothesis the co-moving space density of optically selected quasars increases by a factor of 100,000 to a redshift of 2, and by factors of 1000 and 10 for steep-spectrum and flat-spectrum radio quasars, respectively. (Auth.)

Quasar Absorption Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Mushotzky, Richard (Technical Monitor); Elvis, Martin

2004-01-01

The aim of the proposal is to investigate the absorption properties of a sample of inter-mediate redshift quasars. The main goals of the project are: Measure the redshift and the column density of the X-ray absorbers; test the correlation between absorption and redshift suggested by ROSAT and ASCA data; constrain the absorber ionization status and metallicity; constrain the absorber dust content and composition through the comparison between the amount of X-ray absorption and optical dust extinction. Unanticipated low energy cut-offs where discovered in ROSAT spectra of quasars and confirmed by ASCA, BeppoSAX and Chandra. In most cases it was not possible to constrain adequately the redshift of the absorber from the X-ray data alone. Two possibilities remain open: a) absorption at the quasar redshift; and b) intervening absorption. The evidences in favour of intrinsic absorption are all indirect. Sensitive XMM observations can discriminate between these different scenarios. If the absorption is at the quasar redshift we can study whether the quasar environment evolves with the Cosmic time.

DISCOVERY OF A FAINT QUASAR AT z ∼ 6 AND IMPLICATIONS FOR COSMIC REIONIZATION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Yongjung; Im, Myungshin; Jeon, Yiseul; Choi, Changsu; Hong, Jueun; Hyun, Minhee; Jun, Hyunsung David; Kim, Dohyeong; Kim, Duho; Kim, Jae-Woo; Lee, Seong-Kook; Taak, Yoon Chan; Yoon, Yongmin [Center for the Exploration of the Origin of the Universe (CEOU), Building 45, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Minjin; Park, Won-Kee [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Daejeon 305-348 (Korea, Republic of); Karouzos, Marios [Astronomy Program, FPRD, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Ji Hoon [Subaru Telescope, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 650 North A’ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720 (United States); Pak, Soojong, E-mail: yjkim@astro.snu.ac.kr, E-mail: mim@astro.snu.ac.kr [School of Space Research and Institute of Natural Sciences, Kyung Hee University, 1732 Deogyeong-daero, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 446-701 (Korea, Republic of)

2015-11-10

Recent studies suggest that faint active galactic nuclei may be responsible for the reionization of the universe. Confirmation of this scenario requires spectroscopic identification of faint quasars (M{sub 1450} > −24 mag) at z ≳ 6, but only a very small number of such quasars have been spectroscopically identified so far. Here, we report the discovery of a faint quasar IMS J220417.92+011144.8 at z ∼ 6 in a 12.5 deg{sup 2} region of the SA22 field of the Infrared Medium-deep Survey (IMS). The spectrum of the quasar shows a sharp break at ∼8443 Å, with emission lines redshifted to z = 5.944 ± 0.002 and rest-frame ultraviolet continuum magnitude M{sub 1450} = −23.59 ± 0.10 AB mag. The discovery of IMS J220417.92+011144.8 is consistent with the expected number of quasars at z ∼ 6 estimated from quasar luminosity functions based on previous observations of spectroscopically identified low-luminosity quasars. This suggests that the number of M{sub 1450} ∼ −23 mag quasars at z ∼ 6 may not be high enough to fully account for the reionization of the universe. In addition, our study demonstrates that faint quasars in the early universe can be identified effectively with a moderately wide and deep near-infrared survey such as the IMS.

The luminosity function of quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Pei, Yichuan C.

1995-01-01

We propose a new evolutionary model for the optical luminosity function of quasars. Our analytical model is derived from fits to the empirical luminosity function estimated by Hartwick and Schade and Warren, Hewett, and Osmer on the basis of more than 1200 quasars over the range of redshifts 0 approximately less than z approximately less than 4.5. We find that the evolution of quasars over this entire redshift range can be well fitted by a Gaussian distribution, while the shape of the luminosity function can be well fitted by either a double power law or an exponential L(exp 1/4) law. The predicted number counts of quasars, as a function of either apparent magnitude or redshift, are fully consistent with the observed ones. Our model indicates that the evolution of quasars reaches its maximum at z approximately = 2.8 and declines at higher redshifts. An extrapolation of the evolution to z approximately greater than 4.5 implies that quasars may have started their cosmic fireworks at z(sub f) approximately = 5.2-5.5. Forthcoming surveys of quasars at these redshifts will be critical to constrain the epoch of quasar formation. All the results we derived are based on observed quasars and are therefore subject to the bias of obscuration by dust in damped Ly alpha systems. Future surveys of these absorption systems at z approximately greater than 3 will also be important if the formation epoch of quasars is to be known unambiguously.

Spectrophotometry of six broad absorption line QSOs

Science.gov (United States)

Junkkarinen, Vesa T.; Burbidge, E. Margaret; Smith, Harding E.

1987-01-01

Spectrophotometric observations of six broad absorption-line QSOs (BALQSOs) are presented. The continua and emission lines are compared with those in the spectra of QSOs without BALs. A statistically significant difference is found in the emission-line intensity ratio for (N V 1240-A)/(C IV 1549-A). The median value of (N V)/(C IV) for the BALQSOs is two to three times the median for QSOs without BALs. The absorption features of the BALQSOs are described, and the column densities and limits on the ionization structure of the BAL region are discussed. If the dominant ionization mechanism is photoionization, then it is likely that either the ionizing spectrum is steep or the abundances are considerably different from solar. Collisional ionization may be a significant factor, but it cannot totally dominate the ionization rate.

Concepto de armas de fuego y balística

OpenAIRE

Colmenero Gil del Avalle, Jesús

2014-01-01

Se aborda el concepto de balística forense.Así como las ramas fundamentales en que se divide la ciencia balística: interna, externa, de efectos y comparativa o identificativa. El arma de fuego y su clasificación. Se explica en que consiste los troqueles de las armas, el calibre del arma y de la bala.La cartucheria, el estudio de los componentes del cartucho. Nomenclatura de los cartuchos. Finalmente se aborda la balística externa, trayectoria y distancia de un disparo. Universidad de Málag...

The Ultraluminous X-Ray Source X-37 Is a Background Quasar in the Antennae Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, D. M.; Christopher, M. H.; Eikenberry, S. S.; Brandl, B. R.; Wilson, J. C.; Carson, J. C.; Henderson, C. P.; Hayward, T. L.; Barry, D. J.; Ptak, A. F.; Colbert, E. J. M.

2005-10-01

In this Letter we report that a bright, X-ray source in the Antennae galaxies (NGC 4038/9), previously identified as an ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX), is in fact a background quasar. We identify an isolated infrared and optical counterpart within 0.3" +/- 0.5" of the X-ray source X-37. After acquiring an optical spectrum of its counterpart, we use the narrow [O III] and broad Hα emission lines to identify X-37 as a quasar at a redshift of z=0.26. Through a U, V, and Ks photometric analysis, we demonstrate that most of the observable light along this line of sight is from the quasar. We discuss the implications of this discovery and the importance of acquiring spectra for optical and IR counterparts to ULXs.

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Catalog. 3. Third data release

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schneider, Donald P.; Hall, Patrick B.; Richards, Gordon T.; Vanden Berk, Daniel E.; Anderson, Scott F.; Fan, Xiao-Hui; Jester, Sebastian; Stoughton, Chris; Strauss,; SubbaRao, Mark; Brandt, W.N.; Gunn, James E.; Yanny, Brian; Bahcall, Neta A.; Barentine, J.C.; Blanton, Michael R.; Boroski, William N.; Brewington, Howard J.; Brinkmann, J.; Brunner, Robert; Csabai, Istvan; /Penn State U., Astron. Astrophys. /York U., Canada /Princeton U. Observ. /Washington U., Seattle, Astron. Dept. /Arizona U.,

2005-03-01

We present the third edition of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Quasar Catalog. The catalog consists of the 46,420 objects in the SDSS Third Data Release that have luminosities larger than M{sub i} = -22 (in a cosmology with H{sub 0} = 70 km s{sup -1} Mpc{sup -1}, {Omega}{sub M} = 0.3, and {Omega}{sub {Lambda}} = 0.7), have at least one emission line with FWHM larger than 1000 km s{sup -1} or are unambiguously broad absorption line quasars, are fainter than i = 15.0, and have highly reliable redshifts. The area covered by the catalog is {approx} 4188 deg{sup 2}. The quasar redshifts range from 0.08 to 5.41, with a median value of 1.47; the high-redshift sample includes 520 quasars at redshifts greater than four, of which 17 are at redshifts greater than five. For each object the catalog presents positions accurate to better than 0.2'' rms per coordinate, five-band (ugriz) CCD-based photometry with typical accuracy of 0.03 mag, and information on the morphology and selection method. The catalog also contains radio, near-infrared, and X-ray emission properties of the quasars, when available, from other large-area surveys. The calibrated digital spectra cover the wavelength region 3800-9200 at a spectral resolution of {approx} 2000; the spectra can be retrieved from the public database using the information provided in the catalog. A total of 44,221 objects in the catalog were discovered by the SDSS; 28,400 of the SDSS discoveries are reported here for the first time.

Hunting for Intrinsically X-ray Weak Quasars: The Case of PHL 1811 Analogs

Science.gov (United States)

Brandt, William

2009-09-01

A central dogma of X-ray astronomy is that luminous X-ray emission is a universal property of efficiently accreting supermassive black holes. One interesting challenge to this idea has come from the quasar PHL 1811 which appears to be intrinsically X-ray weak and also has distinctive emission-line properties. We propose to observe a sample of eight SDSS quasars, selected to have similar UV emission-line properties to that of PHL 1811, to test if they are also X-ray weak. Our analyses of the currently available X-ray data appear to support this hypothesis but do not provide a proper test. Our results will have implications for the nature of accretion-disk coronae, emission-line formation, and AGN selection.

SIMULTANEOUS ULTRAVIOLET AND OPTICAL EMISSION-LINE PROFILES OF QUASARS: IMPLICATIONS FOR BLACK HOLE MASS DETERMINATION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ho, Luis C.; Dong Xiaobo; Goldoni, Paolo; Ponti, Gabriele; Greene, Jenny E.

2012-01-01

The X-shooter instrument on the Very Large Telescope was used to obtain spectra of seven moderate-redshift quasars simultaneously covering the spectral range ∼3000 Å to 2.5 μm. At z ≈ 1.5, most of the prominent broad emission lines in the ultraviolet to optical region are captured in their rest frame. We use this unique data set, which mitigates complications from source variability, to intercompare the line profiles of C IV λ1549, C III] λ1909, Mg II λ2800, and Hα and evaluate their implications for black hole (BH) mass estimation. We confirm that Mg II and the Balmer lines share similar kinematics and that they deliver mutually consistent BH mass estimates with minimal internal scatter (∼<0.1 dex) using the latest virial mass estimators. Although no virial mass formalism has yet been calibrated for C III], this line does not appear promising for such an application because of the large spread of its velocity width compared to lines of both higher and lower ionization; part of the discrepancy may be due to the difficulty of deblending C III] from its neighboring lines. The situation for C IV is complex and, because of the limited statistics of our small sample, inconclusive. On the one hand, slightly more than half of our sample (4/7) have C IV line widths that correlate reasonably well with Hα line widths, and their respective BH mass estimates agree to within ∼0.15 dex. The rest, on the other hand, exhibit exceptionally broad C IV profiles that overestimate virial masses by factors of 2-5 compared to Hα. As C IV is widely used to study BH demographics at high redshifts, we urgently need to revisit our analysis with a larger sample.

Sunyaev–Zel’Dovich Signal from Quasar Hosts: Implications for Detection of Quasar Feedback

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chowdhury, Dhruba Dutta; Chatterjee, Suchetana, E-mail: dhruba.duttachowdhury@yale.edu [Department of Physics, Presidency University, Kolkata, 700073 (India)

2017-04-10

Several analytic and numerical studies have indicated that the interstellar medium of a quasar host galaxy heated by feedback can contribute to a substantial secondary signal in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) through the thermal Sunyaev–Zel’dovich (SZ) effect. Recently, many groups have tried to detect this signal by cross-correlating CMB maps with quasar catalogs. Using a self-similar model for the gas in the intra-cluster medium and a realistic halo occupation distribution (HOD) prescription for quasars, we estimate the level of SZ signal from gravitational heating of quasar hosts. The bias in the host halo signal estimation due to an unconstrained high mass HOD tail and yet unknown redshift dependence of the quasar HOD restricts us from drawing any robust conclusions at low redshift ( z < 1.5) from our analysis. However, at higher redshifts ( z > 2.5), we find an excess signal in recent observations than what is predicted from our model. The excess signal could be potentially generated from additional heating due to quasar feedback.

Sunyaev–Zel’Dovich Signal from Quasar Hosts: Implications for Detection of Quasar Feedback

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chowdhury, Dhruba Dutta; Chatterjee, Suchetana

2017-01-01

Several analytic and numerical studies have indicated that the interstellar medium of a quasar host galaxy heated by feedback can contribute to a substantial secondary signal in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) through the thermal Sunyaev–Zel’dovich (SZ) effect. Recently, many groups have tried to detect this signal by cross-correlating CMB maps with quasar catalogs. Using a self-similar model for the gas in the intra-cluster medium and a realistic halo occupation distribution (HOD) prescription for quasars, we estimate the level of SZ signal from gravitational heating of quasar hosts. The bias in the host halo signal estimation due to an unconstrained high mass HOD tail and yet unknown redshift dependence of the quasar HOD restricts us from drawing any robust conclusions at low redshift ( z < 1.5) from our analysis. However, at higher redshifts ( z > 2.5), we find an excess signal in recent observations than what is predicted from our model. The excess signal could be potentially generated from additional heating due to quasar feedback.

The large-scale quasar-Lyman α forest cross-correlation from BOSS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Font-Ribera, Andreu [Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich (Switzerland); Arnau, Eduard [Institut de Ciències del Cosmos (IEEC/UB), Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain); Miralda-Escudé, Jordi, E-mail: font@physik.uzh.ch, E-mail: edu.arnau.lazaro@gmail.com, E-mail: miralda@icc.ub.edu [Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain); and others

2013-05-01

We measure the large-scale cross-correlation of quasars with the Lyα forest absorption in redshift space, using ∼ 60000 quasar spectra from Data Release 9 (DR9) of the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS). The cross-correlation is detected over a wide range of scales, up to comoving separations r of 80 h{sup −1}Mpc. For r > 15 h{sup −1}Mpc, we show that the cross-correlation is well fitted by the linear theory prediction for the mean overdensity around a quasar host halo in the standard ΛCDM model, with the redshift distortions indicative of gravitational evolution detected at high confidence. Using previous determinations of the Lyα forest bias factor obtained from the Lyα autocorrelation, we infer the quasar bias factor to be b{sub q} = 3.64{sup +0.13}{sub −0.15} at a mean redshift z = 2.38, in agreement with previous measurements from the quasar auto-correlation. We also obtain a new estimate of the Lyα forest redshift distortion factor, β{sub F} = 1.1±0.15, slightly larger than but consistent with the previous measurement from the Lyα forest autocorrelation. The simple linear model we use fails at separations r < 15h{sup −1}Mpc, and we show that this may reasonably be due to the enhanced ionization due to radiation from the quasars. We also provide the expected correction that the mass overdensity around the quasar implies for measurements of the ionizing radiation background from the line-of-sight proximity effect.

The large-scale quasar-Lyman α forest cross-correlation from BOSS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Font-Ribera, Andreu; Arnau, Eduard; Miralda-Escudé, Jordi

2013-01-01

We measure the large-scale cross-correlation of quasars with the Lyα forest absorption in redshift space, using ∼ 60000 quasar spectra from Data Release 9 (DR9) of the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS). The cross-correlation is detected over a wide range of scales, up to comoving separations r of 80 h −1 Mpc. For r > 15 h −1 Mpc, we show that the cross-correlation is well fitted by the linear theory prediction for the mean overdensity around a quasar host halo in the standard ΛCDM model, with the redshift distortions indicative of gravitational evolution detected at high confidence. Using previous determinations of the Lyα forest bias factor obtained from the Lyα autocorrelation, we infer the quasar bias factor to be b q = 3.64 +0.13 −0.15 at a mean redshift z = 2.38, in agreement with previous measurements from the quasar auto-correlation. We also obtain a new estimate of the Lyα forest redshift distortion factor, β F = 1.1±0.15, slightly larger than but consistent with the previous measurement from the Lyα forest autocorrelation. The simple linear model we use fails at separations r −1 Mpc, and we show that this may reasonably be due to the enhanced ionization due to radiation from the quasars. We also provide the expected correction that the mass overdensity around the quasar implies for measurements of the ionizing radiation background from the line-of-sight proximity effect

Bal, Dr Dattatreya Vaman

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Fellowship. Fellow Profile. Elected: 1943 Section: Animal Sciences. Bal, Dr Dattatreya Vaman Ph.D. (Liverpool). Date of birth: 25 August 1905. Date of death: 1 April 1999. Specialization: Marine Zoology, Oceanography. Fisheries and Aquaculture Last known address: 104, Swaroop Complex, Karve Road, Pune 411 ...

SDSS QUASARS IN THE WISE PRELIMINARY DATA RELEASE AND QUASAR CANDIDATE SELECTION WITH OPTICAL/INFRARED COLORS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Xuebing; Hao Guoqiang; Jia Zhendong; Zhang Yanxia; Peng Nanbo

2012-01-01

We present a catalog of 37,842 quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 7, which have counterparts within 6'' in the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) Preliminary Data Release. The overall WISE detection rate of the SDSS quasars is 86.7%, and it decreases to less than 50.0% when the quasar magnitude is fainter than i = 20.5. We derive the median color-redshift relations based on this SDSS-WISE quasar sample and apply them to estimate the photometric redshifts of the SDSS-WISE quasars. We find that by adding the WISE W1- and W2-band data to the SDSS photometry we can increase the photometric redshift reliability, defined as the percentage of sources with photometric and spectroscopic redshift difference less than 0.2, from 70.3% to 77.2%. We also obtain the samples of WISE-detected normal and late-type stars with SDSS spectroscopy, and present a criterion in the z – W1 versus g – z color-color diagram, z – W1 > 0.66(g – z) + 2.01, to separate quasars from stars. With this criterion we can recover 98.6% of 3089 radio-detected SDSS-WISE quasars with redshifts less than four and overcome the difficulty in selecting quasars with redshifts between 2.2 and 3 from SDSS photometric data alone. We also suggest another criterion involving the WISE color only, W1 – W2 > 0.57, to efficiently separate quasars with redshifts less than 3.2 from stars. In addition, we compile a catalog of 5614 SDSS quasars detected by both WISE and UKIDSS surveys and present their color-redshift relations in the optical and infrared bands. By using the SDSS ugriz, UKIDSS, YJHK, and WISE W1- and W2-band photometric data, we can efficiently select quasar candidates and increase the photometric redshift reliability up to 87.0%. We discuss the implications of our results on the future quasar surveys. An updated SDSS-WISE quasar catalog consisting of 101,853 quasars with the recently released WISE all-sky data is also provided.

Emission-line galaxies and quasars in the southern hemisphere. I. Description and applications of an objective-prism survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, M.G.

1975-01-01

A selection of objects from the first plates of a low-dispersion, objective-prism survey for emission-line galaxies and quasars is used to illustrate the application of the survey to the following lines of research in extragalactic astronomy: quasi-stellar objects, Seyfert galaxies, instabilities in galaxies produced by tidal interaction or explosive events, and rates of star formation and the general chemical evolution of galaxies. Included in the discussion is a description of how the survey provides a new, purely optical, color-independent method for the direct isolation of bright, high-redshift QSOs with strong emission lines (Lα is often directly visible on the Schmidt-survey plates). The newly discovered objects used for illustration are a radio-quiet QSO of redshift 2.07, a luminous, class 2 Seyfert galaxy, a compact blue emission-line galaxy with a jet or streamer, yet with no obvious interacting companion, and a blue galaxy with Hβ flux 50 times that of 30 Doradus, and low metal abundances, which is undergoing a very intense burst of star formation. These objects are to be discussed in greater detail in subsequent papers in this series

The Extremely Luminous Quasar Survey (ELQS) in SDSS and the high-z bright-end Quasar Luminosity Function

Science.gov (United States)

Schindler, Jan-Torge; Fan, Xiaohui; McGreer, Ian

2018-01-01

Studies of the most luminous quasars at high redshift directly probe the evolution of the most massive black holes in the early Universe and their connection to massive galaxy formation. Unfortunately, extremely luminous quasars at high redshift are very rare objects. Only wide area surveys have a chance to constrain their population. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) nd the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) have so far provided the most widely adopted measurements of the type I quasar luminosity function (QLF) at z>3. However, a careful re-examination of the SDSS quasar sample revealed that the SDSS quasar selection is in fact missing a significant fraction of $z~3$ quasars at the brightest end.We have identified the purely optical color selection of SDSS, where quasars at these redshifts are strongly contaminated by late-type dwarfs, and the spectroscopic incompleteness of the SDSS footprint as the main reasons. Therefore we have designed the Extremely Luminous Quasar Survey (ELQS), based on a novel near-infrared JKW2 color cut using WISE AllWISE and 2MASS all-sky photometry, to yield high completeness for very bright (i < 18.0) quasars in the redshift range of 2.8<= z<=5.0. It effectively uses Random Forest machine-learning algorithms on SDSS and WISE photometry for quasar-star classification and photometric redshift estimation.The ELQS is spectroscopically following up ~230 new quasar candidates in an area of ~12000 deg2 in the SDSS footprint, to obtain a well-defined and complete quasar sample for an accurate measurement of the bright-end quasar luminosity function (QLF) at 2.8<= z<=5.0. So far the ELQS has identified 75 bright new quasars in this redshift range and observations of the fall sky will continue until the end of the year. At the AAS winter meeting we will present the full spectroscopic results of the survey, including a re-estimation and extension of the high-z QLF toward higher luminosities.

Gravitational lensing of quasars

CERN Document Server

Eigenbrod, Alexander

2013-01-01

The universe, in all its richness, diversity and complexity, is populated by a myriad of intriguing celestial objects. Among the most exotic of them are gravitationally lensed quasars. A quasar is an extremely bright nucleus of a galaxy, and when such an object is gravitationally lensed, multiple images of the quasar are produced – this phenomenon of cosmic mirage can provide invaluable insights on burning questions, such as the nature of dark matter and dark energy. After presenting the basics of modern cosmology, the book describes active galactic nuclei, the theory of gravitational lensing, and presents a particular numerical technique to improve the resolution of astronomical data. The book then enters the heart of the subject with the description of important applications of gravitational lensing of quasars, such as the measurement of the famous Hubble constant, the determination of the dark matter distribution in galaxies, and the observation of the mysterious inner parts of quasars with much higher r...

THE COMPOSITE SPECTRUM OF BOSS QUASARS SELECTED FOR STUDIES OF THE Ly α FOREST

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harris, David W.; Jensen, Trey W.; Bautista, Julian E.; Dawson, Kyle S.; Vivek, M.; Brownstein, Joel R.; Olmstead, Matthew D. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 (United States); Suzuki, Nao [Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, 277-8583 (Japan); Ge, Jian; Hamann, Fred; Herbst, H. [Department of Astronomy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-2055 (United States); Jiang, Linhua [Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Moran, Sarah E. [Barnard College, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Myers, Adam D. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071 (United States); Schneider, Donald P., E-mail: davidharris314@gmail.com [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States)

2016-06-01

The Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) has collected more than 150,000 2.1 ≤  z  ≤ 3.5 quasar spectra since 2009. Using this unprecedented sample, we create a composite spectrum in the rest-frame of 102,150 quasar spectra from 800–3300 Å at a signal-to-noise ratio close to 1000 per pixel (Δ v of 69 km s{sup −1}). Included in this analysis is a correction to account for flux calibration residuals in the BOSS spectrophotometry. We determine the spectral index as a function of redshift of the full sample, warp the composite spectrum to match the median spectral index, and compare the resulting spectrum to Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) photometry used in target selection. The quasar composite matches the color of the quasar population to 0.02 mag in g  −  r , 0.03 mag in r  −  i , and 0.01 mag in i  −  z over the redshift range 2.2 <  z  < 2.6. The composite spectrum deviates from the imaging photometry by 0.05 mag around z = 2.7, likely due to differences in target selection as the quasar colors become similar to the stellar locus at this redshift. Finally, we characterize the line features in the high signal-to-noise composite and identify nine faint lines not found in the previous composite spectrum from SDSS.

Quasars and galactic evolution

CERN Document Server

Woltjer, L

1978-01-01

The evolution of quasars is discussed. It is noted that substantial clustering may be present at faint magnitudes. The relationship between quasar evolution and galactic evolution is considered. (4 refs).

UV-luminous, star-forming hosts of z ˜ 2 reddened quasars in the Dark Energy Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Wethers, C. F.; Banerji, M.; Hewett, P. C.; Lemon, C. A.; McMahon, R. G.; Reed, S. L.; Shen, Y.; Abdalla, F. B.; Benoit-Lévy, A.; Brooks, D.; Buckley-Geer, E.; Capozzi, D.; Carnero Rosell, A.; CarrascoKind, M.; Carretero, J.; Cunha, C. E.; D'Andrea, C. B.; da Costa, L. N.; DePoy, D. L.; Desai, S.; Doel, P.; Flaugher, B.; Fosalba, P.; Frieman, J.; García-Bellido, J.; Gerdes, D. W.; Gruen, D.; Gruendl, R. A.; Gschwend, J.; Gutierrez, G.; Honscheid, K.; James, D. J.; Jeltema, T.; Kuehn, K.; Kuhlmann, S.; Kuropatkin, N.; Lima, M.; Maia, M. A. G.; Marshall, J. L.; Martini, P.; Menanteau, F.; Miquel, R.; Nichol, R. C.; Nord, B.; Plazas, A. A.; Romer, A. K.; Sanchez, E.; Scarpine, V.; Schindler, R.; Schubnell, M.; Sevilla-Noarbe, I.; Smith, M.; Smith, R. C.; Soares-Santos, M.; Sobreira, F.; Suchyta, E.; Tarle, G.; Walker, A. R.

2018-04-01

We present the first rest-frame UV population study of 17 heavily reddened, high-luminosity [E(B - V)QSO ≳ 0.5; Lbol > 1046 erg s-1] broad-line quasars at 1.5 VISTA Hemisphere Survey and UKIDSS Large Area Survey data, from which the reddened quasars were initially identified. We demonstrate that the significant dust reddening towards the quasar in our sample allows host galaxy emission to be detected at the rest-frame UV wavelengths probed by the DES photometry. By exploiting this reddening effect, we disentangle the quasar emission from that of the host galaxy via spectral energy distribution fitting. We find evidence for a relatively unobscured, star-forming host galaxy in at least 10 quasars, with a further three quasars exhibiting emission consistent with either star formation or scattered light. From the rest-frame UV emission, we derive instantaneous, dust-corrected star formation rates (SFRs) in the range 25 < SFRUV < 365 M⊙ yr-1, with an average SFRUV = 130 ± 95 M⊙ yr-1. We find a broad correlation between SFRUV and the bolometric quasar luminosity. Overall, our results show evidence for coeval star formation and black hole accretion occurring in luminous, reddened quasars at the peak epoch of galaxy formation.

Close companions to two high-redshift quasars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McGreer, Ian D.; Fan, Xiaohui; Bian, Fuyan [Steward Observatory, The University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721-0065 (United States); Strauss, Michael A. [Princeton University Observatory, Peyton Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States); Haiman, Zoltàn [Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, 550 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Richards, Gordon T. [Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (United States); Jiang, Linhua [School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287 (United States); Schneider, Donald P., E-mail: imcgreer@as.arizona.edu [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics and the Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States)

2014-10-01

We report the serendipitous discoveries of companion galaxies to two high-redshift quasars. SDSS J025617.7+001904 is a z = 4.79 quasar included in our recent survey of faint quasars in the SDSS Stripe 82 region. The initial MMT slit spectroscopy shows excess Lyα emission extending well beyond the quasar's light profile. Further imaging and spectroscopy with LBT/MODS1 confirms the presence of a bright galaxy (i {sub AB} = 23.6) located 2'' (12 kpc projected) from the quasar with strong Lyα emission (EW{sub 0} ≈ 100 Å) at the redshift of the quasar, as well as faint continuum. The second quasar, CFHQS J005006.6+344522 (z = 6.25), is included in our recent HST SNAP survey of z ∼ 6 quasars searching for evidence of gravitational lensing. Deep imaging with ACS and WFC3 confirms an optical dropout ∼4.5 mag fainter than the quasar (Y {sub AB} = 25) at a separation of 0.''9. The red i {sub 775} – Y {sub 105} color of the galaxy and its proximity to the quasar (5 kpc projected if at the quasar redshift) strongly favor an association with the quasar. Although it is much fainter than the quasar, it is remarkably bright when compared to field galaxies at this redshift, while showing no evidence for lensing. Both systems may represent late-stage mergers of two massive galaxies, with the observed light for one dominated by powerful ongoing star formation and for the other by rapid black hole growth. Observations of close companions are rare; if major mergers are primarily responsible for high-redshift quasar fueling then the phase when progenitor galaxies can be observed as bright companions is relatively short.

The statistics of radio emission from quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peacock, J.A.; Miller, L.; Longair, M.S.; Edinburgh Univ.

1986-01-01

The radio properties of quasars have traditionally been discussed in terms of the radio-to-optical flux-density ratio R, implying a correlation between emission in these wavebands. It is here shown that, for bright quasars, this apparent correlation is largely due to an abrupt change in the radio properties of the quasar population near absolute magnitude Msub(B)=-24. It is suggested that this change in due to the existence of two classes of quasar with differing host galaxies: a proportion of quasars brighter than Msub(B)approx.=-24 lie in elliptical galaxies and thus generate powerful radio sources, while elliptical galaxies with weaker nuclear quasar components are classified as N-galaxies rather than quasars; quasars fainter than Msub(B)approx.=-24 lie in spiral galaxies and thus are high-luminosity analogues of radio-quiet Seyfert galaxies. (author)

The Identification of Z-dropouts in Pan-STARRS1: Three Quasars at 6.5< z< 6.7

Science.gov (United States)

Venemans, B. P.; Bañados, E.; Decarli, R.; Farina, E. P.; Walter, F.; Chambers, K. C.; Fan, X.; Rix, H.-W.; Schlafly, E.; McMahon, R. G.; Simcoe, R.; Stern, D.; Burgett, W. S.; Draper, P. W.; Flewelling, H.; Hodapp, K. W.; Kaiser, N.; Magnier, E. A.; Metcalfe, N.; Morgan, J. S.; Price, P. A.; Tonry, J. L.; Waters, C.; AlSayyad, Y.; Banerji, M.; Chen, S. S.; González-Solares, E. A.; Greiner, J.; Mazzucchelli, C.; McGreer, I.; Miller, D. R.; Reed, S.; Sullivan, P. W.

2015-03-01

Luminous distant quasars are unique probes of the high-redshift intergalactic medium (IGM) and of the growth of massive galaxies and black holes in the early universe. Absorption due to neutral hydrogen in the IGM makes quasars beyond a redshift of z≃ 6.5 very faint in the optical z band, thus locating quasars at higher redshifts requires large surveys that are sensitive above 1 micron. We report the discovery of three new z\\gt 6.5 quasars, corresponding to an age of the universe of \\lt 850 Myr, selected as z-band dropouts in the Pan-STARRS1 survey. This increases the number of known z\\gt 6.5 quasars from four to seven. The quasars have redshifts of z = 6.50, 6.52, and 6.66, and include the brightest z-dropout quasar reported to date, PSO J036.5078 + 03.0498 with {{M}1450}=-27.4. We obtained near-infrared spectroscopy for the quasars, and from the Mg ii line, we estimate that the central black holes have masses between 5 × 108 and 4 × 109 {{M}⊙ } and are accreting close to the Eddington limit ({{L}Bol}/{{L}Edd}=0.13-1.2). We investigate the ionized regions around the quasars and find near-zone radii of {{R}NZ}=1.5-5.2 proper Mpc, confirming the trend of decreasing near-zone sizes with increasing redshift found for quasars at 5.7\\lt z\\lt 6.4. By combining RNZ of the PS1 quasars with those of 5.7\\lt z\\lt 7.1 quasars in the literature, we derive a luminosity-corrected redshift evolution of {{R}NZ,corrected}=(7.2+/- 0.2)-(6.1+/- 0.7)× (z-6) Mpc. However, the large spread in RNZ in the new quasars implies a wide range in quasar ages and/or a large variation in the neutral hydrogen fraction along different lines of sight. Based in part on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory, Chile, programs 179.A-2010, 092.A-0150, 093.A-0863, and 093.A-0574, and at the Centro Astronómico Hispano Alemán (CAHA) at Calar Alto, operated jointly by the Max-Planck Institut für Astronomie and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC). This paper

Fast Molecular Outflows in Luminous Galaxy Mergers: Evidence for Quasar Feedback from Herschel

Science.gov (United States)

Veilleux, S.; Melendez, M.; Sturm, E.; Garcia-Carpio, J.; Fischer, J.; Gonzalez-Alfonso, E.; Contursi, A.; Lutz, D.; Poglitsch, A.; Davies, R.;

Companions of low-redshift radio-quiet quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yee, H.K.C.

1987-01-01

Using imaging data from a relatively complete subset of low-redshift radio-quiet quasars, the frequency of finding associated companion galaxies of the quasars is determined statistically. With an average completeness limit of M/sub r/ of about -19, it is found that about 40 percent of the quasars have at least one close physical companion within a projected distance of 100 kpc. The percentage of quasars with detected companions is consistent with all quasars in the sample having a companion of luminosity brighter than about -16.5 mag. It is estimated that the frequency of finding close companions to quasars is about six times higher than that expected for field galaxies. This frequency is similar to that found for lower-luminosity Seyfert galaxies. The properties of the companions appear to be uncorrelated with the level of activity in the quasars. This suggests that, for radio-quiet quasars, the companions act mainly as triggers of the activity and are probably not a strong determining factor of the detailed properties of the quasars. 28 references

Miliç Irmağı (Terme, Samsun Balık Faunası.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Selma Uğurlu

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Miliç Irmağı’nda yaşayan balık türlerini ortaya çıkarmak amacıyla yapılan bu araştırma, Nisan 2004–Temmuz 2005 tarihleri arasında gerçekleştirilmiştir. Balık örneklerini toplamak amacıyla ırmak boyunca, ırmağın ekolojik karakterlerini temsil eden 7 istasyon belirlenmiştir. Çalışma süresince toplam 286 balık örneği; elektro şok aleti, balık kepçeleri, balık ağları, serpme ve oltalar aracılığıyla yakalanmıştır. Bu çalışmada 5 familyaya ait (Cyprinidae, Mugilidae, Syngnathidae, Blenniidae, Gobiidae 16 tür teşhis edilmiştir

Quenching star formation with quasar outflows launched by trapped IR radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Tiago; Rosdahl, Joakim; Sijacki, Debora; Haehnelt, Martin G.

2018-06-01

We present cosmological radiation-hydrodynamic simulations, performed with the code RAMSES-RT, of radiatively-driven outflows in a massive quasar host halo at z = 6. Our simulations include both single- and multi-scattered radiation pressure on dust from a quasar and are compared against simulations performed with thermal feedback. For radiation pressure-driving, we show that there is a critical quasar luminosity above which a galactic outflow is launched, set by the equilibrium of gravitational and radiation forces. While this critical luminosity is unrealistically high in the single-scattering limit for plausible black hole masses, it is in line with a ≈ 3 × 10^9 M_⊙ black hole accreting at its Eddington limit, if infrared (IR) multi-scattering radiation pressure is included. The outflows are fast (v ≳ 1000 km s^{-1}) and strongly mass-loaded with peak mass outflow rates ≈ 10^3 - 10^4 M_⊙ yr^{-1}, but short-lived (star formation in the bulge. We hence argue that radiation pressure-driven feedback may be an important ingredient in regulating star formation in compact starbursts, especially during the quasar's `obscured' phase.

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Catalog V. Seventh Data Release

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schneider, Donald P.; /Penn State U.; Richards, Gordon T.; /Drexel U.; Hall, Patrick B.; /York U., Canada; Strauss, Michael A.; /Princeton U. Observ.; Anderson, Scott F.; /Washington U., Seattle, Astron. Dept.; Boroson, Todd A.; /Kitt Peak Observ.; Ross, Nicholas P.; /Penn State U.; Shen, Yue; /Princeton U. Observ.; Brandt, W.N.; /Penn State U.; Fan, Xiaohui; /Arizona U., Astron. Dept. - Steward Observ.; Inada, Naohisa; /Wako, RIKEN /Southampton U. /Heidelberg, Max Planck Inst. Astron.

2010-04-01

We present the fifth edition of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Quasar Catalog, which is based upon the SDSS Seventh Data Release. The catalog, which contains 105,783 spectroscopically confirmed quasars, represents the conclusion of the SDSS-I and SDSS-II quasar survey. The catalog consists of the SDSS objects that have luminosities larger than M{sub i} = -22.0 (in a cosmology with H{sub 0} = 70 km s{sup -1} Mpc{sup -1}, {Omega}{sub M} = 0.3, and {Omega}{sub {Lambda}} = 0.7), have at least one emission line with FWHM larger than 1000 km s{sup -1} or have interesting/complex absorption features, are fainter than i {approx} 15.0, and have highly reliable redshifts. The catalog covers an area of {approx} 9380 deg{sup 2}. The quasar redshifts range from 0.065 to 5.46, with a median value of 1.49; the catalog includes 1248 quasars at redshifts greater than 4, of which 56 are at redshifts greater than 5. The catalog contains 9210 quasars with i < 18; slightly over half of the entries have i < 19. For each object the catalog presents positions accurate to better than 0.1-inch rms per coordinate, five-band (ugriz) CCD-based photometry with typical accuracy of 0.03 mag, and information on the morphology and selection method. The catalog also contains radio, near-infrared, and X-ray emission properties of the quasars, when available, from other large-area surveys. The calibrated digital spectra cover the wavelength region 3800-9200 {angstrom} at a spectral resolution of {approx_equal} 2000; the spectra can be retrieved from the SDSS public database using the information provided in the catalog. Over 96% of the objects in the catalog were discovered by the SDSS. We also include a supplemental list of an additional 207 quasars with SDSS spectra whose archive photometric information is incomplete.

New observational constraints on f(T) cosmology from radio quasars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qi, Jing-Zhao; Cao, Shuo; Zhu, Zong-Hong [Beijing Normal University, Department of Astronomy, Beijing (China); Biesiada, Marek; Zheng, Xiaogang [Beijing Normal University, Department of Astronomy, Beijing (China); University of Silesia, Department of Astrophysics and Cosmology, Institute of Physics, Katowice (Poland)

2017-08-15

Using a new recently compiled milliarcsecond compact radio data set of 120 intermediate-luminosity quasars in the redshift range 0.46 < z < 2.76, whose statistical linear sizes show negligible dependence on redshifts and intrinsic luminosity and thus represent standard rulers in cosmology, we constrain three viable and most popular f(T) gravity models, where T is the torsion scalar in teleparallel gravity. Our analysis reveals that constraining power of the quasars data (N = 120) is comparable to the Union2.1 SN Ia data (N = 580) for all three f(T) models. Together with other standard ruler probes such as cosmic microwave background and baryon acoustic oscillation distance measurements, the present value of the matter density parameter Ω{sub m} obtained by quasars is much larger than that derived from other observations. For one of the models considered (f{sub 1}CDM) a small but noticeable deviation from ΛCDM cosmology is present, while in the framework of f{sub 3}CDM the effective equation of state may cross the phantom divide line at lower redshifts. These results indicate that intermediate-luminosity quasars could provide an effective observational probe comparable to SN Ia at much higher redshifts, and f(T) gravity is a reasonable candidate for the modified gravity theory. (orig.)

The statistics of quasar-galaxy separations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, S.

1983-01-01

One of the arguments put forward in favor of physical associations between low redshift galaxies and high redshift quasars is shown to be void. The argument is based on the form of the relationship for 'close' pairs of quasars and galaxies and on the size of their separations. Simple statistical reasoning based on selection effects shows that the relationship for quasar-galaxy pairs is expected if the objects are not physically associated. Further, the actual separations of the closest pairs are in close agreement with those expected given the observed numbers of nearby galaxies and the total number of known quasars. This argument avoids the controversial number density of quasars

Close Companions to Two High-redshift Quasars

Science.gov (United States)

McGreer, Ian D.; Fan, Xiaohui; Strauss, Michael A.; Haiman, Zoltàn; Richards, Gordon T.; Jiang, Linhua; Bian, Fuyan; Schneider, Donald P.

2014-10-01

We report the serendipitous discoveries of companion galaxies to two high-redshift quasars. SDSS J025617.7+001904 is a z = 4.79 quasar included in our recent survey of faint quasars in the SDSS Stripe 82 region. The initial MMT slit spectroscopy shows excess Lyα emission extending well beyond the quasar's light profile. Further imaging and spectroscopy with LBT/MODS1 confirms the presence of a bright galaxy (i AB = 23.6) located 2'' (12 kpc projected) from the quasar with strong Lyα emission (EW0 ≈ 100 Å) at the redshift of the quasar, as well as faint continuum. The second quasar, CFHQS J005006.6+344522 (z = 6.25), is included in our recent HST SNAP survey of z ~ 6 quasars searching for evidence of gravitational lensing. Deep imaging with ACS and WFC3 confirms an optical dropout ~4.5 mag fainter than the quasar (Y AB = 25) at a separation of 0.''9. The red i 775 - Y 105 color of the galaxy and its proximity to the quasar (5 kpc projected if at the quasar redshift) strongly favor an association with the quasar. Although it is much fainter than the quasar, it is remarkably bright when compared to field galaxies at this redshift, while showing no evidence for lensing. Both systems may represent late-stage mergers of two massive galaxies, with the observed light for one dominated by powerful ongoing star formation and for the other by rapid black hole growth. Observations of close companions are rare; if major mergers are primarily responsible for high-redshift quasar fueling then the phase when progenitor galaxies can be observed as bright companions is relatively short. Based in part on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with programs #12184 and #12493. Observations were also made with the LBT and MMT.

Marmara gölü balık faunası ve balıkçılık faaliyetleri.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali İlhan

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Bu çalışma, Mart 2012-Şubat 2013 tarihleri arasında Marmara Gölü balık faunasının ve göldeki balıkçılık faaliyetlerinin günümüzdeki durumunu ortaya çıkarmak amacıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Balık örneklemeleri, gölün doğu, orta ve batı kesiminde belirlenen 3 farklı istasyonda gerçekleştirilmiştir. Balık avcılığında, fanyalı ve fanyasız ağlar ile kerevit pinterleri kullanılmıştır. Söz konusu ağ ve pinterlerin suda kalma süreleri mevsimsel şartlara göre küçük değişiklikler gösterse de yaklaşık olarak 12 saattir. İstasyonlar arası homojeniteyi sağlamak amacıyla her istasyonda aynı özellikteki ağlar ve pinterler kullanılmıştır. Ayrıca, kıyısal bölgede küçük boylu türlerin ve diğer türlerin juvenillerinin yakalanması için tül ığrıp kullanılmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda gölde Atherinidae, Cyprinidae, Cobitidae, Percidae, Poecilidae ve Gobiidae familyalarına ait 15 takson tespit edilmiştir. Gölün son on yıllık balıkçılık verileri incelendiğinde en önemli ticari türün Sazan (Cyprinus carpio olduğu, bunu sudak (Sander lucioperca, yayın (Silurus glanis ve tatlısu kolyozu (Alburnus battalgilae’nun izlediği belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca, her ne kadar ticari değeri diğerleri kadar yüksek olmasa da üretim miktarı açısından gümüşi havuz balığı (Carassius gibelio’nın da gölde önemli derecede yer aldığı saptanmıştır

Quasars as probes of gas in extended protogalaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rees, M.J.

1988-01-01

The formation of a galaxy involves infall of gas from radii ∼ 100 kpc, at epochs corresponding to redshifts z 4 K would become largely neutral. Clouds or sheets of such gas, in galaxies along the line-of-sight to a background quasar, could readily give rise to at least as many HI absorption systems of high column density as are observed. (author)

Gaia Space Mission and Quasars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zwitter, Tomaž, E-mail: tomaz.zwitter@fmf.uni-lj.si [Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana (Slovenia)

2017-11-15

Quasars are often considered to be point-like objects. This is largely true and allows for an excellent alignment of the optical positional reference frame of the ongoing ESA mission Gaia with the International Celestial Reference Frame. But presence of optical jets in quasars can cause shifts of the optical photo-centers at levels detectable by Gaia. Similarly, motion of emitting blobs in the jet can be detected as proper motion shifts. Gaia's measurements of spectral energy distribution for around a million distant quasars is useful to determine their redshifts and to assess their variability on timescales from hours to years. Spatial resolution of Gaia allows to build a complete magnitude limited sample of strongly lensed quasars. The mission had its first public data release in September 2016 and is scheduled to have the next and much more comprehensive one in April 2018. Here we briefly review the capabilities and current results of the mission. Gaia's unique contributions to the studies of quasars are already being published, a highlight being a discovery of a number of quasars with optical jets.

Relativistic beaming and quasar statistics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orr, M.J.L.; Browne, I.W.A.

1982-01-01

The statistical predictions of a unified scheme for the radio emission from quasars are explored. This scheme attributes the observed differences between flat- and steep-spectrum quasars to projection and the effects of relativistic beaming of the emission from the nuclear components. We use a simple quasar model consisting of a compact relativistically beamed core with spectral index zero and unbeamed lobes, spectral index - 1, to predict the proportion of flat-spectrum sources in flux-limited samples selected at different frequencies. In our model this fraction depends on the core Lorentz factor, γ and we find that a value of approximately 5 gives satisfactory agreement with observation. In a similar way the model is used to construct the expected number/flux density counts for flat-spectrum quasars from the observed steep-spectrum counts. Again, good agreement with the observations is obtained if the average core Lorentz factor is about 5. Independent estimates of γ from observations of superluminal motion in quasars are of the same order of magnitude. We conclude that the statistical properties of quasars are entirely consistent with the predictions of simple relativistic-beam models. (author)

Quasars: Cosmological evolution and x-ray background contribution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, M.; Green, R.F.

1986-01-01

The luminosity function of quasars varies with redshift or cosmic epoch. The authors discuss how the luminosity function and its evolution can be determined from complete samples of quasars. They first concentrate on optical survey of quasars. For quasars of medium luminosity, the co-moving space density rises very steeply with redshift. Quasars of lower luminosity exhibit a slower increase of density with redshift, resulting in luminosity-dependent evolution of the space density. They also discuss evidence for a cutoff of quasar redshift and for a possible dependence of the cutoff on luminosity. They evaluate X-ray counts of quasars and show the need for negative X-ray luminosity evolution in order to explain the counts and the low average redshifts of X-ray quasars. As a consequence, the quasar contribution to the X-ray background is lower than originally suspected. They discuss other extragalactic contributors to the X-ray background and conclude that they, together with the quasars, contribute about 60 percent of the observed background. About half of this is contributed by active galactic nuclei with optical luminosities below those of quasars

The Low-Resolution Spectrograph of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. II. Observations of Quasar Candidates from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schneider, D. P.; Hill, Gary J.; Fan, X.; Ramsey, L. W.; MacQueen, P. J.; Weedman, D. W.; Booth, J. A.; Eracleous, M.; Gunn, J. E.; Lupton, R. H.

2000-01-01

This paper describes spectra of quasar candidates acquired during the commissioning phase of the Low-Resolution Spectrograph of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. The objects were identified as possible quasars from multicolor image data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The 10 sources had typical r' magnitudes of 19-20, except for one extremely red object with r ' ≅23. The data, obtained with exposure times between 10 and 25 minutes, reveal that the spectra of four candidates are essentially featureless and are not quasars, five are quasars with redshifts between 2.92 and 4.15 (including one broad absorption line quasar), and the red source is a very late M star or early L dwarf. (c) (c) 2000. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific

THE HALO OCCUPATION DISTRIBUTION OF SDSS QUASARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richardson, Jonathan; Chatterjee, Suchetana; Nagai, Daisuke; Zheng Zheng; Shen Yue

2012-01-01

We present an estimate of the projected two-point correlation function (2PCF) of quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) over the full range of one- and two-halo scales, 0.02 h –1 Mpc p –1 Mpc. This was achieved by combining data from SDSS DR7 on large scales and Hennawi et al. (with appropriate statistical corrections) on small scales. Our combined clustering sample is the largest spectroscopic quasar clustering sample to date, containing ∼48, 000 quasars in the redshift range 0.4 ∼ sat = (7.4 ± 1.4) × 10 –4 , be satellites in dark matter halos. At z ∼ 1.4, the median masses of the host halos of central and satellite quasars are constrained to be M cen = 4.1 +0.3 –0.4 × 10 12 h –1 M ☉ and M sat = 3.6 +0.8 –1.0 × 10 14 h –1 M ☉ , respectively. To investigate the redshift evolution of the quasar-halo relationship, we also perform HOD modeling of the projected 2PCF measured by Shen et al. for SDSS quasars with median redshift 3.2. We find tentative evidence for an increase in the mass scale of quasar host halos—the inferred median mass of halos hosting central quasars at z ∼ 3.2 is M cen = 14.1 +5.8 –6.9 × 10 12 h –1 M ☉ . The cutoff profiles of the mean occupation functions of central quasars reveal that quasar luminosity is more tightly correlated with halo mass at higher redshifts. The average quasar duty cycle around the median host halo mass is inferred to be f q = 7.3 +0.6 –1.5 × 10 –4 at z ∼ 1.4 and f q = 8.6 +20.4 –7.2 × 10 –2 at z ∼ 3.2. We discuss the implications of our results for quasar evolution and quasar-galaxy co-evolution.

Quasars as Cosmological Standard Candles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Negrete, C. Alenka; Dultzin, Deborah; Marziani, Paola; Sulentic, Jack W.; Esparza-Arredondo, Donají; Martínez-Aldama, Mary L.; Del Olmo, Ascensión

2017-01-01

We propose the use of quasars with accretion rate near the Eddington ratio (extreme quasars) as standard candles. The selection criteria are based on the Eigenvector 1 (E1) formalism. Our first sample is a selection of 334 optical quasar spectra from the SDSS DR7 database with a S/N > 20. Using the E1, we define primary and secondary selection criteria in the optical spectral range. We show that it is possible to derive a redshift-independent estimate of luminosity for extreme Eddington ratio sources. Our results are consistent with concordance cosmology but we need to work with other spectral ranges to take into account the quasar orientation, among other constrains.

Quasars as Cosmological Standard Candles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Negrete, C. Alenka [CONACYT Research Fellow - Instituto de Astronomía, UNAM, Mexico City (Mexico); Dultzin, Deborah [Instituto de Astronomía, UNAM, Mexico City (Mexico); Marziani, Paola [INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Padua (Italy); Sulentic, Jack W. [Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, IAA-CSIC, Granada (Spain); Esparza-Arredondo, Donají [Instituto de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica, Morelia (Mexico); Martínez-Aldama, Mary L.; Del Olmo, Ascensión, E-mail: alenka@astro.unam.mx [Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, IAA-CSIC, Granada (Spain)

2017-12-15

We propose the use of quasars with accretion rate near the Eddington ratio (extreme quasars) as standard candles. The selection criteria are based on the Eigenvector 1 (E1) formalism. Our first sample is a selection of 334 optical quasar spectra from the SDSS DR7 database with a S/N > 20. Using the E1, we define primary and secondary selection criteria in the optical spectral range. We show that it is possible to derive a redshift-independent estimate of luminosity for extreme Eddington ratio sources. Our results are consistent with concordance cosmology but we need to work with other spectral ranges to take into account the quasar orientation, among other constrains.

A Mini-BAL Outflow at 900 pc from the Central Source: VLT/X-shooter Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Xinfeng; Arav, Nahum; Miller, Timothy; Benn, Chris

2018-05-01

We determine the physical conditions and location of the outflow material seen in the mini-BAL quasar SDSS J1111+1437 (z = 2.138). These results are based on the analysis of a high S/N, medium-resolution VLT/X-shooter spectrum. The main outflow component spans the velocity range ‑1500 to ‑3000 km s‑1 and has detected absorption troughs from both high-ionization species: C IV, N V, O VI, Si IV, P V, and S IV; and low-ionization species: H I, C II, Mg II, Al II, Al III, Si II, and Si III. Measurements of these troughs allow us to derive an accurate photoionization solution for this absorption component: a hydrogen column density, {log}({N}{{H}})={21.47}-0.27+0.21 cm‑2 and ionization parameter, {log}({U}{{H}})=-{1.23}-0.25+0.20. Troughs produced from the ground and excited states of S IV combined with the derived {U}{{H}} value allow us to determine an electron number density of {log}({n}{{e}})={3.62}-0.11+0.09 cm‑3 and to obtain the distance of the ionized gas from the central source: R={880}-260+210 pc.

Quasar-Lyman α forest cross-correlation from BOSS DR11: Baryon Acoustic Oscillations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Font-Ribera, Andreu [Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich (Switzerland); Kirkby, David; Blomqvist, Michael [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, 4129 Frederick Reines Hall, Irvine, CA, 92697 (United States); Busca, Nicolas; Aubourg, Éric; Bautista, Julian [APC, Université Paris Diderot-Paris 7, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA, Observatoire de Paris, 10, rue A. Domon and L. Duquet, Paris (France); Miralda-Escudé, Jordi [Institut de Ciències del Cosmos (IEEC/UB), Martí i Franquès 1, Barcelona, 08028 Catalonia (Spain); Ross, Nicholas P.; Bailey, Stephen; Beutler, Florian; Carithers, Bill [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA (United States); Slosar, Anže [Brookhaven National Laboratory, Blgd 510, Upton, NY, 11375 (United States); Rich, James; Delubac, Timothée [CEA, Centre de Saclay, IRFU, Gif-sur-Yvette, 91191 France (France); Bhardwaj, Vaishali; Bizyaev, Dmitry [Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Box 351580, Seattle, WA, 98195 (United States); Brewington, Howard; Brinkmann, Jon [Apache Point Observatory and New Mexico State University, P.O. Box 59, Sunspot, NM, 88349-0059 (United States); Brownstein, Joel R.; Dawson, Kyle S., E-mail: font@physik.uzh.ch [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah, 115 S 1400 E, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112 (United States); and others

2014-05-01

We measure the large-scale cross-correlation of quasars with the Lyα forest absorption, using over 164,000 quasars from Data Release 11 of the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey. We extend the previous study of roughly 60,000 quasars from Data Release 9 to larger separations, allowing a measurement of the Baryonic Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) scale along the line of sight c/(H(z = 2.36)r{sub s}) = 9.0±0.3 and across the line of sight D{sub A}(z = 2.36)/r{sub s} = 10.8±0.4, consistent with CMB and other BAO data. Using the best fit value of the sound horizon from Planck data (r{sub s} = 147.49 Mpc), we can translate these results to a measurement of the Hubble parameter of H(z = 2.36) = 226±8 km s{sup −1} Mpc{sup −1} and of the angular diameter distance of D{sub A}(z = 2.36) = 1590±60 Mpc. The measured cross-correlation function and an update of the code to fit the BAO scale (baofit) are made publicly available.

The Phylogeny of Quasars and the Ontogeny of Their Central Black Holes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fraix-Burnet, Didier [University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG, Grenoble (France); Marziani, Paola [INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Padova (Italy); D' Onofrio, Mauro [Dipartimento di Fisica and Astronomia, Università di Padova, Padova (Italy); Dultzin, Deborah, E-mail: didier.fraix-burnet@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr [Instituto de Astronomía, UNAM, Mexico City (Mexico)

2017-02-27

The connection between multifrequency quasar observational and physical parameters related to accretion processes is still open to debate. In the last 20 year, Eigenvector 1-based approaches developed since the early papers by Boroson and Green (1992) and Sulentic et al. (2000b) have been proven to be a remarkably powerful tool to investigate this issue, and have led to the definition of a quasar “main sequence.” In this paper we perform a cladistic analysis on two samples of 215 and 85 low-z quasars (z ≲ 0.7) which were studied in several previous works and which offer a satisfactory coverage of the Eigenvector 1-derived main sequence. The data encompass accurate measurements of observational parameters which represent key aspects associated with the structural diversity of quasars. Cladistics is able to group sources radiating at higher Eddington ratios, as well as to separate radio-quiet (RQ) and radio-loud (RL) quasars. The analysis suggests a black hole mass threshold for powerful radio emission and also properly distinguishes core-dominated and lobe-dominated quasars, in accordance with the basic tenet of RL unification schemes. Considering that black hole mass provides a sort of “arrow of time” of nuclear activity, a phylogenetic interpretation becomes possible if cladistic trees are rooted on black hole mass: the ontogeny of black holes is represented by their monotonic increase in mass. More massive radio-quiet Population B sources at low-z become a more evolved counterpart of Population A i.e., wind dominated sources to which the “local” Narrow-Line Seyfert 1s belong.

The phylogeny of quasars and the ontogeny of their central black holes

Science.gov (United States)

Fraix-Burnet, Didier; Marziani, Paola; D'Onofrio, Mauro; Dultzin, Deborah

2017-02-01

The connection between multifrequency quasar observational and physical parameters related to accretion processes is still open to debate. In the last 20 year, Eigenvector 1-based approaches developed since the early papers by Boroson and Green (1992) and Sulentic et al. (2000b) have been proved to be a remarkably powerful tool to investigate this issue, and have led to the definition of a quasar "main sequence". In this paper we perform a cladistic analysis on two samples of 215 and 85 low-z quasars (z ~ 0.7) which were studied in several previous works and which offer a satisfactory coverage of the Eigenvector 1-derived main sequence. The data encompass accurate measurements of observational parameters which represents key aspects associated with the structural diversity of quasars. Cladistics is able to group sources radiating at higher Eddington ratios, as well as to separate radio-quiet (RQ) and radio-loud (RL) quasars. The analysis suggests a black hole mass threshold for powerful radio emission and also properly distinguishes core-dominated and lobe-dominated quasars, in accordance with the basic tenet of RL unification schemes. Considering that black hole mass provides a sort of "arrow of time" of nuclear activity, a phylogenetic interpretation becomes possible if cladistic trees are rooted on black hole mass: the ontogeny of black holes is represented by their monotonic increase in mass. More massive radio-quiet Population B sources at low-z become a more evolved counterpart of Population A i.e., wind dominated sources to which the "local" Narrow-Line Seyfert 1s belong.

The Phylogeny of Quasars and the Ontogeny of Their Central Black Holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fraix-Burnet, Didier; Marziani, Paola; D'Onofrio, Mauro; Dultzin, Deborah

2017-01-01

The connection between multifrequency quasar observational and physical parameters related to accretion processes is still open to debate. In the last 20 year, Eigenvector 1-based approaches developed since the early papers by Boroson and Green (1992) and Sulentic et al. (2000b) have been proven to be a remarkably powerful tool to investigate this issue, and have led to the definition of a quasar “main sequence.” In this paper we perform a cladistic analysis on two samples of 215 and 85 low-z quasars (z ≲ 0.7) which were studied in several previous works and which offer a satisfactory coverage of the Eigenvector 1-derived main sequence. The data encompass accurate measurements of observational parameters which represent key aspects associated with the structural diversity of quasars. Cladistics is able to group sources radiating at higher Eddington ratios, as well as to separate radio-quiet (RQ) and radio-loud (RL) quasars. The analysis suggests a black hole mass threshold for powerful radio emission and also properly distinguishes core-dominated and lobe-dominated quasars, in accordance with the basic tenet of RL unification schemes. Considering that black hole mass provides a sort of “arrow of time” of nuclear activity, a phylogenetic interpretation becomes possible if cladistic trees are rooted on black hole mass: the ontogeny of black holes is represented by their monotonic increase in mass. More massive radio-quiet Population B sources at low-z become a more evolved counterpart of Population A i.e., wind dominated sources to which the “local” Narrow-Line Seyfert 1s belong.

Detection of Time Lags between Quasar Continuum Emission Bands Based On Pan-STARRS Light Curves

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Yan-Fei [Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States); Green, Paul J.; Pancoast, Anna; MacLeod, Chelsea L. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Greene, Jenny E. [Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States); Morganson, Eric; Shen, Yue [Department of Astronomy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States); Anderson, Scott F.; Ruan, John J. [Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Box 351580, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Brandt, W. N.; Grier, C. J. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Rix, H.-W. [Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Protopapas, Pavlos [Institute for Applied Computational Science, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Scott, Caroline [Astrophysics, Imperial College London, Blackett Laboratory, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); Burgett, W. S.; Hodapp, K. W.; Huber, M. E.; Kaiser, N.; Kudritzki, R. P.; Magnier, E. A. [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu HI 96822 (United States); and others

2017-02-20

We study the time lags between the continuum emission of quasars at different wavelengths, based on more than four years of multi-band ( g , r , i , z ) light curves in the Pan-STARRS Medium Deep Fields. As photons from different bands emerge from different radial ranges in the accretion disk, the lags constrain the sizes of the accretion disks. We select 240 quasars with redshifts of z ≈ 1 or z ≈ 0.3 that are relatively emission-line free. The light curves are sampled from day to month timescales, which makes it possible to detect lags on the scale of the light crossing time of the accretion disks. With the code JAVELIN , we detect typical lags of several days in the rest frame between the g band and the riz bands. The detected lags are ∼2–3 times larger than the light crossing time estimated from the standard thin disk model, consistent with the recently measured lag in NGC 5548 and microlensing measurements of quasars. The lags in our sample are found to increase with increasing luminosity. Furthermore, the increase in lags going from g − r to g − i and then to g − z is slower than predicted in the thin disk model, particularly for high-luminosity quasars. The radial temperature profile in the disk must be different from what is assumed. We also find evidence that the lags decrease with increasing line ratios between ultraviolet Fe ii lines and Mg ii, which may point to changes in the accretion disk structure at higher metallicity.

Fine Structure in Quasar Flows Revealed by Lens-Aided Multi-Angle Spectroscopy (LAMAS)

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Paul J.

2006-09-01

Spectral differences between lensed quasar image components are common. Since lensing is intrinsically achromatic, these differences are typically explained as the effect of either microlensing, or as light path time delays sampling intrinsic quasar spectral variability. In some cases, neither explanation seems sufficient. Here we advance a novel third hypothesis: some spectral differences are due to small line-of- sight differences through quasar disk wind outflows, taking the widest separation lens SDSSJ1004+4112 as a key example. We show that small changes in sightline may traverse streams with significantly differing columns. The implications are many. Fine structure in these outflows may change the observed spectra on arcsec scales. Though difficult to detect observationally, high ionization, high velocity-width streams may sculpt the optical and X-ray spectra of most quasars. We discuss existing multi-epoch optical/UV spectroscopy and results from X-ray observations both by Chandra and XMM in this context, and sketch further possible tests. The author gratefully acknowledges support through NASA contract NAS8-03060 (CXC).

Extreme Variability Quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the Dark Energy Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Rumbaugh, N.; Shen, Yue; Morganson, Eric; Liu, Xin; Banerji, M.; McMahon, R. G.; Abdalla, F. B.; Benoit-Lévy, A.; Bertin, E.; Brooks, D.; Buckley-Geer, E.; Capozzi, D.; Carnero Rosell, A.; Carrasco Kind, M.; Carretero, J.; Cunha, C. E.; D’Andrea, C. B.; da Costa, L. N.; DePoy, D. L.; Desai, S.; Doel, P.; Frieman, J.; García-Bellido, J.; Gruen, D.; Gruendl, R. A.; Gschwend, J.; Gutierrez, G.; Honscheid, K.; James, D. J.; Kuehn, K.; Kuhlmann, S.; Kuropatkin, N.; Lima, M.; Maia, M. A. G.; Marshall, J. L.; Martini, P.; Menanteau, F.; Plazas, A. A.; Reil, K.; Roodman, A.; Sanchez, E.; Scarpine, V.; Schindler, R.; Schubnell, M.; Sheldon, E.; Smith, M.; Soares-Santos, M.; Sobreira, F.; Suchyta, E.; Swanson, M. E. C.; Walker, A. R.; Wester, W.; (DES Collaboration

2018-02-01

We perform a systematic search for long-term extreme variability quasars (EVQs) in the overlapping Sloan Digital Sky Survey and 3 Year Dark Energy Survey imaging, which provide light curves spanning more than 15 years. We identified ∼1000 EVQs with a maximum change in g-band magnitude of more than 1 mag over this period, about 10% of all quasars searched. The EVQs have L bol ∼ 1045–1047 erg s‑1 and L/L Edd ∼ 0.01–1. Accounting for selection effects, we estimate an intrinsic EVQ fraction of ∼30%–50% among all g≲ 22 quasars over a baseline of ∼15 yr. We performed detailed multi-wavelength, spectral, and variability analyses for the EVQs and compared them to their parent quasar sample. We found that EVQs are distinct from a control sample of quasars matched in redshift and optical luminosity: (1) their UV broad emission lines have larger equivalent widths; (2) their Eddington ratios are systematically lower; and (3) they are more variable on all timescales. The intrinsic difference in quasar properties for EVQs suggests that internal processes associated with accretion are the main driver for the observed extreme long-term variability. However, despite their different properties, EVQs seem to be in the tail of a continuous distribution of quasar properties, rather than standing out as a distinct population. We speculate that EVQs are normal quasars accreting at relatively low rates, where the accretion flow is more likely to experience instabilities that drive the changes in flux by a factor of a few on multi-year timescales.

An ultraluminous quasar with a twelve-billion-solar-mass black hole at redshift 6.30.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xue-Bing; Wang, Feige; Fan, Xiaohui; Yi, Weimin; Zuo, Wenwen; Bian, Fuyan; Jiang, Linhua; McGreer, Ian D; Wang, Ran; Yang, Jinyi; Yang, Qian; Thompson, David; Beletsky, Yuri

2015-02-26

So far, roughly 40 quasars with redshifts greater than z = 6 have been discovered. Each quasar contains a black hole with a mass of about one billion solar masses (10(9) M Sun symbol). The existence of such black holes when the Universe was less than one billion years old presents substantial challenges to theories of the formation and growth of black holes and the coevolution of black holes and galaxies. Here we report the discovery of an ultraluminous quasar, SDSS J010013.02+280225.8, at redshift z = 6.30. It has an optical and near-infrared luminosity a few times greater than those of previously known z > 6 quasars. On the basis of the deep absorption trough on the blue side of the Lyman-α emission line in the spectrum, we estimate the proper size of the ionized proximity zone associated with the quasar to be about 26 million light years, larger than found with other z > 6.1 quasars with lower luminosities. We estimate (on the basis of a near-infrared spectrum) that the black hole has a mass of ∼1.2 × 10(10) M Sun symbol, which is consistent with the 1.3 × 10(10) M Sun symbol derived by assuming an Eddington-limited accretion rate.

The discovery of timescale-dependent color variability of quasars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Yu-Han; Wang, Jun-Xian; Chen, Xiao-Yang [CAS Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Department of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Zheng, Zhen-Ya, E-mail: sunyh92@mail.ustc.edu.cn, E-mail: jxw@ustc.edu.cn [School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287 (United States)

2014-09-01

Quasars are variable on timescales from days to years in UV/optical and generally appear bluer while they brighten. The physics behind the variations in fluxes and colors remains unclear. Using Sloan Digital Sky Survey g- and r-band photometric monitoring data for quasars in Stripe 82, we find that although the flux variation amplitude increases with timescale, the color variability exhibits the opposite behavior. The color variability of quasars is prominent at timescales as short as ∼10 days, but gradually reduces toward timescales up to years. In other words, the variable emission at shorter timescales is bluer than that at longer timescales. This timescale dependence is clearly and consistently detected at all redshifts from z = 0 to 3.5; thus, it cannot be due to contamination to broadband photometry from emission lines that do not respond to fast continuum variations. The discovery directly rules out the possibility that simply attributes the color variability to contamination from a non-variable redder component such as the host galaxy. It cannot be interpreted as changes in global accretion rate either. The thermal accretion disk fluctuation model is favored in the sense that fluctuations in the inner, hotter region of the disk are responsible for short-term variations, while longer-term and stronger variations are expected from the larger and cooler disk region. An interesting implication is that one can use quasar variations at different timescales to probe disk emission at different radii.

SELECTING QUASARS BY THEIR INTRINSIC VARIABILITY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, Kasper B.; Rix, Hans-Walter; Jester, Sebastian; Hennawi, Joseph F.; Marshall, Philip J.; Dobler, Gregory

2010-01-01

We present a new and simple technique for selecting extensive, complete, and pure quasar samples, based on their intrinsic variability. We parameterize the single-band variability by a power-law model for the light-curve structure function, with amplitude A and power-law index γ. We show that quasars can be efficiently separated from other non-variable and variable sources by the location of the individual sources in the A-γ plane. We use ∼60 epochs of imaging data, taken over ∼5 years, from the SDSS stripe 82 (S82) survey, where extensive spectroscopy provides a reference sample of quasars, to demonstrate the power of variability as a quasar classifier in multi-epoch surveys. For UV-excess selected objects, variability performs just as well as the standard SDSS color selection, identifying quasars with a completeness of 90% and a purity of 95%. In the redshift range 2.5 < z < 3, where color selection is known to be problematic, variability can select quasars with a completeness of 90% and a purity of 96%. This is a factor of 5-10 times more pure than existing color selection of quasars in this redshift range. Selecting objects from a broad griz color box without u-band information, variability selection in S82 can afford completeness and purity of 92%, despite a factor of 30 more contaminants than quasars in the color-selected feeder sample. This confirms that the fraction of quasars hidden in the 'stellar locus' of color space is small. To test variability selection in the context of Pan-STARRS 1 (PS1) we created mock PS1 data by down-sampling the S82 data to just six epochs over 3 years. Even with this much sparser time sampling, variability is an encouragingly efficient classifier. For instance, a 92% pure and 44% complete quasar candidate sample is attainable from the above griz-selected catalog. Finally, we show that the presented A-γ technique, besides selecting clean and pure samples of quasars (which are stochastically varying objects), is also

Relativistic beaming and orientation effects in core-dominated quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ubachukwu, A.A.; Chukwude, A.E.

2002-07-01

In this paper, we investigate the relativistic beaming effects in a well-defined sample of core- dominated quasars using the correlation between the relative prominence of the core with respect to the extended emission (defined as the ratio of the core- to the lobe- flux density measured in the rest frame of the source) and the projected linear size as an indicator of relativistic beaming and source orientation. Based on the orientation-dependent relativistic beaming and unification paradigm for high luminosity sources in which the Fanaroff-Riley class-ll radio galaxies form the unbeamed parent population of both the lobe- and core-dominated quasars which are expected to lie at successively smaller angles to the line of sight, we find that the flows in the cores of these core-dominated quasars are highly relativistic, with optimum bulk Lorentz factor, γ opt ∼6-16, and also highly anisotropic, with an average viewing angle, ∼ 9 deg. - 16 deg. Furthermore, the largest boosting occurs within a critical cone angle of ∼ 4 deg. - 10 deg. The results suggest that relativistic bulk flow appears to extend to kilo-parsec scales in these sources. (author)

The diversity of quasars unified by accretion and orientation.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Yue; Ho, Luis C

2014-09-11

Quasars are rapidly accreting supermassive black holes at the centres of massive galaxies. They display a broad range of properties across all wavelengths, reflecting the diversity in the physical conditions of the regions close to the central engine. These properties, however, are not random, but form well-defined trends. The dominant trend is known as 'Eigenvector 1', in which many properties correlate with the strength of optical iron and [O III] emission. The main physical driver of Eigenvector 1 has long been suspected to be the quasar luminosity normalized by the mass of the hole (the 'Eddington ratio'), which is an important parameter of the black hole accretion process. But a definitive proof has been missing. Here we report an analysis of archival data that reveals that the Eddington ratio indeed drives Eigenvector 1. We also find that orientation plays a significant role in determining the observed kinematics of the gas in the broad-line region, implying a flattened, disk-like geometry for the fast-moving clouds close to the black hole. Our results show that most of the diversity of quasar phenomenology can be unified using two simple quantities: Eddington ratio and orientation.

Discovery of 16 New z  ∼ 5.5 Quasars: Filling in the Redshift Gap of Quasar Color Selection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Jinyi; Wu, Xue-Bing; Wang, Feige; Yang, Qian; Yue, Minghao; Wang, Shu; Li, Zefeng [Department of Astronomy, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Fan, Xiaohui; Jiang, Linhua [Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Bian, Fuyan [Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Weston Creek, ACT 2611 (Australia); McGreer, Ian D.; Green, Richard; Ding, Jiani [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Yi, Weimin [Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650011 (China); Dye, Simon [School of Physics and Astronomy, Nottingham University, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD (United Kingdom); Lawrence, Andy [Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh, EH9 3HJ (United Kingdom)

2017-04-01

We present initial results from the first systematic survey of luminous z  ∼ 5.5 quasars. Quasars at z ∼ 5.5, the post-reionization epoch, are crucial tools to explore the evolution of intergalactic medium, quasar evolution, and the early super-massive black hole growth. However, it has been very challenging to select quasars at redshifts 5.3 ≤ z ≤ 5.7 using conventional color selections, due to their similar optical colors to late-type stars, especially M dwarfs, resulting in a glaring redshift gap in quasar redshift distributions. We develop a new selection technique for z ∼ 5.5 quasars based on optical, near-IR, and mid-IR photometric data from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), UKIRT InfraRed Deep Sky Surveys—Large Area Survey (ULAS), VISTA Hemisphere Survey (VHS), and Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer . From our pilot observations in the SDSS-ULAS/VHS area, we have discovered 15 new quasars at 5.3 ≤ z ≤ 5.7 and 6 new lower redshift quasars, with SDSS z band magnitude brighter than 20.5. Including other two z ∼ 5.5 quasars already published in our previous work, we now construct a uniform quasar sample at 5.3 ≤ z ≤ 5.7, with 17 quasars in a ∼4800 square degree survey area. For further application in a larger survey area, we apply our selection pipeline to do a test selection by using the new wide field J-band photometric data from a preliminary version of the UKIRT Hemisphere Survey (UHS). We successfully discover the first UHS selected z ∼ 5.5 quasar.

Proteção Balística do Soldado de Infantaria

OpenAIRE

Ferreira, João

2015-01-01

O presente Trabalho de Investigação Aplicada está subordinado ao tema “Proteção Balística do Soldado de Infantaria”. Como objetivo geral pretende-se desenvolver uma base de conhecimento militar, no âmbito dos materiais e dos elementos de proteção balística ligeiros, no que concerne às suas especificações, características e requisitos técnicos. A evolução dos elementos de proteção balística e das blindagens está fortemente relacionada com a evoluç...

A Long-Term Space Astrophysics Research Program: The Evolution of the Quasar Continuum

Science.gov (United States)

Elvis, M.; Oliversen, Ronald K. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Four papers have been written. One reports on the major study funded by this grant: a pan-chromatic study of the quasar continuum at redshift 3. Two others make use of the quasar continuum shapes to find the minimum total accretion luminosity of the Universe, and hence the efficiency and spin of supermassive black holes; the second shows that the reemission of absorbed quasar radiation alleviates a major problem with galaxy formation and the FIR background. The last paper recognizes the role quasars may play in the initial formation of dust in the early Universe. The major study of a sample of z=3 and its comparison with a sample of z=0.l quasars across the whole X-ray to radio spectrum was completed and accepted for publication in ApJ Supplements. This study comprises the thesis work of Olga Kuhn. The two samples are matched in evolved luminosity, and so should be sampling the same black hole population at different z, and in different accretion states. Despite this no strong differences were found between the samples, except in the 'small bump' region of the optical/UV. This region is dominated by FeII emission, and may indicate abundance evolution in quasars. The lack of overall spectral changes argues strongly against a single population of quasars fading over cosmic time, and for a multiple generation, or multiple outburst model for quasars. A study of the total luminosity absorbed from quasars and re-emitted in the infrared produced two results (reported in two papers): The minimum intrinsic luminosity/Gpc(3) from AGN compared with the measured mass density in supermassive black holes [Gpc(-3)] requires a conversion efficiency of accreted mass into luminosity of greater than 15%. Non-rotating black holes cannot exceed 5% efficiency, while rapidly rotating black holes can reach 47%. Hence our result requires that most supermassive black holes must be rapidly rotating. The second result comes from considering the contribution that the re-radiated quasar

BLACK HOLE MASS ESTIMATES AND RAPID GROWTH OF SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES IN LUMINOUS z ∼ 3.5 QUASARS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zuo, Wenwen; Wu, Xue-Bing [Department of Astronomy, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Fan, Xiaohui; Green, Richard [Steward Observatory, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Wang, Ran [Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Bian, Fuyan [Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mount Stromlo Observatory, Cotter Road, Weston ACT 2611 (Australia)

2015-02-01

We present new near-infrared (IR) observations of the Hβ λ4861 and Mg II λ2798 lines for 32 luminous quasars with 3.2 < z < 3.9 using the Palomar Hale 200 inch telescope and the Large Binocular Telescope. We find that the Mg II FWHM is well correlated with the Hβ FWHM, confirming itself as a good substitute for the Hβ FWHM in the black hole mass estimates. The continuum luminosity at 5100 Å well correlates with the continuum luminosity at 3000 Å and the broad emission line luminosities (Hβ and Mg II). With simultaneous near-IR spectroscopy of the Hβ and Mg II lines to exclude the influences of flux variability, we are able to evaluate the reliability of estimating black hole masses based on the Mg II line for high redshift quasars. With the reliable Hβ line based black hole mass and Eddington ratio estimates, we find that the z ∼ 3.5 quasars in our sample have black hole masses 1.90 × 10{sup 9} M {sub ☉} ≲ M {sub BH} ≲ 1.37 × 10{sup 10} M {sub ☉}, with a median of ∼5.14 × 10{sup 9} M {sub ☉} and are accreting at Eddington ratios between 0.30 and 3.05, with a median of ∼1.12. Assuming a duty cycle of 1 and a seed black hole mass of 10{sup 4} M {sub ☉}, we show that the z ∼ 3.5 quasars in this sample can grow to their estimated black hole masses within the age of the universe at their redshifts.

The X-Ray Reflection Spectrum of the Radio-loud Quasar 4C 74.26

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lohfink, Anne M.; Fabian, Andrew C.; Ballantyne, David R.

2017-01-01

of the supermassive black hole, the presumed jet launching point, are potentially particularly valuable in illuminating the jet formation process. Here, we present the hard X-ray NuSTAR observations of the radio-loud quasar 4C 74.26 in a joint analysis with quasi-simultaneous, soft X-ray Swift observations. Our...... the three months covered by our NuSTAR campaign. This lack of variation could mean that the jet formation in this radio-loud quasar differs from what is observed in broad-line radio galaxies....

THE REDSHIFT DISTRIBUTION OF INTERVENING WEAK Mg II QUASAR ABSORBERS AND A CURIOUS DEPENDENCE ON QUASAR LUMINOSITY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Evans, Jessica L.; Churchill, Christopher W.; Nielsen, Nikole M.; Klimek, Elizabeth S. [New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003 (United States); Murphy, Michael T. [Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Melbourne, VIC 3122 (Australia)

2013-05-01

We have identified 469 Mg II {lambda}{lambda}2796, 2803 doublet systems having W{sub r} {>=} 0.02 A in 252 Keck/High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer and UVES/Very Large Telescope quasar spectra over the redshift range 0.1 < z < 2.6. Using the largest sample yet of 188 weak Mg II systems (0.02 A {<=}W{sub r} < 0.3 A), we calculate their absorber redshift path density, dN/dz. We find clear evidence of evolution, with dN/dz peaking at z {approx} 1.2, and that the product of the absorber number density and cross section decreases linearly with increasing redshift; weak Mg II absorbers seem to vanish above z {approx_equal} 2.7. If the absorbers are ionized by the UV background, we estimate number densities of 10{sup 6}-10{sup 9} Mpc{sup -3} for spherical geometries and 10{sup 2}-10{sup 5} Mpc{sup -3} for more sheetlike geometries. We also find that dN/dz toward intrinsically faint versus bright quasars differs significantly for weak and strong (W{sub r} {>=} 1.0 A) absorbers. For weak absorption, dN/dz toward bright quasars is {approx}25% higher than toward faint quasars (10{sigma} at low redshift, 0.4 {<=} z {<=} 1.4, and 4{sigma} at high redshift, 1.4 < z {<=} 2.34). For strong absorption the trend reverses, with dN/dz toward faint quasars being {approx}20% higher than toward bright quasars (also 10{sigma} at low redshift and 4{sigma} at high redshift). We explore scenarios in which beam size is proportional to quasar luminosity and varies with absorber and quasar redshifts. These do not explain dN/dz's dependence on quasar luminosity.

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Catalog. 4. Fifth Data Release

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schneider, Donald P.; Hall, Patrick B.; Richards, Gordon T.; Strauss, Michael A.; Vanden Berk, Daniel E.; Anderson, Scott F.; Brandt, W.N.; Fan, Xiao-Hui; Jester,; Gray, Jim; Gunn, James E.; /Penn State U., Astron. Astrophys. /York U., Canada /Johns Hopkins U. /Princeton U. Observ. /Washington U., Seattle, Astron. Dept. /Arizona

2007-04-01

We present the fourth edition of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Quasar Catalog. The catalog contains 77,429 objects; this is an increase of over 30,000 entries since the previous edition. The catalog consists of the objects in the SDSS Fifth Data Release that have luminosities larger than M{sub i} = -22.0 (in a cosmology with H{sub 0} = 70 km s{sup -1} Mpc{sup -1}, {Omega}{sub M} = 0.3, and {Omega}{sub {Lambda}} = 0.7), have at least one emission line with FWHM larger than 1000 km s{sup -1} or have interesting/complex absorption features, are fainter than i {approx} 15.0, and have highly reliable redshifts. The area covered by the catalog is {approx} 5740 deg{sup 2}. The quasar redshifts range from 0.08 to 5.41, with a median value of 1.48; the catalog includes 891 quasars at redshifts greater than four, of which 36 are at redshifts greater than five. Approximately half of the catalog quasars have i < 19; nearly all have i < 21. For each object the catalog presents positions accurate to better than 0.2-minutes rms per coordinate, five-band (ugriz) CCD-based photometry with typical accuracy of 0.03 mag, and information on the morphology and selection method. The catalog also contains basic radio, near-infrared, and X-ray emission properties of the quasars, when available, from other large-area surveys. The calibrated digital spectra cover the wavelength region 3800-9200 {angstrom} at a spectral resolution of {approx_equal} 2000; the spectra can be retrieved from the public database using the information provided in the catalog. The average SDSS colors of quasars as a function of redshift, derived from the catalog entries, are presented in tabular form. Approximately 96% of the objects in the catalog were discovered by the SDSS.

BINARY QUASARS AT HIGH REDSHIFT. I. 24 NEW QUASAR PAIRS AT z ∼ 3-4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hennawi, Joseph F.; Myers, Adam D.; Shen, Yue; Strauss, Michael A.; Djorgovski, S. G.; Glikman, Eilat; Mahabal, Ashish; Fan Xiaohui; Martin, Crystal L.; Richards, Gordon T.; Schneider, Donald P.; Shankar, Francesco

2010-01-01

The clustering of quasars on small scales yields fundamental constraints on models of quasar evolution and the buildup of supermassive black holes. This paper describes the first systematic survey to discover high-redshift binary quasars. Using color-selection and photometric redshift techniques, we searched 8142 deg 2 of Sloan Digital Sky Survey imaging data for binary quasar candidates, and confirmed them with follow-up spectroscopy. Our sample of 27 high-redshift binaries (24 of them new discoveries) at redshifts 2.9 perpendicular perpendicular 3.5. The completeness and efficiency of our well-defined selection algorithm are quantified using simulated photometry and we find that our sample is ∼50% complete. Our companion paper uses this knowledge to make the first measurement of the small-scale clustering (R -1 Mpc comoving) of high-redshift quasars. High-redshift binaries constitute exponentially rare coincidences of two extreme (M ∼> 10 9 M sun ) supermassive black holes. At z ∼ 4, there is about one close binary per 10 Gpc 3 , thus these could be the highest sigma peaks, the analogs of superclusters, in the early universe.

Discovery of three z > 6.5 quasars in the VISTA kilo-degree infrared galaxy (VIKING) survey

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Venemans, B. P. [Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Findlay, J. R. [Department of Physics, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Sutherland, W. J. [Astronomy Unit, School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London, London, E1 4NS (United Kingdom); De Rosa, G. [Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University, 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States); McMahon, R. G.; González-Solares, E. A.; Lewis, J. R. [Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HA (United Kingdom); Simcoe, R. [MIT-Kavli Center for Astrophysics and Space Research, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Kuijken, K., E-mail: venemans@mpia.de [Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, Niels Bohrweg 2, NL-2333 CA Leiden (Netherlands)

2013-12-10

Studying quasars at the highest redshifts can constrain models of galaxy and black hole formation, and it also probes the intergalactic medium in the early universe. Optical surveys have to date discovered more than 60 quasars up to z ≅ 6.4, a limit set by the use of the z-band and CCD detectors. Only one z ≳ 6.4 quasar has been discovered, namely the z = 7.08 quasar ULAS J1120+0641, using near-infrared imaging. Here we report the discovery of three new z ≳ 6.4 quasars in 332 deg{sup 2} of the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy Kilo-degree Infrared Galaxy (VIKING) survey, thus extending the number from 1 to 4. The newly discovered quasars have redshifts of z = 6.60, 6.75, and 6.89. The absolute magnitudes are between –26.0 and –25.5, 0.6-1.1 mag fainter than ULAS J1120+0641. Near-infrared spectroscopy revealed the Mg II emission line in all three objects. The quasars are powered by black holes with masses of ∼(1-2) × 10{sup 9} M {sub ☉}. In our probed redshift range of 6.44 < z < 7.44 we can set a lower limit on the space density of supermassive black holes of ρ(M {sub BH} > 10{sup 9} M {sub ☉}) > 1.1 × 10{sup –9} Mpc{sup –3}. The discovery of three quasars in our survey area is consistent with the z = 6 quasar luminosity function when extrapolated to z ∼ 7. We do not find evidence for a steeper decline in the space density of quasars with increasing redshift from z = 6 to z = 7.

He I lambda 584 in quasars and gaseous nebulae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferland, G.J.

1980-01-01

The He I Lα lambda 584 transfer problem for gaseous nebulae is investigated. Realistic photo-ionization models of quasar clouds and planetary nebulae are combined with the Monte Carlo line transfer technique to determine both the efficiency of destruction of lambda 584 by photo-ionization of hydrogen and the mean number of scatterings undergone before destruction. It is found that large fractions (approximately > 90 per cent) of the lambda 584 photons are destroyed before escaping in all cases considered. Nonetheless, the He I lambda lambda 584, 626 doublet should be present in high redshift quasars with an observed equivalent width of approximately 1 A. Detection of this doublet would provide the only clear indication of the presence or absence of a low density narrow line region for objects in which optical forbidden lines have been redshifted beyond the optical window. The strength of the He I 2 1 S-2 1 P 2.0 μm line is predicted to be approximately 4 times stronger than is actually observed in the planetary nebulae NGC 7027. This suggests that dust is embedded in the ionized gas and causes additional destruction of lambda 584. Finally, the calculations show that photo-ionization model calculations can safely assume nearly complete on-the-spot destruction of lambda 584. The common assumption that the He I singlets are formed in case B conditions is examined in an appendix. (author)

Phylogenetic Analyses of Quasars and Galaxies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fraix-Burnet, Didier [University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG, Grenoble (France); D' Onofrio, Mauro [Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova (INAF), Padua (Italy); Marziani, Paola, E-mail: didier.fraix-burnet@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr [Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Padova, Padua (Italy)

2017-10-10

Phylogenetic approaches have proven to be useful in astrophysics. We have recently published a Maximum Parsimony (or cladistics) analysis on two samples of 215 and 85 low-z quasars (z < 0.7) which offer a satisfactory coverage of the Eigenvector 1-derived main sequence. Cladistics is not only able to group sources radiating at higher Eddington ratios, to separate radio-quiet (RQ) and radio-loud (RL) quasars and properly distinguishes core-dominated and lobe-dominated quasars, but it suggests a black hole mass threshold for powerful radio emission as already proposed elsewhere. An interesting interpretation from this work is that the phylogeny of quasars may be represented by the ontogeny of their central black hole, i.e. the increase of the black hole mass. However these exciting results are based on a small sample of low-z quasars, so that the work must be extended. We are here faced with two difficulties. The first one is the current lack of a larger sample with similar observables. The second one is the prohibitive computation time to perform a cladistic analysis on more that about one thousand objects. We show in this paper an experimental strategy on about 1,500 galaxies to get around this difficulty. Even if it not related to the quasar study, it is interesting by itself and opens new pathways to generalize the quasar findings.

Phylogenetic Analyses of Quasars and Galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fraix-Burnet, Didier; D'Onofrio, Mauro; Marziani, Paola

2017-01-01

Phylogenetic approaches have proven to be useful in astrophysics. We have recently published a Maximum Parsimony (or cladistics) analysis on two samples of 215 and 85 low-z quasars (z < 0.7) which offer a satisfactory coverage of the Eigenvector 1-derived main sequence. Cladistics is not only able to group sources radiating at higher Eddington ratios, to separate radio-quiet (RQ) and radio-loud (RL) quasars and properly distinguishes core-dominated and lobe-dominated quasars, but it suggests a black hole mass threshold for powerful radio emission as already proposed elsewhere. An interesting interpretation from this work is that the phylogeny of quasars may be represented by the ontogeny of their central black hole, i.e. the increase of the black hole mass. However these exciting results are based on a small sample of low-z quasars, so that the work must be extended. We are here faced with two difficulties. The first one is the current lack of a larger sample with similar observables. The second one is the prohibitive computation time to perform a cladistic analysis on more that about one thousand objects. We show in this paper an experimental strategy on about 1,500 galaxies to get around this difficulty. Even if it not related to the quasar study, it is interesting by itself and opens new pathways to generalize the quasar findings.

THE FIFTH DATA RELEASE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY/XMM-NEWTON QUASAR SURVEY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, M.; Elvis, M.; Risaliti, G.

2009-01-01

We present a catalog of 792 Fifth Data Release Sloan Digital Sky Survey quasars with optical spectra that have been observed serendipitously in the X-rays with the XMM-Newton. These quasars cover a redshift range of z = 0.11-5.41 and a magnitude range of i = 15.3-20.7. Substantial numbers of radio-loud (70) and broad absorption line (51) quasars exist within this sample. Significant X-ray detections at ≥2σ account for 87% of the sample (685 quasars), and 473 quasars are detected at ≥6σ, sufficient to allow X-ray spectral fits. For detected sources, ∼60% have X-ray fluxes between F 2-10keV = (1-10) x10 -14 erg cm -2 s -1 . We fit a single power law, a fixed power law with intrinsic absorption left free to vary, and an absorbed power-law model to all quasars with X-ray signal-to-noise ratio ≥ 6, resulting in a weighted mean photon index Γ = 1.91 ± 0.08, with an intrinsic dispersion σ Γ = 0.38. For the 55 sources (11.6%) that prefer intrinsic absorption, we find a weighted mean N H = 1.5 ± 0.3 x 10 21 cm -2 . We find that Γ correlates significantly with optical color, Δ(g - i), the optical-to-X-ray spectral index (α ox ), and the X-ray luminosity. While the first two correlations can be explained as artifacts of undetected intrinsic absorption, the correlation between Γ and X-ray luminosity appears to be a real physical correlation, indicating a pivot in the X-ray slope.

Are quasars really far away

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Narlikar, J.V.

1983-01-01

Most astrophysicists think that quasars are distant objects. But new data, based on red-shift anomalies, and new theories embracing non-cosmological doppler effect and gravitational effects could account for the peculiarities of quasars. (U.K.)

Radio-continuum emission from quasar host galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Condon, J. J.; Gower, A. C.; Hutchings, J. B.; Victoria Univ., Canada; Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, Victoria)

1987-01-01

Seven low-redshift quasars that are likely to be in spiral galaxies have been observed in a search for radio-continuum emission from the host galaxies of quasars. The properties of the individual quasars are listed, and 1.49 GHz contour maps of the seven quasar fields are presented. Map parameters and radio source parameters are given along with optical images of three of the objects. The results indicate that these quasars probably do reside in spiral galaxies. The radio luminosities, sizes, orientations, and u values all indicate that relativistic beaming alone cannot be used to explain the differences between the present sources and the far stronger radio sources seen in blazars or larger optically selected quasar samples. However, an apparent correlation between the radio luminosity and the ratio of the optical nuclear to host-galaxy luminosity is consistent with some beaming of nuclear radiation. 26 references

The Physical Relation between Disc and Coronal Emission in Quasars

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisabeta Lusso

2018-01-01

Full Text Available We propose a modified version of the observed non-linear relation between the X-ray (2 keV and the ultraviolet (2,500 Å emission in quasars (i.e., LX∝LUVγ which involves the full width at half-maximum, FWHM, of the broad emission line, i.e., LX∝LUVγ^ FWHMβ^. By analyzing a sample of 550 optically selected non-jetted quasars in the redshift range of 0.36–2.23 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey cross matched with the XMM-Newton catalog 3XMM-DR6, we found that the additional dependence of the observed LX − LUV correlation on the FWHM of the Mgii broad emission line is statistically significant. Our statistical analysis leads to a much tighter relation with respect to the one neglecting FWHM, and it does not evolve with redshift. We interpret this new relation within an accretion disc corona scenario where reconnection and magnetic loops above the accretion disc can account for the production of the primary X-ray radiation. For a broad line region size depending on the disc luminosity as Rblr∝Ldisc0.5, we find that LX∝LUV4/7 FWHM4/7, which is in very good agreement with the observed correlation.

HUBBLE CAPTURES MERGER BETWEEN QUASAR AND GALAXY

Science.gov (United States)

2002-01-01

This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image shows evidence fo r a merger between a quasar and a companion galaxy. This surprising result might require theorists to rethink their explanations for the nature of quasars, the most energetic objects in the universe. The bright central object is the quasar itself, located several billion light-years away. The two wisps on the (left) of the bright central object are remnants of a bright galaxy that have been disrupted by the mutual gravitational attraction between the quasar and the companion galaxy. This provides clear evidence for a merger between the two objects. Since their discovery in 1963, quasars (quasi-stellar objects) have been enigmatic because they emit prodigious amounts of energy from a very compact source. The most widely accepted model is that a quasar is powered by a supermassive black hole in the core of a galaxy. These new observations proved a challenge for theorists as no current models predict the complex quasar interactions unveiled by Hubble. The image was taken with the Wide Field Planetary Camera-2. Credit: John Bahcall, Institute for Advanced Study, NASA.

Far-infrared properties of optically selected quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edelson, R.A.

1986-01-01

The far-infrared properties of 10, optically selected quasars were studied on the basis of pointed IRAS observations and ground-based near-infrared and radio measurements. Nine of these quasars were detected in at least three IRAS bands. The flat spectral energy distributions characterizing these optically selected quasars together with large 60-100-micron luminosities suggest that the infrared emission is dominated by nonthermal radiation. Seven of the nine quasars with far-infrared detections were found to have low-frequency turnovers. 12 references

Phylogenetic Analyses of Quasars and Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Fraix-Burnet, Didier; D'Onofrio, Mauro; Marziani, Paola

2017-10-01

Phylogenetic approaches have proven to be useful in astrophysics. We have recently published a Maximum Parsimony (or cladistics) analysis on two samples of 215 and 85 low-z quasars (z phylogeny of quasars may be represented by the ontogeny of their central black hole, i.e. the increase of the black hole mass. However these exciting results are based on a small sample of low-z quasars, so that the work must be extended. We are here faced with two difficulties. The first one is the current lack of a larger sample with similar observables. The second one is the prohibitive computation time to perform a cladistic analysis on more that about one thousand objects. We show in this paper an experimental strategy on about 1500 galaxies to get around this difficulty. Even if it not related to the quasar study, it is interesting by itself and opens new pathways to generalize the quasar findings.

An Intercomparison Study of Two Proximate Damped Lyα Systems with Residual Flux upon the Lyα Absorption Trough toward Quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Xiaoyi; Zhou, Hongyan; Pan, Xiang; Jiang, Peng; Shi, Xiheng; Ji, Tuo; Zhang, Shaohua; Wu, Shengmiao; Zhong, Zhihao

2018-05-01

In this paper, we present an intercomparison study of two quasars, SDSS J145618.32+340037.2 and SDSS J215331.50–025514.1, which have proximate damped Lyα systems (PDLAs) with residual flux upon the Lyα absorption trough. Though they both have residual flux as luminous as 1043 erg s‑1, their PDLAs are quite different in, e.g., neutral hydrogen column density, metal line absorption strength, high-ionization absorption lines as well as residual flux strength. For J1456+3400, the H I column density is log(N H I /cm–2) = 20.6 ± 0.2, with z abs = 2.3138, nearly identical to the quasar redshift (z = 2.3142) determined from the [O III] emission line. The metallicity of this system is typical of DLAs and there is high ionization therein, suggesting that the PDLA system is multiphase, putting it in the quasar environment. For J2153–0255, we measure the H I column density to be log(N H I /cm–2) = 21.5 ± 0.1 at z abs = 3.511, slightly redshifted with respect to the quasar (z = 3.490) measured from C III]. The metallicity of this system is quite low and there is a lack of significant high-ionization absorption lines therein, suggesting that the system is beyond the quasar host galaxy. The residual flux is wide (∼1000 km s‑1) in J1456, with a significance of ∼8σ, while also wide (∼1500 km s‑1) but with a smaller significance of ∼3σ in J2153. Among many explanations, we find that Lyα fuzz or resonant scattering can be used to explain the residual flux in the two sources while partial coverage cannot be excluded for J1456. By comparing these two cases, together with a similar case reported previously, we suggest that the strength of the residual flux is related to properties such as metallicity and high-ionization absorption lines of PDLAs. The residual flux recorded upon the PDLA absorption trough opens a window for us to see the physical conditions and processes of the quasar environment, and their profile and strength further remind us of their

Are quasars local

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Terrell, J.

1974-01-01

The problems of interpreting quasars as galaxies, at distances of billions of light-years, seem to be increasing with time and with observational knowledge. The incredibly large energy and brightness requirements, the very small size and thus high surface brightness required by their rapid fluctuations in luminosity, the recently-discovered radio-source separation speeds apparently much greater than the speed of light, their general lack of association with distant galaxies, and many other properties are all very difficult to explain on the basis of cosmological distance. The very local quasar model, involving much less massive and bright objects--perhaps similar to Type O stars--emitted at relativistic speeds by the center of our own galaxy, greatly eases these difficulties. Since such ejected objects also seem necessary to explain the similarly strange properties of radio galaxies, the emission of local quasars from some galaxies might be deduced on this basis alone. (6 figures) (U.S.)

Peering Through the Dust: NuSTAR Observations of Two First-2Mass Red Quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Lamassa, Stephanie M.; Ricarte, Angelo; Glikman, Eilat; Urry, C. Megan; Stern, Daniel; Yaqoob, Tahir; Lansbury, George B.; Civano, Francesca; Boggs, Steve E.; Zhang, Will

2016-01-01

Some reddened quasars appear to be transitional objects in the paradigm of merger-induced black hole growth/ galaxy evolution, where a heavily obscured nucleus starts to be unveiled by powerful quasar winds evacuating the surrounding cocoon NuSTAR and XMM-Newton/Chandra observations of FIRST-2MASS-selected red quasars F2M 0830+3759 and F2M 1227+3214. We find that though F2M 0830 +3759 is moderately obscured N(sub H) = (2.1 +/- 0.2) x 10 (exp 22) per square centimeter) and F2M 1227+3214 is mildly absorbed (N(sub H),Z =3.4(+0.8/-0.7) X 10(exp -2) along the line of sight, heavier global obscuration may be present in both sources, with N(sub H) = 3.7 (+4.1/-2.6) X 10 (exp 23) per square centimeter) and less than 5.5 X 10(exp 23) per square centimeter) for F2M 0830+3759 and F2M 1227+ 3214, respectively. F2M 0830+3759 also has an excess of soft X-ray emission below 1 of dust and gas. Hard X-ray observations are able to peer through this gas and dust, revealing the properties of circumnuclear obscuration. Here, we present keV, which is well accommodated by a model where 7% of the intrinsic X-ray emission from the active galactic nucleus (AGN) is scattered into the line of sight. While F2M 1227+3214 has a dust-to-gas ratio (E(B - V)/NH) consistent with the Galactic value, the value of E(B - V)/NH for F2M 0830+3759 is lower than the Galactic standard, consistent with the paradigm that the dust resides on galactic scales while the X-ray reprocessing gas originates within the dust sublimation zone of the broad-line region. The X-ray and 6.1 µm luminosities of these red quasars are consistent with the empirical relations derived for high-luminosity, unobscured quasars, extending the parameter space of obscured AGNs previously observed by NuSTAR to higher luminosities.

A Hubble Diagram for Quasars

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susanna Bisogni

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The cosmological model is at present not tested between the redshift of the farthest observed supernovae (z ~ 1.4 and that of the Cosmic Microwave Background (z ~ 1,100. Here we introduce a new method to measure the cosmological parameters: we show that quasars can be used as “standard candles” by employing the non-linear relation between their intrinsic UV and X-ray emission as an absolute distance indicator. We built a sample of ~1,900 quasars with available UV and X-ray observations, and produced a Hubble Diagram up to z ~ 5. The analysis of the quasar Hubble Diagram, when used in combination with supernovae, provides robust constraints on the matter and energy content in the cosmos. The application of this method to forthcoming, larger quasar samples, will also provide tight constraints on the dark energy equation of state and its possible evolution with time.

Intergalactic dust and quasar distribution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soltan, A.

1979-01-01

Non-homogeneous intergalactic extinction may considerably affect the quasar distribution. Especially samples of quasars isolated on the basis of B-V colours are subject to this phenomenon. Apparent grouping and close pairs of quasars reported in the literature may be a result of intergalactic dust. Using surface distribution of faint blue objects selected by Hawkins and Reddish it is estimated that intergalactic extinction in B should reach approximately 1 mag out to the redshift of approximately 1. This is slightly larger than predicted by theory and comparable to the mean dust density derived from observations. (Author)

High-redshift quasars in the Cold Dark Matter cosmogony

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Efstathiou, G.; Rees, M.J.

1988-01-01

The relationship between high-redshift quasars and the epoch of galaxy formation in the Cold Dark Matter (CDM) cosmogony is investigated. Luminous quasars could only form after galactic sized systems had collapsed. A constant comoving density of luminous quasars between z = 2 and z = 4 is compatible with the CDM model if quasars are short-lived and radiate at about the Eddington limit. However, according to the CDM model the abundance of high-luminosity quasars must decline exponentially at higher redshifts. Even if all protogalaxies form quasars, and about 1 per cent of the baryons within a protogalaxy collapse into a compact object, a steep fall in the density of quasars with L > 10 47 erg s -1 at redshifts z ≥ 5. The existence of a 'cut-off' in the quasar numbers at high redshift could therefore supply an important test of the CDM theory. (author)

Various Approaches for Targeting Quasar Candidates

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Zhang, Y.; Zhao, Y.

2015-09-01

With the establishment and development of space-based and ground-based observational facilities, the improvement of scientific output of high-cost facilities is still a hot issue for astronomers. The discovery of new and rare quasars attracts much attention. Different methods to select quasar candidates are in bloom. Among them, some are based on color cuts, some are from multiwavelength data, some rely on variability of quasars, some are based on data mining, and some depend on ensemble methods.

RADIO-SELECTED QUASARS IN THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY

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McGreer, Ian D.; Helfand, David J.; White, Richard L.

2009-01-01

We have conducted a pilot survey for z > 3.5 quasars by combining the FIRST radio survey with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). While SDSS already targets FIRST sources for spectroscopy as quasar candidates, our survey includes fainter quasars and greatly improves the discovery rate by using strict astrometric criteria for matching the radio and optical positions. Our method allows for selection of high-redshift quasars with less color bias than with optical selection, as using radio selection essentially eliminates stellar contamination. We report the results of spectroscopy for 45 candidates, including 29 quasars in the range 0.37 3.5. We compare quasars selected using radio and optical criteria, and find that radio-selected quasars have a much higher fraction of moderately reddened objects. We derive a radio-loud quasar luminosity function at 3.5 < z < 4.0, and find that it is in good agreement with expectations from prior SDSS results.

DISCLOSING THE RADIO LOUDNESS DISTRIBUTION DICHOTOMY IN QUASARS: AN UNBIASED MONTE CARLO APPROACH APPLIED TO THE SDSS-FIRST QUASAR SAMPLE

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Balokovic, M. [Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Smolcic, V. [Argelander-Institut fuer Astronomie, Auf dem Hugel 71, D-53121 Bonn (Germany); Ivezic, Z. [Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Box 351580, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Zamorani, G. [INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna, via Ranzani 1, I-40127 Bologna (Italy); Schinnerer, E. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Astronomie, Koenigstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Kelly, B. C. [Department of Physics, Broida Hall, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States)

2012-11-01

We investigate the dichotomy in the radio loudness distribution of quasars by modeling their radio emission and various selection effects using a Monte Carlo approach. The existence of two physically distinct quasar populations, the radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars, is controversial and over the last decade a bimodal distribution of radio loudness of quasars has been both affirmed and disputed. We model the quasar radio luminosity distribution with simple unimodal and bimodal distribution functions. The resulting simulated samples are compared to a fiducial sample of 8300 quasars drawn from the SDSS DR7 Quasar Catalog and combined with radio observations from the FIRST survey. Our results indicate that the SDSS-FIRST sample is best described by a radio loudness distribution which consists of two components, with (12 {+-} 1)% of sources in the radio-loud component. On the other hand, the evidence for a local minimum in the loudness distribution (bimodality) is not strong and we find that previous claims for its existence were probably affected by the incompleteness of the FIRST survey close to its faint limit. We also investigate the redshift and luminosity dependence of the radio loudness distribution and find tentative evidence that at high redshift radio-loud quasars were rarer, on average louder, and exhibited a smaller range in radio loudness. In agreement with other recent work, we conclude that the SDSS-FIRST sample strongly suggests that the radio loudness distribution of quasars is not a universal function, and that more complex models than presented here are needed to fully explain available observations.

DISCLOSING THE RADIO LOUDNESS DISTRIBUTION DICHOTOMY IN QUASARS: AN UNBIASED MONTE CARLO APPROACH APPLIED TO THE SDSS-FIRST QUASAR SAMPLE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baloković, M.; Smolčić, V.; Ivezić, Ž.; Zamorani, G.; Schinnerer, E.; Kelly, B. C.

2012-01-01

We investigate the dichotomy in the radio loudness distribution of quasars by modeling their radio emission and various selection effects using a Monte Carlo approach. The existence of two physically distinct quasar populations, the radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars, is controversial and over the last decade a bimodal distribution of radio loudness of quasars has been both affirmed and disputed. We model the quasar radio luminosity distribution with simple unimodal and bimodal distribution functions. The resulting simulated samples are compared to a fiducial sample of 8300 quasars drawn from the SDSS DR7 Quasar Catalog and combined with radio observations from the FIRST survey. Our results indicate that the SDSS-FIRST sample is best described by a radio loudness distribution which consists of two components, with (12 ± 1)% of sources in the radio-loud component. On the other hand, the evidence for a local minimum in the loudness distribution (bimodality) is not strong and we find that previous claims for its existence were probably affected by the incompleteness of the FIRST survey close to its faint limit. We also investigate the redshift and luminosity dependence of the radio loudness distribution and find tentative evidence that at high redshift radio-loud quasars were rarer, on average louder, and exhibited a smaller range in radio loudness. In agreement with other recent work, we conclude that the SDSS-FIRST sample strongly suggests that the radio loudness distribution of quasars is not a universal function, and that more complex models than presented here are needed to fully explain available observations.

An Archival Chandra and XMM-Newton Survey of Type 2 Quasars

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Jia, Jianjun; Ptak, Andrew Francis; Heckman, Timothy; Zakamska, Nadia L.

2013-01-01

In order to investigate obscuration in high-luminosity type 2 active galactic nuclei (AGNs), we analyzed Chandra and XMM-Newton archival observations for 71 type 2 quasars detected at 0.05 100 eV in the rest frame) and we detect this line in the other sources through a joint fit (spectral stacking). The correlation between the Fe K alpha and [O III] fluxes and the inverse correlation of the equivalent width of the Fe Ka line with the ratio of hard X-ray and [O III] fluxes is consistent with previous results for lower luminosity Seyfert 2 galaxies. We conclude that obscuration is the cause of the weak hard X-ray emission rather than intrinsically low X-ray luminosities. We find that about half of the population of optically selected type 2 quasars are likely to be Compton thick. We also find no evidence that the amount of X-ray obscuration depends on the AGN luminosity (over a range of more than three orders of magnitude in luminosity).

The Discovery of a High-Redshift Quasar without Emission Lines from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Commissioning Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan; Strauss; Gunn; Lupton; Carilli; Rupen; Schmidt; Moustakas; Davis; Annis; Bahcall; Brinkmann; Brunner; Csabai; Doi; Fukugita; Heckman; Hennessy; Hindsley; Ivezic; Knapp; Lamb; Munn; Pauls; Pier; Rockosi; Schneider; Szalay; Tucker; York

1999-12-01

We report observations of a luminous unresolved object at redshift z=4.62, with a featureless optical spectrum redward of the Lyalpha forest region, discovered from Sloan Digital Sky Survey commissioning data. The redshift is determined by the onset of the Lyalpha forest at lambda approximately 6800 Å and a Lyman limit system at lambda=5120 Å. A strong Lyalpha absorption system with weak metal absorption lines at z=4.58 is also identified in the spectrum. The object has a continuum absolute magnitude of -26.6 at 1450 Å in the rest frame (h0=0.5, q0=0.5) and therefore cannot be an ordinary galaxy. It shows no radio emission (the 3 sigma upper limit of its flux at 6 cm is 60 µJy), indicating a radio-to-optical flux ratio at least as small as that of the radio-weakest BL Lacertae objects known. It is also not linearly polarized to a 3 sigma upper limit of 4% in the observed I band. Therefore, it is either the most distant BL Lac object known to date, with very weak radio emission, or a new type of unbeamed quasar, whose broad emission line region is very weak or absent.

La obra psicológica de Aníbal Ponce The psychological work of Aníbal Ponce

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luciano Nicolás García

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Este artículo propone analizar la obra de Aníbal Ponce dedicada a la psicología y su relevancia para la historia de la psicología argentina. Se propone una división de su obra en cuatro temas: una psicología fisiológica, una psicología de las emociones, una psicología del desarrollo y una psicología de la adolescencia. A partir de esta distinción, se analiza los cambios de temáticas y métodos en sus trabajos, así como su relación con el positivismo y el marxismo. Se plantea el problema de la relación e importancia de la psicología en su producción intelectual y de su ubicación en una historia de la psicología, la pedagogía y la psiquiatría en Argentina. Finalmente, se considera la obra de Ponce en términos de la introducción de temáticas y autores dentro de la psicología argentina y se indican posibles líneas de investigación sobre la trascendencia de su obra psicológica.This work analyses the psychological work of Aníbal Ponce and its historical relevance for Argentinian psychology. An original segmentation of four parts of his work is proposed: a physiological psychology, a psychology of emotions, a developmental psychology and a psychology of adolescence. From this distinction, change of topics and methodology in his works are analysed, as well as its relation with Positivism and Marxism. It is considered the issue of the relation and importance of psychology in his intellectual production and its place in a history of psychology, psychiatry and psychopedagogy in Argentina. Finally, it is considered Ponce's work in terms of the introduction of themes and authors in Argentinian psychology, and possible lines of enquiry about the transcendence of his psychological work are suggested.

The FIRST-2MASS Red Quasar Survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glikman, E; Helfand, D J; White, R L; Becker, R H; Gregg, M D; Lacy, M

2007-01-01

Combining radio observations with optical and infrared color selection--demonstrated in our pilot study to be an efficient selection algorithm for finding red quasars--we have obtained optical and infrared spectroscopy for 120 objects in a complete sample of 156 candidates from a sky area of 2716 square degrees. Consistent with our initial results, we find our selection criteria--J-K > 1.7,R-K > 4.0--yield a ∼ 50% success rate for discovering quasars substantially redder than those found in optical surveys. Comparison with UVX- and optical color-selected samples shows that ∼> 10% of the quasars are missed in a magnitude-limited survey. Simultaneous two-frequency radio observations for part of the sample indicate that a synchrotron continuum component is ruled out as a significant contributor to reddening the quasars spectra. We go on to estimate extinctions for our objects assuming their red colors are caused by dust. Continuum fits and Balmer decrements suggest E(B-V) values ranging from near zero to 2.5 magnitudes. Correcting the K-band magnitudes for these extinctions, we find that for K (le) 14.0, red quasars make up between 25% and 60% of the underlying quasar population; owing to the incompleteness of the 2MASS survey at fainter K-band magnitudes, we can only set a lower limit to the radio-detected red quasar population of > 20-30%

Far infrared peculiar behavior of quasars

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Liu Yulin; Liu Jiying

1988-09-01

Many quasars possibly have nebulous envelopes with far infrared radiation. These nebulosities may be similar to fuzz in the optical region in morphology. These quasars have many properties in common. (author). Refs, 3 figs

The Intrinsically X-Ray-weak Quasar PHL 1811. II. Optical and UV Spectra and Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Leighly, Karen M.; Halpern, Jules P.; Jenkins, Edward B.; Casebeer, Darrin

2007-11-01

This is the second of two papers reporting observations and analysis of the unusually bright (mb=14.4), luminous (MB=-25.5), nearby (z=0.192) narrow-line quasar PHL 1811. The first paper reported that PHL 1811 is intrinsically X-ray-weak and presented a spectral energy distribution (SED). Here we present HST STIS optical and UV spectra, and ground-based optical spectra. The optical and UV line emission is very unusual. There is no evidence for forbidden or semiforbidden lines. The near-UV spectrum is dominated by very strong Fe II and Fe III, and unusual low-ionization lines such as Na I D and Ca II H and K are observed. High-ionization lines are very weak; C IV has an equivalent width of 6.6 Å, a factor of ~5 smaller than measured from quasar composite spectra. An unusual feature near 1200 Å can be deblended in terms of Lyα, N V, Si II, and C III* using the blueshifted C IV profile as a template. Photoionization modeling shows that the unusual line emission can be explained qualitatively by the unusually soft SED. Principally, a low gas temperature results in inefficient emission of collisionally excited lines, including the semiforbidden lines generally used as density diagnostics. The emission resembles that of high-density gas; in both cases this is a consequence of inefficient cooling. PHL 1811 is very unusual, but we note that quasar surveys may be biased against finding similar objects. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555. These observations are associated with proposal 9181. Based on observations obtained at Kitt Peak National Observatory, a division of the National Optical Astronomy Observatories, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.

Spectroscopy of the fuzz associated with four quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balick, B.; Heckman, T.M.

1983-01-01

The spectroscopic properties of the ''fuzz'' near four quasars are consistent with starlight in a galactic environment at essentially the same redshift as the quasar. Apparently, then, the same processes that determine the redshifts of galaxies also determine the redshifts of quasars

First observation of a quasar with a redshift of 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warren, S.J.; Hewett, P.C.; Irwin, M.J.; McMahon, R.G.; Bridgeland, M.T.; Bunclark, P.S.; Kibblewhite, E.J.

1987-01-01

The authors report the discovery of a quasar (0046-293) with a redshift z = 4.01 and another (0044-276) with a redshift z 3.42. The redshift of the former quasar is the highest yet detected and compares with the z = 3.80 of the previous most distant known quasar. The new quasars lie in the same field as three other known high-redshift quasars and were identified in a preliminary analysis of new multi-colour data derived from measurements of direct photographic plates taken with the United Kingdom Schmidt Telescope. The two new quasars are significantly fainter (msub(R) > 19) than previously known high-redshift quasars discovered by optical techniques, and demonstrate that the luminosity function of optically selected high-redshift quasars extends over at least two magnitudes. (author)

Overdensity of galaxies in the environment of quasar pairs

Science.gov (United States)

Sandrinelli, A.; Falomo, R.; Treves, A.; Scarpa, R.; Uslenghi, M.

2018-03-01

We report on a study of the galaxy environments of low redshift physical quasars pairs. We selected 20 pairs having projected separation Survey images, we evaluated the galaxy overdensity around these quasars in pairs and then compare it with that of a sample of isolated quasars with same redshift and luminosity. It is found that on average there is a systematic larger overdensity of galaxies around quasars in pairs with respect to that of isolated quasars. This may represent a significant link between nuclear activity and galaxy environment. However, at odds with that, the closest quasar pairs seem to inhabit poorer environments. Implications of present results and perspectives for future work are briefly discussed.

The CTIO surveys for large redshift quasars

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Osmer, P.S.

1978-01-01

Lyman α emission in large redshift quasars is readily detectable on slitless spectrograms taken with an objective combination on the 4m telescope. This provides a new survey method, independent of color for finding radio-quiet quasars in large numbers. Surveys by Smith with the Curtis Schmidt and Hoag and Smith with the 4 m telescope, have produced more than 200 candidates with 1.5< z<3.5 and 16< m<21. Spectroscopic observations with the CTIO SIT vidicon system have been carried out for more than 50 of the candidates, with the result that the basic properties of the surveys are known. To date three 16th magnitude quasars with zapproximately2.2 and six quasars with 3.0< z<3.25 have been found. One of the most important uses of the surveys will be the determination of the surface and surface densities of large redshift quasars. A preliminary analysis of the data indicates that the space density of quasars is at least constant, if not increasing, over the interval 1.0< z<3.25. However, the Hoag-Smith sample has only one candidate with z<3.2.(Auth.)

Neutrophil elastase and elastin-derived peptides in BAL fluid and emphysematous changes on CT scans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Betsuyaku, Tomoko; Nishimura, Masaharu; Yoshioka, Aya; Takeyabu, Kimihiro; Miyamoto, Kenji; Kawakami, Yoshikazu

1996-01-01

We examined the relationship between neutrophil elastase, elastin-derived peptides in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, and the development of pulmonary emphysema. The level of neutrophil elastase was higher in asymptomatic current smokers with emphysematous changes on computed tomographic scans than in current smokers without emphysematous changes, and was found to be correlated with the level of elastin-derived peptides in BAL fluid. Subjects with high levels of neutrophil elastase in BAL fluid had faster annual declines in FEV 1 . We conclude that the level of neutrophil elastase in BAL fluid can be used to differentiate asymptomatic cigarette smokers who are at risk for pulmonary emphysema from those who are not. (author)

Erratum: "Space Density of Optically Selected Type 2 Quasars" (2008, AJ, 136, 2373)

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Reyes, Reinabelle; Zakamska, Nadia L.; Strauss, Michael A.; Green, Joshua; Krolik, Julian H.; Shen, Yue; Richards, Gordon T.; Anderson, Scott F.; Schneider, Donald P.

2010-03-01

Figure 12 of the paper "Space Density of Optically Selected Type 2 Quasars" compares the obscured quasar fractions derived in our work with those of other studies. Unfortunately, some of the points from these other studies were shown incorrectly. Specifically, the results from X-ray data—Hasinger (2004; open circles) and Ueda et al. (2003; open squares)—which we had taken from Figure 16 of Hopkins et al. (2006), were affected by a luminosity conversion error, in the sense that the displayed luminosities for these data were too high by ~1 dex. With this erratum, we correct this problem and update the figure. The new version (Figure 12) shows more recent results from Hasinger (2008), in lieu of the Hasinger (2004) data points. These are based on data in the redshift range z = 0.2-3.2 (open circles) in that work. The best linear fit to these data (black dashed line) is consistent with that derived for the redshift slice z = 0.4-0.8, which overlaps with the highest redshift bin in our study, and is higher than that derived for redshifts smaller than 0.4 (corresponding to a shift of ~0.7 dex in luminosity). Figure 12 also shows estimates of the obscured quasar fraction derived from the ratio of IR to bolometric luminosities of an AGN sample at redshift z ~ 1 (Treister et al. 2008; filled triangles). Because the obscured quasar fractions derived from our analysis (colored arrows) are strict lower limits, there was already a hint in the previous version of Figure 12 that at high quasar luminosities, we find higher obscured quasar fractions than X-ray surveys. The correction and updates of Figure 12 strengthen this conclusion. At face value, our derived obscured quasar fractions are consistent with those from IR data (Treister et al. 2008; filled triangles). However, we find that they are significantly higher than those derived from X-ray surveys at L_[O\\,\\mathsc {iii]}\\gtrsim 10^{9.5}\\;L_{\\odot }, especially those from the recent analysis by Hasinger (2008). This

MMTF DISCOVERY OF GIANT IONIZATION CONES IN MR 2251–178: IMPLICATIONS FOR QUASAR RADIATIVE FEEDBACK

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Kreimeyer, Kory; Veilleux, Sylvain

2013-01-01

We report the discovery of giant ionization cones in the 140 kpc nebula around quasar MR 2251–178 based on deep [O III] λ5007/Hβ and [N II] λ6583/Hα flux ratio maps obtained with the Maryland-Magellan Tunable Filter on the Baade-Magellan 6.5 m Telescope. These cones are aligned with the weak double-lobed radio source observed on smaller scale (<30 kpc). They have an opening angle ∼120° ± 10° and subtend ∼65%-90% of 4π sr, where the uncertainty takes into account possible projection effects. The material in the outer ionization cones is matter-bounded, indicating that all ionizing photons emitted through the cones escape from the system. The quasar ionizing flux is ∼2-3 times fainter outside of these cones, despite the largely symmetric geometry of the nebula in [O III]. Overall, adding up the contributions from both inside and outside the cones, we find that ∼65%-95% of the quasar ionizing radiation makes its way out of the system. These results emphasize the need for line ratio maps to quantify the escape fraction of ionizing radiation from quasars and the importance of quasar radiative feedback on the intergalactic medium

Quasar Absorption in the UV: Probing the Intergalactic Medium

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Weinberg, David; Katz, Neal

1998-01-01

The purpose of this project is to model the low-redshift Lyman-alpha forest and exploration of the relation between Lyman-alpha absorbers and galaxies. This paper shows that the simulation models that are so successful at explaining properties of the high-redshift forest also account for the most important results of observational studies of the low-redshift forest, from HST (especially the Quasar Absorption Line Key Project) and ground-based follow-up.

Dust in the Quasar Wind (Artist Concept)

Science.gov (United States)

2007-01-01

Dusty grains -- including tiny specks of the minerals found in the gemstones peridot, sapphires and rubies -- can be seen blowing in the winds of a quasar, or active black hole, in this artist's concept. The quasar is at the center of a distant galaxy. Astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope found evidence that such quasar winds might have forged these dusty particles in the very early universe. The findings are another clue in an ongoing cosmic mystery: where did all the dust in our young universe come from? Dust is crucial for efficient star formation as it allows the giant clouds where stars are born to cool quickly and collapse into new stars. Once a star has formed, dust is also needed to make planets and living creatures. Dust has been seen as far back as when the universe was less than a tenth of its current age, but how did it get there? Most dust in our current epoch forms in the winds of evolved stars that did not exist when the universe was young. Theorists had predicted that winds from quasars growing in the centers of distant galaxies might be a source of this dust. While the environment close to a quasar is too hot for large molecules like dust grains to survive, dust has been found in the cooler, outer regions. Astronomers now have evidence that dust is created in these outer winds. Using Spitzer's infrared spectrograph instrument, scientists found a wealth of dust grains in a quasar called PG2112+059 located at the center of a galaxy 8 billion light-years away. The grains - including corundum (sapphires and rubies); forsterite (peridot); and periclase (naturally occurring in marble) - are not typically found in galaxies without quasars, suggesting they might have been freshly formed in the quasar's winds.

Broadband Photometric Reverberation Mapping Analysis on SDSS-RM and Stripe 82 Quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Haowen; Yang, Qian; Wu, Xue-Bing

2018-02-01

We modified the broadband photometric reverberation mapping (PRM) code, JAVELIN, and tested the availability to get broad-line region time delays that are consistent with the spectroscopic reverberation mapping (SRM) project SDSS-RM. The broadband light curves of SDSS-RM quasars produced by convolution with the system transmission curves were used in the test. We found that under similar sampling conditions (evenly and frequently sampled), the key factor determining whether the broadband PRM code can yield lags consistent with the SRM project is the flux ratio of the broad emission line to the reference continuum, which is in line with the previous findings. We further found a critical line-to-continuum flux ratio, about 6%, above which the mean of the ratios between the lags from PRM and SRM becomes closer to unity, and the scatter is pronouncedly reduced. We also tested our code on a subset of SDSS Stripe 82 quasars, and found that our program tends to give biased lag estimations due to the observation gaps when the R-L relation prior in Markov Chain Monte Carlo is discarded. The performance of the damped random walk (DRW) model and the power-law (PL) structure function model on broadband PRM were compared. We found that given both SDSS-RM-like or Stripe 82-like light curves, the DRW model performs better in carrying out broadband PRM than the PL model.

Seeking the epoch of maximum luminosity for dusty quasars

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Vardanyan, Valeri; Weedman, Daniel; Sargsyan, Lusine

2014-01-01

Infrared luminosities νL ν (7.8 μm) arising from dust reradiation are determined for Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasars with 1.4 quasar Gpc –3 having νL ν (7.8 μm) > 10 46.6 erg s –1 for all 2 quasars first reached their maximum luminosity has not yet been identified at any redshift below 5. The most ultraviolet luminous quasars, defined by rest frame νL ν (0.25 μm), have the largest values of the ratio νL ν (0.25 μm)/νL ν (7.8 μm) with a maximum ratio at z = 2.9. From these results, we conclude that the quasars most luminous in the ultraviolet have the smallest dust content and appear luminous primarily because of lessened extinction. Observed ultraviolet/infrared luminosity ratios are used to define 'obscured' quasars as those having >5 mag of ultraviolet extinction. We present a new summary of obscured quasars discovered with the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph and determine the infrared luminosity function of these obscured quasars at z ∼ 2.1. This is compared with infrared luminosity functions of optically discovered, unobscured quasars in the SDSS and in the AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey. The comparison indicates comparable numbers of obscured and unobscured quasars at z ∼ 2.1 with a possible excess of obscured quasars at fainter luminosities.

Quasar Massive Ionized Outflows Traced by CIV λ1549 and [OIII]λλ4959,5007

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Marziani, Paola [National Institute for Astrophysics, Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Rome (Italy); Negrete, C. Alenka; Dultzin, Deborah [Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City (Mexico); Martínez-Aldama, Mary L.; Del Olmo, Ascensión [Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC), Granada (Spain); D' Onofrio, Mauro [Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Padova, Padova (Italy); Stirpe, Giovanna M., E-mail: paola.marziani@oapd.inaf.it [Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna (INAF), Bologna (Italy)

2017-09-27

The most luminous quasars (with bolometric luminosities are ≳ 10{sup 47} erg/s) show a high prevalence of CIV λ1549 and [OIII]λλ4959,5007 emission line profiles with strong blueshifts. Blueshifts are interpreted as due to Doppler effect and selective obscuration, and indicate outflows occurring over a wide range of spatial scales. We found evidence in favor of the nuclear origin of the outflows diagnosed by [OIII]λλ4959,5007. The ionized gas mass, kinetic power, and mechanical thrust are extremely high, and suggest widespread feedback effects on the host galaxies of very luminous quasars, at cosmic epochs between 2 and 6 Gyr from the Big Bang. In this mini-review we summarize results obtained by our group and reported in several major papers in the last few years with an eye on challenging aspects of quantifying feedback effects in large samples of quasars.

Quasar Massive Ionized Outflows Traced by CIV λ1549 and [OIII]λλ4959,5007

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paola Marziani

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The most luminous quasars (with bolometric luminosities are ≳ 1047 erg/s show a high prevalence of CIV λ1549 and [OIII]λλ4959,5007 emission line profiles with strong blueshifts. Blueshifts are interpreted as due to Doppler effect and selective obscuration, and indicate outflows occurring over a wide range of spatial scales. We found evidence in favor of the nuclear origin of the outflows diagnosed by [OIII]λλ4959,5007. The ionized gas mass, kinetic power, and mechanical thrust are extremely high, and suggest widespread feedback effects on the host galaxies of very luminous quasars, at cosmic epochs between 2 and 6 Gyr from the Big Bang. In this mini-review we summarize results obtained by our group and reported in several major papers in the last few years with an eye on challenging aspects of quantifying feedback effects in large samples of quasars.

HE0359-3959: An Extremely Radiating Quasar

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martínez-Aldama, M. L.; Del Olmo, A. [Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, IAA-CSIC, Granada (Spain); Marziani, P. [INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Padua (Italy); Negrete, C. A. [CONACYT Research Fellow, Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City (Mexico); Dultzin, D. [Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City (Mexico); Martínez-Carballo, M. A., E-mail: maryloli@iaa.es [Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, IAA-CSIC, Granada (Spain)

2017-11-28

We present a multiwavelength spectral study of the quasar HE0359-3959, which has been identified as an extreme radiating source at intermediate redshift (z = 1.5209). Along the spectral range, the different ionic species give information about the substructures in the broad line region. The presence of a powerful outflow with an extreme blueshifted velocity of ~–6,000 ± 500 km s{sup −1} is shown in the Civλ1549 emission line. A prominent blueshifted component is also associated with the 1900Å blend, resembling the one observed in Civλ1549. We detect a strong contribution of very the low–ionization lines, Feii and Near-Infrared Ca ii triplet. We find that the physical conditions for the low, intermediate, and high–ionization emission lines are different, which indicate that the emission lines are emitted in different zones of the broad line region. The asymmetries shown by the profiles reveal different forces over emitter zones. The high–ionization region is strongly dominated by radiation forces, which also affect the low and intermediate–ionization emitter region, commonly governed by virial motions. These results support the idea that highly radiating sources host a slim disk.

The QUASAR facility

Science.gov (United States)

Gates, David

2013-10-01

The QUAsi-Axisymmetric Research (QUASAR) stellarator is a new facility which can solve two critical problems for fusion, disruptions and steady-state, and which provides new insights into the role of magnetic symmetry in plasma confinement. If constructed it will be the only quasi-axisymmetric stellarator in the world. The innovative principle of quasi-axisymmetry (QA) will be used in QUASAR to study how ``tokamak-like'' systems can be made: 1) Disruption-free, 2) Steady-state with low recirculating power, while preserving or improving upon features of axisymmetric tokamaks, such as 1) Stable at high pressure simultaneous with 2) High confinement (similar to tokamaks), and 3) Scalable to a compact reactor Stellarator research is critical to fusion research in order to establish the physics basis for a magnetic confinement device that can operate efficiently in steady-state, without disruptions at reactor-relevant parameters. The two large stellarator experiments - LHD in Japan and W7-X under construction in Germany are pioneering facilities capable of developing 3D physics understanding at large scale and for very long pulses. The QUASAR design is unique in being QA and optimized for confinement, stability, and moderate aspect ratio (4.5). It projects to a reactor with a major radius of ~8 m similar to advanced tokamak concepts. It is striking that (a) the EU DEMO is a pulsed (~2.5 hour) tokamak with major R ~ 9 m and (b) the ITER physics scenarios do not presume steady-state behavior. Accordingly, QUASAR fills a critical gap in the world stellarator program. This work supported by DoE Contract No. DEAC02-76CH03073.

Discovery of a bright quasar without a massive host galaxy.

Science.gov (United States)

Magain, Pierre; Letawe, Géraldine; Courbin, Frédéric; Jablonka, Pascale; Jahnke, Knud; Meylan, Georges; Wisotzki, Lutz

2005-09-15

A quasar is thought to be powered by the infall of matter onto a supermassive black hole at the centre of a massive galaxy. Because the optical luminosity of quasars exceeds that of their host galaxy, disentangling the two components can be difficult. This led in the 1990s to the controversial claim of the discovery of 'naked' quasars. Since then, the connection between quasars and galaxies has been well established. Here we report the discovery of a quasar lying at the edge of a gas cloud, whose size is comparable to that of a small galaxy, but whose spectrum shows no evidence for stars. The gas in the cloud is excited by the quasar itself. If a host galaxy is present, it is at least six times fainter than would normally be expected for such a bright quasar. The quasar is interacting dynamically with a neighbouring galaxy, whose gas might be feeding the black hole.

X-ray studies of quasars with the Einstein observatory. II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zamorani, G.; Henry, J.P.; Maccacaro, T.; Tananbaum, H.; Soltan, A.; Avni, Y.; Liebert, J.; Stocke, J.; Strittmatter, P.A.; Weymann, R.J.; Smith, M.G.; Condon, J.J.

1981-01-01

Using the Einstein Observatory, we have carried out X-ray observations of 107 quasars and have detected 79. From the analysis of this sample of objects we find a correlation between optical emission and X-ray emission. Our data for radio-loud quasars also show a correlation between radio emission and X-ray emission. For a given optical luminosity, the average X-ray emission of radio-loud quasars is approx.3 times higher than that of ratio-quiet quasars. In addition, our data suggest that the radio of X-ray to optical luminosity is decreasing with increasing redshift and/or optical luminosity. Taking into account the differences in X-ray luminosity between radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars, and between low-redshift and high-redshift quasars, we estimate that approx.30% of the observed X-ray background is contributed by quasars brighter than m/sub B/roughly-equal20, while much of the remainder can be contributed by still fainter quasars. Our data also imply that the optical log N--m/sub B/ relation for quasars cannot be extrapolated much beyond m/sub B/roughly-equal20 with the steep slope used to characterize optical source counts at brighter magnitudes. This situation supports the picture in which luminosity evolution, rather than pure density evolution, describes the quasar behavior as a function of redshift. We briefly discuss the observed correlation of X-ray luminosity with radio luminosity in the context of current quasar models

Quasars and cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fliche, H.-H.; Souriau, J.-M.

1978-03-01

On the basis of colorimetric data a composite spectrum of quasars is established from the visible to the Lyman's limit. Its agreement with the spectrum of the quasar 3C273, obtained directly, confirms the homogeneity of these objects. The compatibility of the following hypotheses: negligible evolution of quasars, Friedmann type model of the universe with cosmological constant, is studied by means of two tests: a non-correlation test adopted to the observation conditions and the construction of diagrams (absolute magnitude, volume) using the K-correction deduced from the composite spectrum. This procedure happens to give relatively well-defined values of the parameters; the central values of the density parameter, the reduced curvature and the reduced cosmological constant are: Ω 0 =0.053, k 0 =0.245, lambda-zero=1.19, which correspond to a big bang model, eternally expanding, spatially finite, in which Hubble's parameter H is presently increasing. This model responds well to different cosmological tests: density of matter, diameter of radio sources, age of the universe. Its characteristics suggest various cosmogonic mechanisms, espacially mass formation by growth of empty spherical bubbles [fr

Subaru High-z Exploration of Low-Luminosity Quasars (SHELLQs). III. Star formation properties of the host galaxies at z ≳ 6 studied with ALMA

Science.gov (United States)

Izumi, Takuma; Onoue, Masafusa; Shirakata, Hikari; Nagao, Tohru; Kohno, Kotaro; Matsuoka, Yoshiki; Imanishi, Masatoshi; Strauss, Michael A.; Kashikawa, Nobunari; Schulze, Andreas; Silverman, John D.; Fujimoto, Seiji; Harikane, Yuichi; Toba, Yoshiki; Umehata, Hideki; Nakanishi, Kouichiro; Greene, Jenny E.; Tamura, Yoichi; Taniguchi, Akio; Yamaguchi, Yuki; Goto, Tomotsugu; Hashimoto, Yasuhiro; Ikarashi, Soh; Iono, Daisuke; Iwasawa, Kazushi; Lee, Chien-Hsiu; Makiya, Ryu; Minezaki, Takeo; Tang, Ji-Jia

2018-04-01

We present our ALMA Cycle 4 measurements of the [C II] emission line and the underlying far-infrared (FIR) continuum emission from four optically low-luminosity (M1450 > -25) quasars at z ≳ 6 discovered by the Subaru Hyper Suprime Cam (HSC) survey. The [C II] line and FIR continuum luminosities lie in the ranges L_[C II] = (3.8-10.2)× 108 L_{⊙} and LFIR = (1.2-2.0) × 1011 L_{⊙}, which are at least one order of magnitude smaller than those of optically-luminous quasars at z ≳ 6. We estimate the star formation rates (SFRs) of our targets as ≃ 23-40 M_{⊙} yr-1. Their line and continuum-emitting regions are marginally resolved, and found to be comparable in size to those of optically-luminous quasars, indicating that their SFR or likely gas mass surface densities (key controlling parameter of mass accretion) are accordingly different. The L_[C II]/L_FIR ratios of the hosts, ≃ (2.2-8.7) × 10-3, are fully consistent with local star-forming galaxies. Using the [C II] dynamics, we derived their dynamical masses within a radius of 1.5-2.5 kpc as ≃ (1.4-8.2) × 1010 M_{⊙}. By interpreting these masses as stellar ones, we suggest that these faint quasar hosts are on or even below the star-forming main sequence at z ˜ 6, i.e., they appear to be transforming into quiescent galaxies. This is in contrast to the optically-luminous quasars at those redshifts, which show starburst-like properties. Finally, we find that the ratios of black hole mass to host galaxy dynamical mass of most of the low-luminosity quasars, including the HSC ones, are consistent with the local value. The mass ratios of the HSC quasars can be reproduced by a semi-analytical model that assumes merger-induced black hole host galaxy evolution.

QUASAR CLUSTERING FROM SDSS DR5: DEPENDENCES ON PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen Yue; Strauss, Michael A.; Lin, Yen-Ting; Bahcall, Neta A.; Ross, Nicholas P.; Schneider, Donald P.; Vanden Berk, Daniel E.; Hall, Patrick B.; Richards, Gordon T.; Weinberg, David H.; Shankar, Francesco; Connolly, Andrew J.; Fan Xiaohui; Hennawi, Joseph F.; Brunner, Robert J.

2009-01-01

Using a homogenous sample of 38,208 quasars with a sky coverage of ∼4000 deg. 2 drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release Five quasar catalog, we study the dependence of quasar clustering on luminosity, virial black hole (BH) mass, quasar color, and radio loudness. At z 13 h -1 M sun , compared to ∼2 x 10 12 h -1 M sun for radio-quiet quasar hosts at z ∼ 1.5.

A z = 3 Lyα BLOB ASSOCIATED WITH A DAMPED Lyα SYSTEM PROXIMATE TO ITS BACKGROUND QUASAR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hennawi, Joseph F.; Prochaska, J. Xavier; Kollmeier, Juna; Zheng Zheng

2009-01-01

We report on the discovery of a bright Lyα blob associated with the z = 3 quasar SDSS J124020.91+145535.6 which is also coincident with strong damped Lyα absorption from a foreground galaxy (a so-called proximate damped Lyα (PDLA) system). The one-dimensional spectrum acquired by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) shows a broad Lyα emission line with a FWHM ≅500 km s -1 and a luminosity of L Lyα = 3.9 x 10 43 erg s -1 superposed on the trough of the PDLA. Follow-up observations using the Keck/LRIS spectrometer confirm that this source has a Lyα nebula with spatial extent exceeding 5'', corresponding to a proper size >39 kpc. Mechanisms for powering the large Lyα luminosity in this nebula are discussed. We use a Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulation to investigate the possibility that the line emission is fluorescent recombination radiation from a kpc-scale PDLA galaxy powered by the ionizing flux of the quasar, but find that the predicted Lyα flux is several orders of magnitude lower than observed. We conclude that the Lyα emission is not associated with the PDLA galaxy at all, but instead is intrinsic to the quasar's host and similar to the extended Lyα f uzzwhich is detected around many active galactic nuclei. PDLAs are natural coronagraphs that block their background quasar at Lyα and we discuss how systems similar to SDSS J124020.91+145535.6 might be used to image the neutral hydrogen in the PDLA galaxy in silhouette against the screen of extended Lyα emission from the background quasar.

MILLIMETER OBSERVATIONS OF A SAMPLE OF HIGH-REDSHIFT OBSCURED QUASARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinez-Sansigre, Alejo; Karim, Alexander; Schinnerer, Eva

2009-01-01

found at an earlier evolutionary phase than those of unobscured quasars. For one source at z = 2.767, we detect the CO(3-2) transition, with S CO Δν = 630 ± 50 mJy km s -1 , corresponding to L CO(3-2) = 3.2 x10 7 L sun , or a brightness-temperature luminosity of L' CO(3-2) = 2.4 x 10 10 K km s -1 pc 2 . For another source at z = 4.17, the lack of detection of the CO(4-3) line suggests the line to have a brightness-temperature luminosity L' CO(4-3) 10 K km s -1 pc 2 . Under the assumption that in these objects the high-J transitions are thermalized, we can estimate the molecular gas contents to be M H 2 =1.9x10 10 M sun and 9 M sun , respectively. The estimated gas depletion timescales are τ g = 4 Myr and g /M d = 19 and <20 are inferred. These values are at the low end but consistent with those of other high-redshift galaxies.

On The Dark Side of Quasar Evolution

OpenAIRE

Menou, Kristen; Haiman, Zoltan

2004-01-01

Recent improved determinations of the mass density rho_BH of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in the local universe have allowed accurate comparisons of rho_BH with the amount of light received from past quasar activity. These comparisons support the notion that local SMBHs are ``dead quasars'' and yield a value epsilon >~ 0.1 for the average radiative efficiency of cosmic SMBH accretion. BH coalescences may represent an important component of the quasar mass assembly and yet not produce any ...

A Hungry Quasar Caught in the Act

Science.gov (United States)

2001-05-01

The VLT Secures Spectacular Image of Distant Gravitational Interaction Summary A new image of a distant quasar (the luminous core of an "active" galaxy) shows that it is engaged in a gravitational battle with its neighbouring galaxies . It also provides information on how supermassive black holes present in the center of quasars are fed. Using the FORS2 multi-mode instrument at the ESO 8.2-m VLT KUEYEN telescope on Paranal (Chile), a team of German astronomers [1] obtained a spectacular image of the close and complex environment of the distant quasar "HE 1013-2136", located some 10 billion light-years away [2]. The remarkable structures revealed in this photo lend support to the hypothesis that quasar activity is connected to gravitational interaction between galaxies, already at this early epoch of the Universe (about 5 billion years after the Big Bang). PR Photo 20a/01 : A VLT image of the Quasar HE 1013-2136 . PR Photo 20b/01 : A sharpened version of the same image. Feeding the Black Hole "Quasars" (Quasi-Stellar Objects) were first discovered by Dutch-American astronomer Maarten Schmidt in 1963 as distant, energetic objects of star-like appearance. Since then, more than 15,000 quasars have been found and we now know that they are the luminous cores at the heart of distant galaxies. Such "Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN)" are thought to host Supermassive Black Holes of up to one billion solar masses at their centres. Black Holes represent the densest possible state of matter; if the Earth were to become one, it would measure no more than a few millimetres across. The Black Hole in a galaxy gobbles up the gas and dust of its host, a process that efficiently powers the luminous core that we observe as a point-like "quasar". A Black Hole must be continuously fed to remain active. During an active phase of typically 100 million years, the Black Hole in a quasar swallows material with a total weight of up to 10 solar masses every year. This may be predominantly in the

The Discovery of a Luminous Z=5.80 Quasar from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Xiaohui; White, Richard L.; Davis, Marc; Becker, Robert H.; Strauss, Michael A.; Haiman, Zoltan; Schneider, Donald P.; Gregg, Michael D.; Gunn, James E.; Knapp, G. R.; Lupton, Robert H.; Anderson, John E., Jr.; Anderson, Scott F.; Annis, James; Bahcall, Neta A.; Boroski, William N.; Brunner, Robert J.; Chen, Bing; Connolly, Andrew J.; Csabai, István; Doi, Mamoru; Fukugita, Masataka; Hennessy, G. S.; Hindsley, Robert B.; Ichikawa, Takashi; Ivezić, Željko; Loveday, Jon; Meiksin, Avery; McKay, Timothy A.; Munn, Jeffrey A.; Newberg, Heidi Jo; Nichol, Robert; Okamura, Sadanori; Pier, Jeffrey R.; Sekiguchi, Maki; Shimasaku, Kazuhiro; Stoughton, Chris; Szalay, Alexander S.; Szokoly, Gyula P.; Thakar, Aniruddha R.; Vogeley, Michael S.; York, Donald G.

2000-09-01

We present observations of SDSSp J104433.04-012502.2, a luminous quasar at z=5.80 discovered from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) multicolor imaging data. This object was selected as an i'-band dropout object, with i*=21.8+/-0.2 and z*=19.2+/-0.1. It has an absolute magnitude M1450=-27.2 (H0=50 km s-1 Mpc-1, q0=0.5). The spectrum shows a strong and broad Lyα emission line, strong Lyα forest absorption lines with a mean continuum decrement DA=0.91 and a Lyman limit system at z=5.72. The spectrum also shows strong O I and Si IV emission lines similar to those of quasars at zuniverse is already highly ionized at z~5.8. Using a high-resolution spectrum in the Lyα forest region, we place a conservative upper limit on the optical depth because of the Gunn-Peterson effect of τUniversity of California, and NASA, and was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.

Parsec-Scale Radio Structure and Broad Optical Emission Lines in a Complete Sample of 3CR Lobe-dominated Quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Hough, D. H.; Vermeulen, R. C.; Readhead, A. C. S.; Cross, L. L.; Barth, E. L.; Yu, L. H.; Beyer, P. J.; Phifer, E. M.

2002-03-01

We present results from VLBI observations of 24 of the 25 lobe-dominated quasars (LDQs) in the 3CR complete sample and from optical spectrophotometry of 14 of these objects. The VLBI observations were made with a variety of arrays-most recently the Very Long Baseline Array-at frequencies ranging from 5 to 22 GHz during the period 1981-1997. The optical spectra were obtained with the Hale 200 inch (5 m) telescope at Palomar Observatory, using the blue and red CCDs of the Double Spectrograph, between 1984 and 1992. The radio nuclei range in strength over nearly 3 orders of magnitude, from ~0.9 Jy down to ~3 mJy, and were imaged at typical resolutions of ~0.5-1.0 mas and sensitivities of ~0.1-0.2 mJy beam-1. All 24 LDQs show detectable radio structure in their nuclei. All 19 objects for which VLBI images could be made show one-sided nuclear jets, often several milliarcseconds in length and significantly curved, on the same side of the compact core as the one-sided large-scale jets seen on Very Large Array images. No counterjets were observed; jet-to-counterjet ratios that virtually all exceed ~10 suggest that these objects are all oriented within ~70° to the line of sight. For the 10 sources in which parsec-scale jet speeds could be estimated, the well-defined motions range from orientations, it is more easily accomodated by a restricted range of orientations. Evidence for slower jet speeds and larger apparent bends close to the core support the concept of a ``transition'' zone in the inner few parsecs of these jets. There are significant correlations among the prominences of the cores and jets, relative jet length, maximum jet deflection angles, and variability amplitude, as well as possible trends involving jet speed and strength of compact jet knots; furthermore, these objects tend to exhibit flat-spectrum cores and steep-spectrum jets. These results are all consistent with orientation-dependent relativistic beaming effects and unification of core- and lobe

Star Formation in Dusty Quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Lumsden, Stuart; Croom, Scott

2012-04-01

Quasar mode feedback is thought to be a crucial ingredient in galaxy formation for luminous merging and star-bursting systems at high redshift. The energy from the active nucleus should cause significant gas outflows, reducing the available free gas reservoir for future star formation. It is currently unknown which observational state best corresponds to the stage at which this "blowout" should occur. We intend to test one possible source population for this transition phase, by studying the molecular gas content in a small, statistically complete sample of 3 K-band selected reddened quasars from the AUS survey. All lie in the redshift range 2quasar activity in typical galaxies, where we also expect the bulk of the stars for form as well.

A Photo-Ionization Method for Black Hole Mass Estimation in Quasars

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marziani Paola

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Determining the masses of the central compact object believed to power all active galactic nuclei is relevant to our understanding of their evolution and of their inner workings. Keys to present-day mass estimates are: (1 the assumption of line broadening due to virial motion of the emitting gas, (2 an estimate of the distance of broad-line emitting gas from the central compact object, and (3 a measure of the AGN luminosity. We discuss the merits and the limitations of an alternative method based on estimates of physical conditions in the broad line emitting region derived from an appropriate multi-component analysis of emission line profiles. This ‘photo-ionization method’, applied to UV intermediate-ionization lines appears to be promising for at least a sizable population of high-z quasars.

A Full Year's Chandra Exposure on Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasars from the Chandra Multiwavelength Project

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Paul J.; Aldcroft, T. L.; Richards, G. T.; Barkhouse, W. A.; Constantin, A.; Haggard, D.; Karovska, M.; Kim, D.-W.; Kim, M.; Vikhlinin, A.; Anderson, S. F.; Mossman, A.; Kashyap, V.; Myers, A. D.; Silverman, J. D.; Wilkes, B. J.; Tananbaum, H.

2009-01-01

We study the spectral energy distributions and evolution of a large sample of optically selected quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey that were observed in 323 Chandra images analyzed by the Chandra Multiwavelength Project. Our highest-confidence matched sample includes 1135 X-ray detected quasars in the redshift range 0.2 3, substantially expanding the known sample. We find no evidence for evolution out to z ~ 5 for either the X-ray photon index Γ or for the ratio of optical/UV to X-ray flux αox. About 10% of detected QSOs show best-fit intrinsic absorbing columns greater than 1022 cm-2, but the fraction might reach ~1/3 if most nondetections are absorbed. We confirm a significant correlation between αox and optical luminosity, but it flattens or disappears for fainter (MB gsim -23) active galactic nucleus (AGN) alone. We report significant hardening of Γ both toward higher X-ray luminosity, and for relatively X-ray loud quasars. These trends may represent a relative increase in nonthermal X-ray emission, and our findings thereby strengthen analogies between Galactic black hole binaries and AGN. For uniformly selected subsamples of narrow-line Seyfert 1s and narrow absorption line QSOs, we find no evidence for unusual distributions of either αox or Γ.

Measurement of the small-scale structure of the intergalactic medium using close quasar pairs.

Science.gov (United States)

Rorai, Alberto; Hennawi, Joseph F; Oñorbe, Jose; White, Martin; Prochaska, J Xavier; Kulkarni, Girish; Walther, Michael; Lukić, Zarija; Lee, Khee-Gan

2017-04-28

The distribution of diffuse gas in the intergalactic medium (IGM) imprints a series of hydrogen absorption lines on the spectra of distant background quasars known as the Lyman-α forest. Cosmological hydrodynamical simulations predict that IGM density fluctuations are suppressed below a characteristic scale where thermal pressure balances gravity. We measured this pressure-smoothing scale by quantifying absorption correlations in a sample of close quasar pairs. We compared our measurements to hydrodynamical simulations, where pressure smoothing is determined by the integrated thermal history of the IGM. Our findings are consistent with standard models for photoionization heating by the ultraviolet radiation backgrounds that reionized the universe. Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The Einstein database of IPC x-ray observations of optically selected and radio-selected quasars, 1.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkes, Belinda J.; Tananbaum, Harvey; Worrall, D. M.; Avni, Yoram; Oey, M. S.; Flanagan, Joan

1994-01-01

We present the first volume of the Einstein quasar database. The database includes estimates of the X-ray count rates, fluxes, and luminosities for 514 quasars and Seyfert 1 galaxies observed with the Imaging Proportional Counter (IPC) aboard the Einstein Observatory. All were previously known optically selected or radio-selected objects, and most were the targets of the X-ray observations. The X-ray properties of the Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) have been derived by reanalyzing the IPC data in a systematic manner to provide a uniform database for general use by the astronomical community. We use the database to extend earlier quasar luminosity studies which were made using only a subset of the currently available data. The database can be accessed on internet via the SAO Einstein on-line system ('Einline') and is available in ASCII format on magnetic tape and DOS diskette.

Acute Exacerbations of COPD Are Associated With Increased Expression of Heparan Sulfate and Chondroitin Sulfate in BAL.

Science.gov (United States)

Papakonstantinou, Eleni; Klagas, Ioannis; Roth, Michael; Tamm, Michael; Stolz, Daiana

2016-03-01

Acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPDs) are associated with accelerated aggravation of clinical symptoms and deterioration of pulmonary function. The mechanisms by which exacerbations may contribute to airway remodeling and declined lung function are poorly understood. We investigated whether AECOPDs are associated with differential expression of glycosaminoglycans in BAL in a cohort of 97 patients with COPD. Patients with COPD with either stable disease (n = 53) or AECOPD (n = 44) and undergoing diagnostic bronchoscopy were matched for demographics and lung function parameters. Levels of heparan sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in BAL were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate were significantly increased in BAL of patients during exacerbations. Levels of heparan sulfate were higher in the BAL of patients with microbial infections. Chondroitin sulfate was negatively correlated with FEV1 % predicted but not with diffusing capacity of lung for carbon monoxide % predicted, indicating that chondroitin sulfate is associated with airway remodeling, leading to obstruction rather than to emphysema. Furthermore, heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate were significantly correlated with MMP-9, MMP-2, and MMP-12 in BAL, indicating that they were cleaved from their respective proteoglycans by MMPs and subsequently washed out in BAL. During AECOPD, there is increased expression of heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate in BAL. These molecules are significantly correlated with MMPs in BAL, indicating that they may be associated with airway remodeling and may lead to lung function decline during exacerbations of COPD. Copyright © 2016 American College of Chest Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Nature and statistical properties of quasar associated absorption systems in the XQ-100 Legacy Survey

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Perrotta, Serena; D'Odorico, Valentina; Prochaska, J. Xavier

2016-01-01

We statistically study the physical properties of a sample of narrow absorption line (NAL) systems looking for empirical evidences to distinguish between intrinsic and intervening NALs without taking into account any a priori definition or velocity cut-off. We analyze the spectra of 100 quasars...

PG 1700 + 518 - a low-redshift, broad absorption line QSO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pettini, M.; Boksenberg, A.

1985-01-01

The first high-resolution optical spectra and lower resolution UV spectra of PG 1700 + 518, the only known broad-absorption-line (BAL) QSO at low emission redshift (0.288) are presented. The optical data were obtained with the Isaac Newton Telescope on the island of La Palma and the UV data with the International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite. The outstanding feature of the optical spectrum is a strong, broad Mg II absorption trough, detached from the Mg II emission line and indicative of ejection velocities of between 7000 and 18,000 km/s. Also detected were narrow (FWHM = 350 km/s) Mg II absorption lines at absolute z = 0.2698, which are probably related to the mass ejection phenomenon. It is concluded that the emission-line spectrum is similar to that of other low-redshift QSOs although there are some obvious differences from typical BAL QSOs, most notably in the unusually low level of ionization of both emission-line and broad absorption line gas. 21 references

High-resolution observations of quasars from the Parkes +- 40 sample

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Booth, R.S.; Spencer, R.E.; Stannard, D.; Baath, L.B.

1979-01-01

VLBI observations of 20 compact quasars have been made between Jodrell Bank and Onsala at a frequency of 1666 MHz. Twelve of the quasars have inverted or peaked spectra at centimetre wavelengths and these are all unresolved, having angular diameters of < 0.015 arcsec. Two out of five quasars with overall flat spectra are partially resolved on this scale size, as are three steep-spectrum quasars. (author)

Rapidly star-forming galaxies adjacent to quasars at redshifts exceeding 6.

Science.gov (United States)

Decarli, R; Walter, F; Venemans, B P; Bañados, E; Bertoldi, F; Carilli, C; Fan, X; Farina, E P; Mazzucchelli, C; Riechers, D; Rix, H-W; Strauss, M A; Wang, R; Yang, Y

2017-05-24

The existence of massive (10 11 solar masses) elliptical galaxies by redshift z ≈ 4 (refs 1, 2, 3; when the Universe was 1.5 billion years old) necessitates the presence of galaxies with star-formation rates exceeding 100 solar masses per year at z > 6 (corresponding to an age of the Universe of less than 1 billion years). Surveys have discovered hundreds of galaxies at these early cosmic epochs, but their star-formation rates are more than an order of magnitude lower. The only known galaxies with very high star-formation rates at z > 6 are, with one exception, the host galaxies of quasars, but these galaxies also host accreting supermassive (more than 10 9 solar masses) black holes, which probably affect the properties of the galaxies. Here we report observations of an emission line of singly ionized carbon ([C ii] at a wavelength of 158 micrometres) in four galaxies at z > 6 that are companions of quasars, with velocity offsets of less than 600 kilometres per second and linear offsets of less than 100 kiloparsecs. The discovery of these four galaxies was serendipitous; they are close to their companion quasars and appear bright in the far-infrared. On the basis of the [C ii] measurements, we estimate star-formation rates in the companions of more than 100 solar masses per year. These sources are similar to the host galaxies of the quasars in [C ii] brightness, linewidth and implied dynamical mass, but do not show evidence for accreting supermassive black holes. Similar systems have previously been found at lower redshift. We find such close companions in four out of the twenty-five z > 6 quasars surveyed, a fraction that needs to be accounted for in simulations. If they are representative of the bright end of the [C ii] luminosity function, then they can account for the population of massive elliptical galaxies at z ≈ 4 in terms of the density of cosmic space.

FIRST-2MASS RED QUASARS: TRANSITIONAL OBJECTS EMERGING FROM THE DUST

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glikman, Eilat; Urrutia, Tanya; Lacy, Mark; Djorgovski, S. George; Mahabal, Ashish; Myers, Adam D.; Ross, Nicholas P.; Petitjean, Patrick; Ge, Jian; Schneider, Donald P.; York, Donald G.

2012-01-01

We present a sample of 120 dust-reddened quasars identified by matching radio sources detected at 1.4 GHz in the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty Centimeters survey with the near-infrared Two Micron All Sky Survey catalog and color-selecting red sources. Optical and/or near-infrared spectroscopy provide broad wavelength sampling of their spectral energy distributions that we use to determine their reddening, characterized by E(B – V). We demonstrate that the reddening in these quasars is best described by Small-Magellanic-Cloud-like dust. This sample spans a wide range in redshift and reddening (0.1 ∼< z ∼< 3, 0.1 ∼< E(B – V) ∼< 1.5), which we use to investigate the possible correlation of luminosity with reddening. At every redshift, dust-reddened quasars are intrinsically the most luminous quasars. We interpret this result in the context of merger-driven quasar/galaxy co-evolution where these reddened quasars are revealing an emergent phase during which the heavily obscured quasar is shedding its cocoon of dust prior to becoming a 'normal' blue quasar. When correcting for extinction, we find that, depending on how the parent population is defined, these red quasars make up ∼< 15%-20% of the luminous quasar population. We estimate, based on the fraction of objects in this phase, that its duration is 15%-20% as long as the unobscured, blue quasar phase.

Narrow absorption lines with two observations from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhi-Fu; Gu, Qiu-Sheng; Chen, Yan-Mei; Cao, Yue

2015-07-01

We assemble 3524 quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) with repeated observations to search for variations of the narrow C IV λ λ 1548,1551 and Mg II λ λ 2796,2803 absorption doublets in spectral regions shortward of 7000 Å in the observed frame, which corresponds to time-scales of about 150-2643 d in the quasar rest frame. In these quasar spectra, we detect 3580 C IV absorption systems with zabs = 1.5188-3.5212 and 1809 Mg II absorption systems with zabs = 0.3948-1.7167. In term of the absorber velocity (β) distribution in the quasar rest frame, we find a substantial number of C IV absorbers with β Hacker et al. However, in our Mg II absorption sample, we find that neither shows variable absorption with confident levels of >4σ for λ2796 lines and >3σ for λ2803 lines.

Gemini long-slit observations of luminous obscured quasars: Further evidence for an upper limit on the size of the narrow-line region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hainline, Kevin N.; Hickox, Ryan C.; Greene, Jenny E.; Myers, Adam D.; Zakamska, Nadia L.; Liu, Guilin; Liu, Xin

2014-01-01

We examine the spatial extent of the narrow-line regions (NLRs) of a sample of 30 luminous obscured quasars at 0.4 < z < 0.7 observed with spatially resolved Gemini-N GMOS long-slit spectroscopy. Using the [O III] λ5007 emission feature, we estimate the size of the NLR using a cosmology-independent measurement: the radius where the surface brightness falls to 10 –15 erg s –1 cm –2 arcsec –2 . We then explore the effects of atmospheric seeing on NLR size measurements and conclude that direct measurements of the NLR size from observed profiles are too large by 0.1-0.2 dex on average, as compared to measurements made to best-fit Sérsic or Voigt profiles convolved with the seeing. These data, which span a full order of magnitude in IR luminosity (log (L 8 μm /erg s –1 ) = 44.4-45.4), also provide strong evidence that there is a flattening of the relationship between NLR size and active galactic nucleus luminosity at a seeing-corrected size of ∼7 kpc. The objects in this sample have high luminosities which place them in a previously under-explored portion of the size-luminosity relationship. These results support the existence of a maximal size of the NLR around luminous quasars; beyond this size, there is either not enough gas or the gas is over-ionized and does not produce enough [O III] λ5007 emission.

Intrinsic variations of the double quasar 0957 + 56 AB

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lloyd, C.

1981-01-01

Observations of the two components of the quasar 0957 + 56A and B are reported which show a variation of approximately 1 mag in both components and behaviour typical of intrinsically variable quasars with similar radio structure. It is argued that the near constancy of the magnitude difference between the components at several epochs, despite overall variations, favours all the variations being intrinsic to the quasar and also supports the hypothesis that the two images are produced by the gravitational lensing of a single distant quasar. (U.K.)

Quasars: Active nuclei of young galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Komberg, B. V.

1980-01-01

The hypothetical properties of 'young' galaxies and possible methods of observing them are discussed. It is proposed that star formation first takes place in the central regions of protogalaxies which may appear as quasar-like objects. An evolutionary scheme is outlined in which the radio quasars are transformed in time into the nuclei of radio galaxies.

Cross-correlation of SDSS DR7 quasars and DR10 BOSS galaxies: The weak luminosity dependence of quasar clustering at z ∼ 0.5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen, Yue; McBride, Cameron K.; Swanson, Molly E. C.; White, Martin; Kirkpatrick, Jessica A.; Ross, Nicholas P.; Schlegel, David J.; Zheng, Zheng; Myers, Adam D.; Guo, Hong; Zehavi, Idit; Padmanabhan, Nikhil; Parejko, John K.; Schneider, Donald P.; Streblyanska, Alina; Pan, Kaike; Bizyaev, Dmitry; Brewington, Howard; Ebelke, Garrett; Malanushenko, Viktor

2013-01-01

We present the measurement of the two-point cross-correlation function (CCF) of 8198 Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 quasars and 349,608 Data Release 10 CMASS galaxies from the Baryonic Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey at 0.3 < z < 0.9. The CCF can be reasonably well fit by a power-law model ξ QG (r) = (r/r 0 ) –γ on projected scales of r p = 2-25 h –1 Mpc with r 0 = 6.61 ± 0.25 h –1 Mpc and γ = 1.69 ± 0.07. We estimate a quasar linear bias of b Q = 1.38 ± 0.10 at (z) = 0.53 from the CCF measurements, which corresponds to a characteristic host halo mass of ∼4 × 10 12 h –1 M ☉ , compared with a ∼10 13 h –1 M ☉ characteristic host halo mass for CMASS galaxies. Based on the clustering measurements, most quasars at z-bar ∼0.5 are not the descendants of their higher luminosity counterparts at higher redshift, which would have evolved into more massive and more biased systems at low redshift. We divide the quasar sample in luminosity and constrain the luminosity dependence of quasar bias to be db Q /dlog L = 0.20 ± 0.34 or 0.11 ± 0.32 (depending on different luminosity divisions) for quasar luminosities –23.5 > M i (z = 2) > –25.5, implying a weak luminosity dependence of clustering for luminous quasars at z-bar ∼0.5. We compare our measurements with theoretical predictions, halo occupation distribution (HOD) models, and mock catalogs. These comparisons suggest that quasars reside in a broad range of host halos. The host halo mass distributions significantly overlap with each other for quasars at different luminosities, implying a poor correlation between halo mass and instantaneous quasar luminosity. We also find that the quasar HOD parameterization is largely degenerate such that different HODs can reproduce the CCF equally well, but with different satellite fractions and host halo mass distributions. These results highlight the limitations and ambiguities in modeling the distribution of quasars with the standard HOD approach.

Early antibiotic treatment for BAL-confirmed ventilator-associated pneumonia: a role for routine endotracheal aspirate cultures.

Science.gov (United States)

Michel, Fabrice; Franceschini, Bruno; Berger, Pierre; Arnal, Jean-Michel; Gainnier, Marc; Sainty, Jean-Marie; Papazian, Laurent

2005-02-01

To test whether routine quantitative cultures of endotracheal aspirates obtained before the onset of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) could help to predict the causative microorganisms and to select early appropriate antimicrobial therapy before obtaining BAL culture results. Prospective observational study. French medical ICU. A total of 299 patients received mechanical ventilation for at least 48 h. Endotracheal aspiration (EA) was performed twice weekly in all mechanically ventilated patients. A diagnosis of VAP was made by BAL culture. Only the EA performed just before the suspicion of VAP (EA-pre) were evaluated. This strategy (ie, the EA-pre-based strategy) was compared with an antibiotic therapy that would have been prescribed if the recommendations of both the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and Trouillet et al (Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1998; 157:531-539) had been applied. VAP was diagnosed (by BAL culture) in 41 of the 75 patients in whom BAL was performed. Among the 41 BAL specimens that were positive for VAP, EA-pre had identified the same microorganisms (with the same antibiotic resistance patterns) in 34 cases (83%). In one case, EA-pre was not available at the time BAL was performed (a case of early-onset VAP), but the empiric antibiotic therapy was adequate. While EA-pre did not give the same results as the BAL culture, the antibiotic therapy based on the results of the EA-pre was adequate in four other cases. Finally, antibiotic therapy was delayed in only two cases. Antibiotic treatment was therefore adequate in 38 of the 40 assessable cases (95%). If the Trouillet-based strategy had been used, the antibiotic treatment would have been adequate in 34 of the 41 cases (83%; p = 0.15 [vs EA-pre strategy]). Based on the ATS classification, the antibiotic treatment would have been adequately prescribed in only 28 of the 41 cases (68%; p = 0.005 [vs EA-pre strategy]). Routine EA performed twice a week makes it possible to prescribe adequate

The Properties of Post-Starburst Quasars Based on Optical Spectroscopy

OpenAIRE

Cales, Sabrina L.; Brotherton, Michael S.; Shang, Zhaohui; Runnoe, Jessie C.; DiPompeo, Michael A.; Bennert, Vardha Nicola; Canalizo, Gabriela; Hiner, Kyle D.; Stoll, R.; Ganguly, Rajib; Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar

2012-01-01

We present optical spectroscopy of a sample of 38 post-starburst quasars (PSQs) at z ~ 0.3, 29 of which have morphological classifications based on Hubble Space Telescope imaging. These broad-lined active galactic nuclei (AGNs) possess the spectral signatures of massive intermediate-aged stellar populations making them potentially useful for studying connections between nuclear activity and host galaxy evolution. We model the spectra in order to determine the ages and masses of the host stell...

THE z = 5 QUASAR LUMINOSITY FUNCTION FROM SDSS STRIPE 82

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGreer, Ian D.; Fan Xiaohui; Jiang Linhua; Richards, Gordon T.; Strauss, Michael A.; Ross, Nicholas P.; White, Martin; Shen Yue; Schneider, Donald P.; Brandt, W. Niel; Myers, Adam D.; DeGraf, Colin; Glikman, Eilat; Ge Jian; Streblyanska, Alina

2013-01-01

We present a measurement of the Type I quasar luminosity function at z = 5 using a large sample of spectroscopically confirmed quasars selected from optical imaging data. We measure the bright end (M 1450 2 , then extend to lower luminosities (M 1450 2 of deep, coadded imaging in the SDSS Stripe 82 region (the celestial equator in the Southern Galactic Cap). The faint sample includes 14 quasars with spectra obtained as ancillary science targets in the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, and 59 quasars observed at the MMT and Magellan telescopes. We construct a well-defined sample of 4.7 1450 * ∼-27). The bright-end slope is steep (β ∼ 1450 < –26) from z = 5 to z = 6 than from z = 4 to z = 5, suggesting a more rapid decline in quasar activity at high redshift than found in previous surveys. Our model for the quasar luminosity function predicts that quasars generate ∼30% of the ionizing photons required to keep hydrogen in the universe ionized at z = 5.

IRAS observations of radio-quiet and radio-loud quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Neugebauer, G.; Soifer, B. T.; Miley, G.; Habing, H. J.; Young, E.; Low, F. J.; Beichman, C. A.; Clegg, P. E.; Harris, S.; Rowan-Robinson, M.

1984-01-01

Observations from 12 to 100 microns are presented of two radio-quiet and three radio-loud quasars. Over this wavelength range, all five have grossly similar continuum energy distributions. The continua of the radio-loud quasars are consistent with synchrotron radiation. There is an indication, however, of excess 100 micron emission in the two radio-quiet quasars.

DOUBLE QUASARS: PROBES OF BLACK HOLE SCALING RELATIONSHIPS AND MERGER SCENARIOS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foreman, G.; Volonteri, M.; Dotti, M.

2009-01-01

We analyze the available sample of double quasars, and investigate their physical properties. Our sample comprises 85 pairs, selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We derive physical parameters for the engine and the host, and model the dynamical evolution of the pair. First, we compare different scaling relationships between massive black holes and their hosts (bulge mass, velocity dispersion, and their possible redshift dependences), and discuss their consistency. We then compute dynamical friction timescales for the double quasar systems to investigate their frequency and their agreement with the m erger drivenscenario for quasar triggering. In optical surveys, such as the SDSS, N double,qso /N qso ∼ 0.1%. Comparing typical merging timescales to expected quasar lifetimes, the fraction of double quasars should be roughly a factor of 10 larger than observed. Additionally, we find that, depending on the correlations between black holes and their hosts, the occurrence of double quasars could be redshift dependent. Comparison of our models to the SDSS quasar catalog suggests that double quasars should be more common at high redshift. We compare the typical separations at which double quasars are observed to the predictions of merger simulations. We find that the distribution of physical separations peaks at ∼30 kpc, with a tail at larger separations (∼100-200 kpc). The peak of the distribution is roughly consistent with the first episode of quasar activity found in equal mass mergers simulations. The tail of the quasar pairs distribution at large separations is instead inconsistent with any quasar activity predicted by published simulations. These large separation pairs are instead consistent with unequal mass mergers where gas is dynamically perturbed during the first pericentric passage, but the gas reaches the black hole only at the next apocenter, where the pair is observed.

Inspiraling halo accretion mapped in Ly α emission around a z ˜ 3 quasar

Science.gov (United States)

Arrigoni Battaia, Fabrizio; Prochaska, J. Xavier; Hennawi, Joseph F.; Obreja, Aura; Buck, Tobias; Cantalupo, Sebastiano; Dutton, Aaron A.; Macciò, Andrea V.

2018-01-01

In an effort to search for Ly α emission from circum- and intergalactic gas on scales of hundreds of kpc around z ∼ 3 quasars, and thus characterize the physical properties of the gas in emission, we have initiated an extensive fast survey with the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE): Quasar Snapshot Observations with MUse: Search for Extended Ultraviolet eMission (QSO MUSEUM). In this work, we report the discovery of an enormous Ly α nebula (ELAN) around the quasar SDSS J102009.99+104002.7 at z = 3.164, which we followed-up with deeper MUSE observations. This ELAN spans ∼297 projected kpc, has an average Ly α surface brightness SBLy α ∼ 6.04 × 10-18 erg s-1 cm-2 arcsec-2(within the 2σ isophote) and is associated with an additional four previously unknown embedded sources: two Ly α emitters and two faint active galactic nuclei (one type-1 and one type-2 quasar). By mapping at high significance, the line-of-sight velocity in the entirety of the observed structure, we unveiled a large-scale coherent rotation-like pattern spanning ∼300 km s-1 with a velocity dispersion of <270 km s-1, which we interpret as a signature of the inspiraling accretion of substructures within the quasar's host halo. Future multiwavelength data will complement our MUSE observations and are definitely needed to fully characterize such a complex system. None the less, our observations reveal the potential of new sensitive integral-field spectrographs to characterize the dynamical state of diffuse gas on large scales in the young Universe, and thereby witness the assembly of galaxies.

QUASAR PG1115+080 AND GRAVITATIONAL LENS

Science.gov (United States)

2002-01-01

Left: The light from the single quasar PG 1115+080 is split and distorted in this infrared image. PG 1115+080 is at a distance of about 8 billion light years in the constellation Leo, and it is viewed through an elliptical galaxy lens at a distance of 3 billion light years. The NICMOS frame is taken at a wavelength of 1.6 microns and it shows the four images of the quasar (the two on the left are nearly merging) surrounding the galaxy that causes the light to be lensed. The quasar is a variable light source and the light in each image travels a different path to reach the Earth. The time delay of the variations allows the distance scale to be measured directly. The linear streaks on the image are diffraction artifacts in the NICMOS instrument (NASA/Space Telescope Science Institute). Right: In this NICMOS image, the four quasar images and the lens galaxy have been subtracted, revealing a nearly complete ring of infrared light. This ring is the stretched and amplified starlight of the galaxy that contains the quasar, some 8 billion light years away. (NASA/Space Telescope Science Institute). Credit: Christopher D. Impey (University of Arizona)

VizieR Online Data Catalog: UV-bright quasars (Syphers+, 2009)

Science.gov (United States)

Syphers, D.; Anderson, S. F.; Zheng, W.; Haggard, D.; Meiksin, A.; Schneider, D. P.; York, D. G.

2010-03-01

Absorption along quasar sightlines remains among the most sensitive direct measures of HeII reionization in much of the intergalactic medium (IGM). Until recently, fewer than a half-dozen unobscured quasar sightlines suitable for the HeII Gunn-Peterson test were known; although these handful demonstrated great promise, the small sample size limited confidence in cosmological inferences. We have recently added nine more such clean HeII quasars, exploiting Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasar samples, broadband ultraviolet (UV) imaging from Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), and high-yield UV spectroscopic confirmations from Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Here we markedly expand this approach by cross-correlating SDSS DR7 and GALEX GR4+5 to catalog 428 SDSS and 165 other quasars with z>2.78 having likely (~70%) GALEX detections, suggesting they are bright into the far-UV. Reconnaissance HST Cycle 16 Supplemental prism data for 29 of these new quasar-GALEX matches spectroscopically confirm 17 as indeed far-UV bright. At least 10 of these confirmations have clean sightlines all the way down to HeII Lyα, substantially expanding the number of known clean HeII quasars, and reaffirming the order of magnitude enhanced efficiency of our selection technique. Combined confirmations from this and our past programs yield more than 20 HeII quasars, quintupling the sample. These provide substantial progress toward a sample of HeII quasar sightlines large enough, and spanning a sufficient redshift range, to enable statistical IGM studies that may avoid individual object peculiarity and sightline variance. Our expanded catalog of hundreds of high-likelihood far-UV-bright QSOs additionally will be useful for understanding the extreme-UV properties of the quasars themselves. (2 data files).

HUBBLE'S 100,000TH EXPOSURE CAPTURES IMAGE OF DISTANT QUASAR

Science.gov (United States)

2002-01-01

The Hubble Space Telescope achieved its 100,000th exposure June 22 with a snapshot of a quasar that is about 9 billion light-years from Earth. The Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 clicked this image of the quasar, the bright object in the center of the photo. The fainter object just above it is an elliptical galaxy. Although the two objects appear to be close to each other, they are actually separated by about 2 billion light-years. Located about 7 billion light-years away, the galaxy is almost directly in front of the quasar. Astronomer Charles Steidel of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., indirectly discovered the galaxy when he examined the quasar's light, which contained information about the galaxy's chemical composition. The reason, Steidel found, was that the galaxy was absorbing the light at certain frequencies. The astronomer is examining other background quasars to determine which kinds of galaxies absorb light at the same frequencies. Steidel also was somewhat surprised to discover that the galaxy is an elliptical, rather than a spiral. Elliptical galaxies are generally believed to contain very little gas. However, this elliptical has a gaseous 'halo' and contains no visible stars. Part of the halo is directly in front of the quasar. The bright object to the right of the quasar is a foreground star. The quasar and star are separated by billions of light-years. The quasar looks as bright as the star because it produces a tremendous amount of light from a compact source. The 'disturbed-looking' double spiral galaxy above the quasar also is in the foreground. Credit: Charles Steidel (California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA) and NASA. Image files in GIF and JPEG format and captions may be accessed on Internet via anonymous ftp from ftp.stsci.edu in /pubinfo.

The SDSS view of the Palomar-Green bright quasar survey

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jester, Sebastian; Schneider, Donald P.; Richards, Gordon T.; Green, Richard F.; Schmidt, Maarten; Hall, Patrick B.; Strauss, Michael A.; Vanden Berk, Daniel E.; Stoughton, Chris; Gunn, James E.; Brinkmann, Jon; Kent, Stephen M.; Smith, J.Allyn; Tucker, Douglas, L.; Yanny, Brian; /Fermilab /Penn State U., Astron. Astrophys. /Princeton U.

2005-02-01

The author investigates the extent to which the Palomar-Green (PG) Bright Quasar Survey (BQS) is complete and representative of the general quasar population by comparing with imaging and spectroscopy from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. A comparison of SDSS and PG photometry of both stars and quasars reveals the need to apply a color and magnitude recalibration to the PG data. Using the SDSS photometric catalog, they define the PG's parent sample of objects that are not main-sequence stars and simulate the selection of objects from this parent sample using the PG photometric criteria and errors. This simulation shows that the effective U-B cut in the PG survey is U-B < -0.71, implying a color-related incompleteness. As the color distribution of bright quasars peaks near U-B = -0.7 and the 2-{sigma} error in U-B is comparable to the full width of the color distribution of quasars, the color incompleteness of the BQS is approximately 50% and essentially random with respect to U-B color for z < 0.5. There is however, a bias against bright quasars at 0.5 < z < 1, which is induced by the color-redshift relation of quasars (although quasars at z > 0.5 are inherently rare in bright surveys in any case). They find no evidence for any other systematic incompleteness when comparing the distributions in color, redshift, and FIRST radio properties of the BQS and a BQS-like subsample of the SDSS quasar sample. However, the application of a bright magnitude limit biases the BQS toward the inclusion of objects which are blue in g-i, in particular compared to the full range of g-i colors found among the i-band limited SDSS quasars, and even at i-band magnitudes comparable to those of the BQS objects.

The Properties of Quasar 2175 Å Dust Absorbers at z = 1.0-2.5

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Jingzhe; Ge, Jian; Prochaska, Jason; Zhao, Yinan; Zhang, Shaohua; Ji, Tuo; Lundgren, Britt; Zhou, Hongyan; Lu, Honglin; Schneider, Donald

2018-01-01

Quasar 2175 Å dust absorbers (2DAs) are a population of quasar absorption line systems identified by the broad absorption feature centered around rest-frame 2175 Å, which is ubiquitously seen in the Milky Way extinction curves. These absorbers are excellent tracers of gas and dust properties, metal abundances, chemical evolution, physical conditions, as well as kinematics in the absorbing galaxies. We present the metallicity, depletion pattern, kinematics, and the cold neutral content (HI and CI gas) of a sample of 2DAs at z = 1.0-2.5 that were initially selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and followed up with Keck and MMT spectrographs. We perform a correlation analysis between metallicity, redshift, depletion level, velocity width, and explore relationships between 2DAs and other absorption line systems. The 2DAs on average have higher metallicity, higher depletion levels, and larger velocity widths than Damped Lyman-α absorbers (DLAs) or subDLAs. The correlation between [Zn/H] and [Fe/Zn] or [Zn/H] and logΔV90 can be used as alternative stellar mass estimators based on the well-established mass-metallicity relation. The relationship with other quasar absorption line systems can be described as (1) 2DAs are a subset of Mg II and Fe II absorbers, (2) 2DAs are preferentially metal-strong DLAs/subDLAs, (3) More importantly, all of the 2DAs show CI detections with N(CI) > 14.0 cm-2, (4) 2DAs can be used as molecular gas tracers. Their host galaxies are likely to be chemically enriched, evolved, and massive galaxies (more massive than typical DLA/subDLA galaxies). In addition, we have, for the first time, identified the host galaxy of a 2DA beyond the local Universe using HST IR direct imaging and grism spectroscopy.

A DISTANT QUASAR'S BRILLIANT LIGHT

Science.gov (United States)

2002-01-01

The arrow in this image, taken by a ground-based telescope, points to a distant quasar, the brilliant core of an active galaxy residing billions of light-years from Earth. As light from this faraway object travels across space, it picks up information on galaxies and the vast clouds of material between galaxies as it moves through them. The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope decoded the quasar's light to find the spectral 'fingerprints' of highly ionized (energized) oxygen, which had mixed with invisible clouds of hydrogen in intergalactic space. The quasar's brilliant beam pierced at least four separate filaments of the invisible hydrogen laced with the telltale oxygen. The presence of oxygen between the galaxies implies there are huge quantities of hydrogen in the universe. Credits: WIYN Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. The telescope is owned and operated by the University of Wisconsin, Indiana University, Yale University, and the National Optical Astronomy Observatories.

[Comparison of endotracheal aspiration and mini-BAL culture results in the diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia].

Science.gov (United States)

Artuk, Cumhur; Gül, Hanefi Cem; Mert, Gürkan; Karakaş, Ahmet; Bedir, Orhan; Eyigün, Can Polat

2012-07-01

The objective of this study was to compare the results of cultures obtained by mini-bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and endotracheal aspiration (ETA) techniques, used for rapid and accurate determination of pathogens causing ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in intensive care units. Of the 92 patients on mechanical ventilation followed at the emergency intensive care unit of our hospital between June 2010 and June 2011, 30 (32.2%) patients were diagnosed as VAP and they were included in this study. VAP diagnosis were based on the clinical and radiological findings. Clinical pulmonary infection score (CPIS) of > 6 was accepted as the clinical criteria of VAP. Initially ETA samples were collected from the patients followed by mini-BAL sampling 15 minutes later, together with urine and two blood cultures. Microbiological evaluation and identification were performed by conventional methods and Phoenix 100 (BD Diagnostic Systems, ABD) automated system. In quantitative culture analysis, > 10.000 cfu/ml for BAL and > 100.000 cfu/ml for ETA were accepted as the positive result. The mean ages of VAP-developed (n= 30; 18 were male) and nondeveloped (n= 62; 39 were male) patients were 68.23 ± 16.19 and 52.16 ± 10.41 years, respectively, and the mean durations of mechanical ventilation were 29.57 ± 15.78 and 12.11 ± 6.01 days, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that older age (pVAP development. There was also a statistically significant difference in CPIS values between patients who developed VAP and not (6.8 ± 1.15 and 2.71 ± 1.06, respectively; pVAP diagnosis was found to be useful in patients on mechanical ventilation. In our study, a total of 16 strains (six A.baumannii, three P.aeruginosa, one K.pneumoniae, six S.aureus) were isolated from ETA cultures, while 34 strains (16 A.baumannii, six P.aeruginosa, four K.pneumoniae, two E.coli, six S.aureus) were isolated from mini-BAL cultures of 30 VAP patients. The contamination rate for ETA

Bronchoscopic diagnosis of pulmonary infiltrates in granulocytopenic patients with hematologic malignancies: BAL versus PSB and PBAL.

Science.gov (United States)

Boersma, Wim G; Erjavec, Zoran; van der Werf, Tjip S; de Vries-Hosper, Hilly G; Gouw, Annette S H; Manson, Willem L

2007-02-01

Treatment of patients with hematologic malignancies is often complicated by severe respiratory infections. Bronchoscopy is generally to be used as a diagnostic tool in order to find a causative pathogen. In a prospective study the combination of protected specimen brush (PSB) and protected bronchoalveolar lavage (PBAL) was compared with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) for evaluated feasibility and diagnostic yield in granulocytopenic patients with hematologic malignancies and pulmonary infiltrates. All specimens from 63 bronchoscopic procedures (35 BAL and 28 PSB-PBAL) were investigated by cytological examination and various microbiological tests. If clinically relevant and feasible, based on the clinical condition and/or the presence of thrombocytopenia, lung tissue samples were obtained. The majority of the 58 included patients were diagnosed as having acute myeloid leukaemia and developed a severe neutropenia (BAL-group: 27 days; PSB-PBAL group: 30 days). Microbiological and cytological examination of 63 bronchoscopic procedures (35 BAL and 28 PSB-PBAL) yielded causative pathogens in 9 (26%) patients of the BAL-group and 8 (29%) patients of the PSB-PBAL group (PSB and PBAL 4 each). Aspergillus fumigatus was the pathogen most frequently (13%) detected. Using all available examinations including the results of autopsy, a presumptive diagnosis was established in 43% of the patients in the BAL group and 57% of those in the PSB-PBAL group; in these cases microbial aetiology was correctly identified in 67% and 57%, respectively. The complication rate was of these procedures were low, and none of the patients experienced serious complications due to the invasive techniques. Our results showed that modern bronchoscopic techniques such as PSB and PBAL did not yield better diagnostic results compared to BAL in granulocytopenic patients with hematologic malignancies and pulmonary infiltrates. In approximately half of the cases a presumptive diagnosis was made by bronchoscopic

X-ray spectra of PG quasars. II - the X-ray-ultraviolet excess of PG 1211 + 143

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bechtold, J.; Czerny, B.; Elvis, M.; Fabbiano, G.; Green, R.F.; Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA; Kitt Peak National Observatory, Tucson, AZ)

1987-01-01

Observations of the quasar PG 1211 + 143 are presented and its continuum is modelled in terms of an accretion disk and an underlying power law. The X-ray spectrum in the Einstein imaging proportional counter band is well described by a power law with the very steep spectral index 2.2 + or - 0.4. The overall continuum spectral energy distribution can be described as a power law with alpha roughly 1.2 from the infrared to about 1 keV, with the optical, ultraviolet, and soft X-rays forming a large excess above this power law. If the soft X-ray excess is attributed to emission from a physically thin, optically thick accretion disk, then the implied accretion rate is super-Eddington, from which it is concluded that the application of this simple model is not valid. The observed broad-line ratios in PG 1211 + 143 imply broad-line cloud densities that are somewhat higher than those usually derived for quasars. 82 references

Quasars, companion galaxies and Poisson statistics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Webster, A.

1982-01-01

Arp has presented a sample of quasars lying close to the companion galaxies of bright spirals, from which he estimates a value of 10 -17 for the probability that the galaxies and quasars are sited independently on the celestial sphere; Browne, however, has found a simple fallacy in the statistics which accounts for about 10 of the 17 orders of magnitude. Here we draw attention to an obscure part of Arp's calculation which we have been unable to repeat; if it is carried out in what seems to be the most straightforward way, about five more orders may be accounted for. In consequence, it is not clear that the sample contains any evidence damaging to the popular notion that the redshifts of quasars indicate distance through the Hubble Law. (author)

Traçando diferentes linhas para o balé: perspectivas políticas do movimento do coreógrafo William Forsythe (1949

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rousejanny Silva Ferreira

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Este artigo problematiza a feitura e sentidos do balé na contemporaneidade a partir do diálogo entre os estudos da dança e da performance. Como norte desta pesquisa, recorro ao pesquisador André Lepecki para traçar algumas linhas políticas do movimento na dança cênica, focando na expressão do balé e seu desenvolvimento potencial com o coreógrafo norte americano William Forsythe, a frente do Frankfurt Ballet na década de 1990. Forsythe problematizou pontos conceituais e composicionais do balé que desencadearam uma série de questões sobre o modo de entendê-lo na contemporaneidade. ABSTRACT This article discusses the making and contemporary ballet's senses from the dialogue between dance and performance studies. As North of this research, turn to the researcher André Lepecki to plot some political lines of movement in scenic dance, focusing on expression of the ballet and its development potential with the American choreographer William Forsythe, the Frankfurt Ballet in late 1990. Forsythe discussed conceptual and compositional points of the Ballet that triggered a series of questions on how to understand him in contemporary times. KEYWORDS: Ballet; dance studies; William Forsythe.

Frequency metrology on the Mg 3s21S→3s4p 1P line for comparison with quasar data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hannemann, S.; Salumbides, E. J.; Witte, S.; Zinkstok, R. Th.; Duijn, E.-J. van; Eikema, K. S. E.; Ubachs, W.

2006-01-01

We report a frequency metrology study on the Mg 3s 2 1 S→3s4p 1 P transition near 202.5 nm. For this purpose, the fourth harmonic of the output from an injection-seeded Ti:sapphire pulsed laser is employed in a Mg atomic beam experiment with laser-induced fluorescence detection. Absolute frequency calibration with a frequency comb laser is performed on the cw seeding radiation, while the chirp-induced frequency shift between the pulsed output and the seed light is monitored on line. The resulting transition frequency for the main isotope 24 Mg is determined at 49 346.756 809(35) m -1 . This value is three orders of magnitude more precise than the best value in the literature. The line positions of the other isotopes 25 Mg and 26 Mg are also measured at comparable accuracy, giving rise to very exact values for the isotopic shifts. The achieved precision for the transition frequency at the 7x10 -10 level makes this second resonance line of Mg I an additional candidate for inclusion in many-multiplet methods, aimed at detecting a possible temporal variation of the fine-structure constant α from comparison with quasar spectra. The isotopic shifts obtained are also important to correct for possible systematic shifts due to evolution of isotopic abundances, which may mimic α-variation effects

Fifty Years of Quasars From Early Observations and Ideas to Future Research

CERN Document Server

Marziani, Paola; Sulentic, Jack

2012-01-01

The 50th anniversary of the discovery of quasars in 1963 presents an interesting opportunity to ask questions about the current state of quasar research. Formatted as a series of interviews with noted researchers in the field, each of them asked to address a specific set of questions covering topics selected by the editors, this book deals with the historical development of quasar research and discusses how advances in instrumentation and computational capabilities have benefitted quasar astronomy and have changed our basic understanding of quasars. In the last part of the book the interviews address the current topic of the role of quasars in galaxy evolution. They summarise open issues in understanding active galactic nuclei and quasars and present an outlook regarding what future observational facilities both on the ground and in space might reveal. Its interview format, the fascinating topic of quasars and black holes, and the lively recollections and at times controversial views of the contributors make ...

The kinetically dominated quasar 3C 418

Science.gov (United States)

Punsly, Brian; Kharb, Preeti

2017-06-01

The existence of quasars that are kinetically dominated, where the jet kinetic luminosity, Q, is larger than the total (infrared to X-ray) thermal luminosity of the accretion flow, Lbol, provides a strong constraint on the fundamental physics of relativistic jet formation. Since quasars have high values of Lbol by definition, only ˜10 kinetically dominated quasars (with \\overline{Q}/L_{bol}>1) have been found, where \\overline{Q} is the long-term time-averaged jet power. We use low-frequency (151 MHz-1.66 GHz) observations of the quasar 3C 418 to determine \\overline{Q}≈ 5.5 ± 1.3 × 10^{46} {erg s^{-1}}. Analysis of the rest-frame ultraviolet spectrum indicates that this equates to 0.57 ± 0.28 times the Eddington luminosity of the central supermassive black hole and \\overline{Q}/L_{bol} ≈ 4.8 ± 3.1, making 3C 418 one of the most kinetically dominated quasars found to date. It is shown that this maximal \\overline{Q}/L_{bol} is consistent with models of magnetically arrested accretion of jet production in which the jet production reproduces the observed trend of a decrement in the extreme ultraviolet continuum as the jet power increases. This maximal condition corresponds to an almost complete saturation of the inner accretion flow with vertical large-scale magnetic flux (maximum saturation).

THE BLACK HOLE MASS-GALAXY LUMINOSITY RELATIONSHIP FOR SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY QUASARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salviander, S.; Shields, G. A.; Bonning, E. W.

2015-01-01

We investigate the relationship between the mass of the central supermassive black hole, M BH , and the host galaxy luminosity, L gal , in a sample of quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7. We use composite quasar spectra binned by black hole mass and redshift to assess galaxy features that would otherwise be overwhelmed by noise in individual spectra. The black hole mass is calculated using the photoionization method, and the host galaxy luminosity is inferred from the depth of the Ca II H+K features in the composite spectra. We evaluate the evolution in the M BH -L gal relationship by examining the redshift dependence of Δ log M BH , the offset in M BH from the local M BH -L gal relationship. There is little systematic trend in Δ log M BH out to z = 0.8. Using the width of the [O III] emission line as a proxy for the stellar velocity dispersion, σ * , we find agreement of our derived host luminosities with the locally observed Faber-Jackson relation. This supports the utility of the width of the [O III] line as a proxy for σ * in statistical studies

Half-megasecond Chandra spectral imaging of the hot circumgalactic nebula around quasar MRK 231

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veilleux, S.; Teng, S. H.; Rupke, D. S. N.; Maiolino, R.; Sturm, E.

2014-01-01

A deep 400 ks ACIS-S observation of the nearest quasar known, Mrk 231, is combined with archival 120 ks data to carry out the first ever spatially resolved spectral analysis of a hot X-ray-emitting circumgalactic nebula around a quasar. The 65 × 50 kpc X-ray nebula shares no resemblance with the tidal debris seen at optical wavelengths. One notable exception is the small tidal arc ∼3.5 kpc south of the nucleus where excess soft X-ray continuum emission and Si XIII 1.8 keV line emission are detected, consistent with star formation and its associated alpha-element enhancement, respectively. An X-ray shadow is also detected at the location of the 15 kpc northern tidal tail. The hard X-ray continuum emission within ∼6 kpc of the center is consistent with being due entirely to the bright central active galactic nucleus. The soft X-ray spectrum of the outer (≳6 kpc) portion of the nebula is best described as the sum of two thermal components with temperatures ∼3 and ∼8 million K and spatially uniform super-solar alpha-element abundances, relative to iron. This result implies enhanced star formation activity over ∼10 8 yr, accompanied by redistribution of the metals on a large scale. The low-temperature thermal component is not present within ∼6 kpc of the nucleus, suggesting extra heating in this region from the circumnuclear starburst, the central quasar, or the optically identified ≳3 kpc quasar-driven outflow. The soft X-ray emission is weaker in the western quadrant, coincident with a deficit of Hα and some of the largest columns of neutral gas outflowing from the nucleus. Shocks may heat the gas to high temperatures at this location, consistent with the tentative ∼2σ detection of extended Fe XXV 6.7 keV line emission.

A Wealth of Dust Grains in Quasar Winds

Science.gov (United States)

2007-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Click on image for larger poster version This plot of data captured by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope reveals dust entrained in the winds rushing away from a quasar, or growing black hole. The quasar, called PG2112+059, is located deep inside a galaxy 8 billion light-years away. Astronomers believe the dust might have been forged in the winds, which would help explain where dust in the very early universe came from. The data were captured by Spitzer's infrared spectrograph, an instrument that splits apart light from the quasar into a spectrum that reveals telltale signs of different minerals. Each type of mineral, or dust grain, has a unique signature, as can be seen in the graph, or spectrum, above. The strongest features are from the mineral amorphous olivine, or glass (purple); the mineral forsterite found in sand (blue); and the mineral corundum found in rubies (light blue). The detection of forsterite and corundum is highly unusual in galaxies without quasars. Therefore, their presence is a key clue that these grains might have been created in the quasar winds and not by dying stars as they are in our Milky Way galaxy. Forsterite is destroyed quickly in normal galaxies by radiation, so it must be continually produced to be detected by Spitzer. Corundum is hard, and provides a seed that softer, more common minerals usually cover up. As a result, corundum is usually not seen in spectra of galaxies. Since Spitzer did detect the mineral, it is probably forming in a clumpy environment, which is expected in quasar winds. All together, the signatures of the unusual minerals in this spectrum point towards dust grains forming in the winds blowing away from quasars.

The clustering of quasars from an objective-prism survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Webster, A.

1982-01-01

The positions and redshifts of 108 quasars from the Cerro Tololo objective-prism survey are subjected to Fourier Power Spectrum Analysis in a search for clustering in their spatial distribution. It is found that, on the whole, these quasars are not clustered but are scattered in space independently at random. The sole exception is a group of four quasars at z = 0.37 which has a low probability of being a chance event and which, with a size of about 100 Mpc, may therefore be the largest known structure in the Universe. The conclusions disagree with Arp's analysis of this catalogue: his 'clouds of quasars' ejected by certain low-redshift galaxies, for example, are attributable to sensitivity variations among the different plates of the survey. It is shown that analysis of deeper surveys is likely to show up quasar clusters even at high redshift, and could therefore provide a useful new cosmological probe. (author)

An astrophysics data program investigation of a synoptic study of quasar continua

Science.gov (United States)

Elvis, Martin

1991-01-01

A summary of the program is presented. The major product of the program, an atlas of quasar energy distributions, is presented in the appendices along with papers written as a result of this research. The topics covered in the papers include: (1) accurate galactic N(sub h) values toward quasars and active galactic nuclei (AGN); (2) weak bump quasars; (3) millimeter measurements of hard x ray selected active galaxies- implications for the nature of the continuous spectrum; (3) persistence and change in the soft x ray spectrum of the quasar PG1211+143; (4) the soft x ray excess in einstein quasar spectra; and (5) EXOSAT x ray spectra of quasars.

Iron K Features in the Quasar E 1821+643: Evidence for Gravitationally Redshifted Absorption?

Science.gov (United States)

Yaqoob, Tahir; Serlemitsos, Peter

2005-01-01

We report a Chandra high-energy grating detection of a narrow, redshifted absorption line superimposed on the red wing of a broad Fe K line in the z = 0.297 quasar E 1821+643. The absorption line is detected at a confidence level, estimated by two different methods, in the range approx. 2 - 3 sigma. Although the detection significance is not high enough to exclude a non-astrophysical origin, accounting for the absorption feature when modeling the X-ray spectrum implies that the Fe-K emission line is broad, and consistent with an origin in a relativistic accretion disk. Ignoring the apparent absorption feature leads to the conclusion that the Fe-K emission line is narrower, and also affects the inferred peak energy of the line (and hence the inferred ionization state of Fe). If the absorption line (at approx. 6.2 keV in the quasar frame) is real, we argue that it could be due to gravitationally redshifted Fe XXV or Fe XXVI resonance absorption within approx. 10 - 20 gravitational radii of the putative central black hole. The absorption line is not detected in earlier ASCA and Chandra low-energy grating observations, but the absorption line is not unequivocally ruled out by these data. The Chandra high-energy grating Fe-K emission line is consistent with an origin predominantly in Fe I-XVII or so. In an ASCA observation eight years earlier, the Fe-K line peaked at approx. 6.6 keV, closer to the energies of He-like Fe triplet lines. Further, in a Chandra low-energy grating observation the Fe-K line profile was double-peaked, one peak corresponding to Fe I-XVII or so, the other peak to Fe XXVI Ly alpha. Such a wide range in ionization state of Fe is not ruled out by the HEG and ASCA data either, and is suggestive of a complex structure for the line-emitter.

In vitro activity of the siderophore monosulfactam BAL30072 against contemporary Gram-negative pathogens from New York City, including multidrug-resistant isolates.

Science.gov (United States)

Landman, David; Singh, Manisha; El-Imad, Badiaa; Miller, Ezra; Win, Thida; Quale, John

2014-06-01

The in vitro activity of BAL30072 was assessed against clinical isolates from NYC hospitals, including isolates from a citywide surveillance study and a collection of isolates with well-characterised resistance mechanisms. BAL30072 was the most active β-lactam against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MIC50/90, 0.25/1 μg/mL), Acinetobacter baumannii (MIC50/90, 4/>64 μg/mL) and KPC-possessing Klebsiella pneumoniae (MIC50/90, 4/>64 μg/mL). Combining BAL30072 with meropenem resulted in a ≥ 4-fold decrease in the BAL30072 MIC90 both for A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae. For isolates with a BAL30072 MIC>4 μg/mL, addition of a sub-MIC concentration of colistin resulted in a four-fold decrease in the BAL30072 MIC in 44% of P. aeruginosa, 82% of A. baumannii and 23% of K. pneumoniae. Using sub-MIC concentrations, BAL30072 plus colistin was bactericidal against 4 of 11 isolates in time-kill studies. BAL30072 MICs were frequently lower for P. aeruginosa and K. pneumoniae when tested using Mueller-Hinton agar versus Iso-Sensitest agar or Mueller-Hinton broth. Against the well-characterised isolates, reduced susceptibility to BAL30072 correlated with mexA and mexX expression (P. aeruginosa), adeB expression (A. baumannii) and presence of SHV-type ESBLs (A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae). BAL30072 shows promising activity against contemporary Gram-negatives, including MDR P. aeruginosa, A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae. Enhanced activity was often present when BAL30072 was combined with meropenem or colistin. BAL30072 MICs were influenced by the testing method, particularly for P. aeruginosa and K. pneumoniae. Further in vivo studies are warranted to determine the potential clinical utility of BAL30072 alone and combined with other agents. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. and the International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.

A Search for Radio-loud Quasars within the Epoch of Reionization

OpenAIRE

Jarvis, Matt J.; Rawlings, Steve; Barrio, F. Eugenio; Hill, Gary J.; Bauer, Amanda; Croft, Steve

2003-01-01

The Universe became fully reionized, and observable optically, at a time corresponding to redshift z~6.5, so it is only by studying the HI and molecular absorption lines against higher-redshift, radio-loud sources that one can hope to make detailed studies of the earliest stages of galaxy formation. At present no targets for such studies are known. In these proceedings we describe a survey which is underway to find radio-loud quasars at z > 6.5.

THE UNIFICATION OF POWERFUL QUASARS AND RADIO GALAXIES AND THEIR RELATION TO OTHER MASSIVE GALAXIES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Podigachoski, Pece; Barthel, Peter [Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, 9747 AD Groningen (Netherlands); Haas, Martin [Astronomisches Institut, Ruhr Universität, D-44801 Bochum (Germany); Leipski, Christian [Max-Planck Institut für Astronomie (MPIA), D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Wilkes, Belinda, E-mail: podigachoski@astro.rug.nl [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

2015-06-10

The unification model for powerful radio galaxies (RGs) and radio-loud quasars postulates that these objects are intrinsically the same but viewed along different angles. Herschel Space Observatory data permit the assessment of that model in the far-infrared spectral window. We analyze photometry from Spitzer and Herschel for the distant 3CR hosts, and find that RGs and quasars have different mid-infrared, but indistinguishable far-infrared colors. Both these properties, the former being orientation dependent and the latter orientation invariant, are in line with expectations from the unification model. Adding powerful radio-quiet active galaxies and typical massive star-forming (SF) galaxies to the analysis, we demonstrate that infrared colors not only provide an orientation indicator, but can also distinguish active from SF galaxies.

THE UNIFICATION OF POWERFUL QUASARS AND RADIO GALAXIES AND THEIR RELATION TO OTHER MASSIVE GALAXIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Podigachoski, Pece; Barthel, Peter; Haas, Martin; Leipski, Christian; Wilkes, Belinda

2015-01-01

The unification model for powerful radio galaxies (RGs) and radio-loud quasars postulates that these objects are intrinsically the same but viewed along different angles. Herschel Space Observatory data permit the assessment of that model in the far-infrared spectral window. We analyze photometry from Spitzer and Herschel for the distant 3CR hosts, and find that RGs and quasars have different mid-infrared, but indistinguishable far-infrared colors. Both these properties, the former being orientation dependent and the latter orientation invariant, are in line with expectations from the unification model. Adding powerful radio-quiet active galaxies and typical massive star-forming (SF) galaxies to the analysis, we demonstrate that infrared colors not only provide an orientation indicator, but can also distinguish active from SF galaxies

The ortho backbone amide linker (o-BAL) is an easily prepared and highly acid-labile handle for solid-phase synthesis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boas, Ulrik; Brask, Jesper; Christensen, J.B.

2002-01-01

The tris(alkoxy)benzyl backbone amide linker (BAL) has found widespread application in solid-phase synthesis. The key intermediate for preparation of para BAL (p-BAL) is 2,6-dimethoxy-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde; several reports on its synthesis have appeared. However, the ortho analogue of the handle (o...

Quasar Astrophysics with the Space Interferometry Mission

Science.gov (United States)

Unwin, Stephen; Wehrle, Ann; Meier, David; Jones, Dayton; Piner, Glenn

2007-01-01

Optical astrometry of quasars and active galaxies can provide key information on the spatial distribution and variability of emission in compact nuclei. The Space Interferometry Mission (SIM PlanetQuest) will have the sensitivity to measure a significant number of quasar positions at the microarcsecond level. SIM will be very sensitive to astrometric shifts for objects as faint as V = 19. A variety of AGN phenomena are expected to be visible to SIM on these scales, including time and spectral dependence in position offsets between accretion disk and jet emission. These represent unique data on the spatial distribution and time dependence of quasar emission. It will also probe the use of quasar nuclei as fundamental astrometric references. Comparisons between the time-dependent optical photocenter position and VLBI radio images will provide further insight into the jet emission mechanism. Observations will be tailored to each specific target and science question. SIM will be able to distinguish spatially between jet and accretion disk emission; and it can observe the cores of galaxies potentially harboring binary supermassive black holes resulting from mergers.

EW[OIII] as an Orientation Indicator for Quasars: Implications for the Torus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bisogni, Susanna [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA (United States); Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, INAF, Florence (Italy); Marconi, Alessandro; Risaliti, Guido [Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, INAF, Florence (Italy); Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence (Italy); Lusso, Elisabeta, E-mail: susanna.bisogni@cfa.harvard.edu [Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy, Department of Physics, Durham University, Durham (United Kingdom)

2017-11-21

We present an analysis of the average spectral properties of 12,000 SDSS quasars as a function of accretion disc inclination, as measured from the equivalent width of the [OIII] 5007Å line. The use of this indicator on a large sample of quasars from the SDSS DR7 has proven the presence of orientation effects on the features of UV/optical spectra, confirming the presence of outflows in the NLR gas and that the geometry of the BLR is disc-like. Relying on the goodness of this indicator, we are now using it to investigate other bands/components of AGN. Specifically, the study of the UV/optical/IR SED of the same sample provides information on the obscuring “torus.” The SED shows a decrease of the IR fraction moving from face-on to edge-on sources, in agreement with models where the torus is co-axial with the accretion disc. Moreover, the fact we are able to observe the broad emission lines also in sources in an edge-on position, suggests that the torus is rather clumpy than smooth as in the Unified Model. The behavior of the SED as a function of EW[OIII] is in agreement with the predictions of the clumpy torus models as well.

Determining Central Black Hole Masses in Distant Active Galaxies and Quasars. II. Improved Optical and UV Scaling Relationships

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vestergaard, Marianne; Peterson, B. M.

2006-01-01

We present four improved empirical relationships useful for estimating the central black hole mass in nearby AGNs and distant luminous quasars alike using either optical or UV single-epoch spectroscopy. These mass-scaling relationships between line widths and luminosity are based on recently...

Dust-deficient Palomar-Green Quasars and the Diversity of AGN Intrinsic IR Emission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lyu, Jianwei; Rieke, G. H. [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Shi, Yong, E-mail: jianwei@email.arizona.edu [School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China)

2017-02-01

To elucidate the intrinsic broadband infrared (IR) emission properties of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), we analyze the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of 87 z ≲ 0.5 Palomar-Green (PG) quasars. While the Elvis AGN template with a moderate far-IR correction can reasonably match the SEDs of the AGN components in ∼60% of the sample (and is superior to alternatives such as that by Assef), it fails on two quasar populations: (1) hot-dust-deficient (HDD) quasars that show very weak emission thoroughly from the near-IR to the far-IR, and (2) warm-dust-deficient (WDD) quasars that have similar hot dust emission as normal quasars but are relatively faint in the mid- and far-IR. After building composite AGN templates for these dust-deficient quasars, we successfully fit the 0.3–500 μm SEDs of the PG sample with the appropriate AGN template, an infrared template of a star-forming galaxy, and a host galaxy stellar template. 20 HDD and 12 WDD quasars are identified from the SED decomposition, including seven ambiguous cases. Compared with normal quasars, the HDD quasars have AGNs with relatively low Eddington ratios and the fraction of WDD quasars increases with AGN luminosity. Moreover, both the HDD and WDD quasar populations show relatively stronger mid-IR silicate emission. Virtually identical SED properties are also found in some quasars from z = 0.5 to 6. We propose a conceptual model to demonstrate that the observed dust deficiency of quasars can result from a change of structures of the circumnuclear tori that can occur at any cosmic epoch.

Eight new quasars discovered by the Guoshoujing Telescope (LAMOST) in one extragalactic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Xuebing; Jia Zhendong; Chen Zhaoyu; Zuo Wenwen; Zhao Yongheng; Luo Ali; Bai Zhongrui; Chen Jianjun; Zhang Haotong; Yan Hongliang; Ren Juanjuan; Sun Shiwei; Wu Hong; Zhang Yong; Li Yeping; Lu Qishuai; Wang You; Ni Jijun; Wang Hai; Kong Xu

2010-01-01

We report the discovery of eight new quasars in one extragalactic field (a five-degree field centered at RA = 08 h 58 m 08.2 s , Dec = 01 o 32'29.7') with the Guoshoujing Telescope (LAMOST) commissioning observations made on 2009 December 18. These quasars, with i magnitudes from 16.44 to 19.34 and redshifts from 0.898 to 2.773, were not identified in the SDSS spectroscopic survey, though six of them with redshifts less than 2.5 were selected as quasar targets in SDSS. Except for one source without near-IR Y-band data, seven of these eight new quasars satisfy a newly proposed quasar selection criterion involving both near-IR and optical colors. Two of them were found in the 'redshift desert' for quasars (z from 2.2 to 3), indicating that the new criterion is efficient for uncovering missing quasars with similar optical colors to stars. Although LAMOST encountered some problems during the commissioning observations, we were still able to identify 38 other known SDSS quasars in this field, with i magnitudes from 16.24 to 19.10 and redshifts from 0.297 to 4.512. Our identifications imply that a substantial fraction of quasars may be missing in previous quasar surveys. The implication of our results to the future LAMOST quasar survey is discussed. (research papers)

DETECTION OF CA II ABSORPTION BY A HIGH-VELOCITY CLOUD IN THE DIRECTION OF THE QUASAR PKS 0837-120

NARCIS (Netherlands)

ROBERTSON, JG; SCHWARZ, UJ; VANWOERDEN, H; MURRAY, JD; MORTON, DC; HULSBOSCH, ANM

1991-01-01

We present optical absorption spectroscopy of the Ca II K and H lines along the sight line to the quasar PKS 0837-120, which lies in the direction of a high-velocity cloud (HVC) detected in H I 21-cm emission at V(LSR) = + 105 km s-1. Our data show Ca II absorption due to the HVC as well as a lower

Cross-Correlations in Quasar Radio Emission

Science.gov (United States)

Nefedyev, Yuri; Panischev, Oleg; Demin, Sergey

The main factors forming the complex evolution of the accretive astrophysical systems are nonlinearity, intermittency, nonstationarity and also collective phenomena. To discover the dynamic processes in these objects and to detain understanding their properties we need to use all the applicable analyzing methods. Here we use the Flicker-Noise Spectroscopy (FNS) as a phenomenological approach to analyzing and parameterizing the auto- and cross-correlations in time series of astrophysical objects dynamics. As an example we consider the quasar flux radio spectral density at frequencies 2.7 GHz and 8.1 GHz. Data have been observed by Dr. N. Tanizuka (Laboratory for Complex Systems Analysis, Osaka Prefecture University) in a period of 1979 to 1988 (3 309 days). According to mental habits quasar is a very energetic and distant active galactic nucleus containing a supermassive black hole by size 10-10,000 times the Schwarzschild radius. The quasar is powered by an accretion disc around the black hole. The accretion disc material layers, moving around the black hole, are under the influence of gravitational and frictional forces. It results in raising the high temperature and arising the resonant and collective phenomena reflected in quasar emission dynamics. Radio emission dynamics of the quasar 0215p015 is characterized by three quasi-periodic processes, which are prevalent in considering dynamics. By contrast the 1641p399's emission dynamics have not any distinguish processes. It means the presence of high intermittency in accretive modes. The second difference moment allows comparing the degree of manifesting of resonant and chaotic components in initial time series of the quasar radio emission. The comparative analysis shows the dominating of chaotic part of 1641p399's dynamics whereas the radio emission of 0215p015 has the predominance of resonant component. Analyzing the collective features of the quasar radio emission intensity demonstrates the significant

Spatial distribution, luminosity function and cosmological evolution of quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mathez, G.

1981-01-01

The different ways of studying quasars statistics and evolution are reviewed. Attempt is given to deduce, from the observed evolution, some constraints on physical models of energy sources in quasars [fr

Quasar lenses and pairs in the VST-ATLAS and Gaia

Science.gov (United States)

Agnello, A.; Schechter, P. L.; Morgan, N. D.; Treu, T.; Grillo, C.; Malesani, D.; Anguita, T.; Apostolovski, Y.; Rusu, C. E.; Motta, V.; Rojas, K.; Chehade, B.; Shanks, T.

2018-04-01

We report on discovery results from a quasar lens search in the ATLAS-DR3 public footprint. Spectroscopic follow-up campaigns, conducted at the 2.6 m Nordic Optical Telescope (La Palma) and 3.6 m New Technology Telescope (La Silla) in 2016, yielded seven pairs of quasars exhibiting the same lines at the same redshift and monotonic flux ratios with wavelength (hereafter NIQs, nearly identical quasar pairs). Magellan spectra of A0140-1152 (01h40m03{^s.}0-11d52m19{^s.}0, zs = 1.807) confirm it as a lens with deflector at zl = 0.277 and Einstein radius θE = (0.73 ± 0.02) arcsec. Follow-up imaging of the NIQ A2213-2652 (22h13m38{^s.}4-26d52m27{^s.}1) reveals the deflector galaxy and confirms it as a lens. We show the use of spatial resolution from the Gaia mission to select lenses and list additional systems from a WISE-Gaia-ATLAS search, yielding three additional lenses (02h35m27{^s.}4-24d33m13{^s.}2, 02h59m33s-23d38m01{^s.}8, 01h46m32{^s.}9-11d33m39{^s.}0). The overall sample consists of 11 lenses/NIQs, plus three lenses known before 2016, over the ATLAS-DR3 footprint (≈3500 deg2). Finally, we discuss future prospects for objective classification of pair/NIQ/contaminant spectra.

Serendipitous discovery of quadruply imaged quasars: two diamonds

Science.gov (United States)

Lucey, John R.; Schechter, Paul L.; Smith, Russell J.; Anguita, T.

2018-05-01

Gravitationally lensed quasars are powerful and versatile astrophysical tools, but they are challengingly rare. In particular, only ˜25 well-characterized quadruple systems are known to date. To refine the target catalogue for the forthcoming Taipan Galaxy Survey, the images of a large number of sources are being visually inspected in order to identify objects that are confused by a foreground star or galaxies that have a distinct multicomponent structure. An unexpected by-product of this work has been the serendipitous discovery of about a dozen galaxies that appear to be lensing quasars, i.e. pairs or quartets of foreground stellar objects in close proximity to the target source. Here, we report two diamond-shaped systems. Follow-up spectroscopy with the IMACS instrument on the 6.5m Magellan Baade telescope confirms one of these as a z = 1.975 quasar quadruply lensed by a double galaxy at z = 0.293. Photometry from publicly available survey images supports the conclusion that the other system is a highly sheared quadruply imaged quasar. In starting with objects thought to be galaxies, our lens finding technique complements the conventional approach of first identifying sources with quasar-like colours and subsequently finding evidence of lensing.

Doppler interpretation of quasar red shifts.

Science.gov (United States)

Zapolsky, H S

1966-08-05

The hypothesis that the quasistellar sources (quasars) are local objects moving with velocities close to the speed of light is examined. Provided there is no observational cutoff on apparent bolometric magnitude for the quasars, the transverse Doppler effect leads to the expectation of fewer blue shifts than red shifts for an isotropic distribution of velocities. Such a distribution also yields a function N(z), the number of objects with red shift less than z which is not inconsistent with the present data. On the basis of two extreme assumptions concerning the origin of such rapidly moving sources, we computed curves of red shift plotted against magnitude. In particular, the curve obtained on the assumption that the quasars originated from an explosion in or nearby our own galaxy is in as good agreement with the observations as the curve of cosmological red shift plotted against magnitude.

On the Role of the Environments and Star Formation for Quasar Activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bettoni, Daniela; Falomo, Renato; Kotilainen, Jari K.; Karhunen, Kalle

2017-01-01

We investigate the host galaxy and environment properties of a sample of 400 low z (<0.5) quasars that were imaged in the SDSS Stripe82. We can detect and study the properties of the host galaxy for more than 75% of the data sample. We discover that quasar are mainly hosted in luminous galaxies of absolute magnitude M * − 3 < M(R) < M *1 and that in the quasar environments the galaxy number density is comparable to that of inactive galaxies of similar luminosities. For these quasars we undertake also a study in u,g,r,i, and z SDSS bands and again we discover that the mean colors of the quasar host galaxy it is not very different with respect to the values of the sample of inactive galaxies. For a subsample of low z sources the imaging study is complemented by spectroscopy of quasar hosts and of close companion galaxies. This study suggests that the supply and cause of the nuclear activity depends only weakly on the local environment of quasars. Contrary to past suggestions, for low redshift quasar there is a very modest connection between recent star formation and the nuclear activity.

On the Role of the Environments and Star Formation for Quasar Activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniela Bettoni

2017-11-01

Full Text Available We investigate the host galaxy and environment properties of a sample of 400 low z (<0.5 quasars that were imaged in the SDSS Stripe82. We can detect and study the properties of the host galaxy for more than 75% of the data sample. We discover that quasar are mainly hosted in luminous galaxies of absolute magnitude M* − 3 < M(R < M*1 and that in the quasar environments the galaxy number density is comparable to that of inactive galaxies of similar luminosities. For these quasars we undertake also a study in u,g,r,i, and z SDSS bands and again we discover that the mean colors of the quasar host galaxy it is not very different with respect to the values of the sample of inactive galaxies. For a subsample of low z sources the imaging study is complemented by spectroscopy of quasar hosts and of close companion galaxies. This study suggests that the supply and cause of the nuclear activity depends only weakly on the local environment of quasars. Contrary to past suggestions, for low redshift quasar there is a very modest connection between recent star formation and the nuclear activity.

On the Role of the Environments and Star Formation for Quasar Activity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bettoni, Daniela; Falomo, Renato [INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Padua (Italy); Kotilainen, Jari K. [Finnish Centre for Astronomy with ESO (FINCA), University of Turku, Turku (Finland); Tuorla Observatory, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, Turku (Finland); Karhunen, Kalle, E-mail: daniela.bettoni@oapd.inaf.it [Tuorla Observatory, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, Turku (Finland)

2017-11-16

We investigate the host galaxy and environment properties of a sample of 400 low z (<0.5) quasars that were imaged in the SDSS Stripe82. We can detect and study the properties of the host galaxy for more than 75% of the data sample. We discover that quasar are mainly hosted in luminous galaxies of absolute magnitude M{sup *} − 3 < M(R) < M{sup *1} and that in the quasar environments the galaxy number density is comparable to that of inactive galaxies of similar luminosities. For these quasars we undertake also a study in u,g,r,i, and z SDSS bands and again we discover that the mean colors of the quasar host galaxy it is not very different with respect to the values of the sample of inactive galaxies. For a subsample of low z sources the imaging study is complemented by spectroscopy of quasar hosts and of close companion galaxies. This study suggests that the supply and cause of the nuclear activity depends only weakly on the local environment of quasars. Contrary to past suggestions, for low redshift quasar there is a very modest connection between recent star formation and the nuclear activity.

The Size of Narrow Line Region and [OIII] Luminosity Analyzed from ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. In this work, we constructed a sample of 4002 quasars from. SDSS DR7 quasar catalogue to calculate the electron density and size of narrow line region. We find that the electron densities are ∼103/cm3, and the sizes are between 27 and 775 pc. We also find that, in the ionization cone, the sizes are tightly ...

Quasar evolution: not a deficit at low redshifts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Avni, Y.; Schiller, N.

1983-01-01

We consider the recent suggestion of Hawkins and Stewart that complete quasar samples can be interpreted in terms of a (real or apparent) deficit of quasars at low redshifts. By using a larger sample and a more efficient method of analysis, we rule out this interpretation

Selecting Cells for Bioartificial Liver Devices and the Importance of a 3D Culture Environment: A Functional Comparison between the HepaRG and C3A Cell Lines

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Wenum, Martien; Adam, Aziza A. A.; Hakvoort, Theodorus B. M.; Hendriks, Erik J.; Shevchenko, Valery; van Gulik, Thomas M.; Chamuleau, Robert A. F. M.; Hoekstra, Ruurdtje

2016-01-01

Recently, the first clinical trials on Bioartificial Livers (BALs) loaded with a proliferative human hepatocyte cell source have started. There are two cell lines that are currently in an advanced state of BAL development; HepaRG and HepG2/C3A. In this study we aimed to compare both cell lines on

Balıkta Avlanma Sonrası Meydana Gelen Biyokimyasal Değişmeler

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayla Soyer

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Balık, et kalitesinin ve besin değerinin yüksekliğinden dolayı sevilen bir gıdadır. Balıktaki lipidler, proteinler ve protein olmayan bileşikler ölüm sonrası oluşan ortam nedeniyle biyokimyasal reaksiyonlara maruz kalmaktadırlar. Balıktaki temel enerji kaynakları olan adenozin trifosfat (ATP ve kas glikojeni, ölüm sonrası sürekli üretimin durması sonucu süratle harcanmaktadır. ATP’nin harcanması ve membran bütünlüğünün bozulması sonucu aktin ve miyosin köprüleri geri dönüşsüz olarak oluşmaktadır (rigor-mortis. ATP’nin hipoksantine parçalanması, oluşan anaerobik ortamda glikoliz yoluyla kas glikojeninden laktik asit oluşması, trimetilamin oksitten trimetilamin oluşması ortamdaki enzimler ve mikroorganizmaların varlığında ileri düzeyde biyokimyasal reaksiyonlara neden olmakta, lipidler ve proteinlerde meydana gelen değişmeler balık tat, koku ve tekstüründe değişmelere yol açmaktadır.

DISCOVERING BRIGHT QUASARS AT INTERMEDIATE REDSHIFTS BASED ON OPTICAL/NEAR-INFRARED COLORS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Xue-Bing; Zuo, Wenwen; Yang, Jinyi; Yang, Qian; Wang, Feige

2013-01-01

The identification of quasars at intermediate redshifts (2.2 < z < 3.5) has been inefficient in most previous quasar surveys since the optical colors of quasars are similar to those of stars. The near-IR K-band excess technique has been suggested to overcome this difficulty. Our recent study also proposed to use optical/near-IR colors for selecting z < 4 quasars. To verify the effectiveness of this method, we selected a list of 105 unidentified bright targets with i ≤ 18.5 from the quasar candidates of SDSS DR6 with both SDSS ugriz optical and UKIDSS YJHK near-IR photometric data, which satisfy our proposed Y – K/g – z criterion and have photometric redshifts between 2.2 and 3.5 estimated from the nine-band SDSS-UKIDSS data. We observed 43 targets with the BFOSC instrument on the 2.16 m optical telescope at Xinglong station of the National Astronomical Observatory of China in the spring of 2012. We spectroscopically identified 36 targets as quasars with redshifts between 2.1 and 3.4. The high success rate of discovering these quasars in the SDSS spectroscopic surveyed area further demonstrates the robustness of both the Y – K/g – z selection criterion and the photometric redshift estimation technique. We also used the above criterion to investigate the possible stellar contamination rate among the quasar candidates of SDSS DR6, and found that the rate is much higher when selecting 3 < z < 3.5 quasar candidates than when selecting lower redshift candidates (z < 2.2). The significant improvement in the photometric redshift estimation when using the nine-band SDSS-UKIDSS data over the five-band SDSS data is demonstrated and a catalog of 7727 unidentified quasar candidates in SDSS DR6 selected with optical/near-IR colors and having photometric redshifts between 2.2 and 3.5 is provided. We also tested the Y – K/g – z selection criterion with the recently released SDSS-III/DR9 quasar catalog and found that 96.2% of 17,999 DR9 quasars with UKIDSS Y- and K

A SAMPLE OF SEYFERT-2 GALAXIES WITH ULTRALUMINOUS GALAXY-WIDE NARROW-LINE REGIONS: QUASAR LIGHT ECHOES?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schirmer, M.; Diaz, R.; Levenson, N. A.; Winge, C.; Holhjem, K.

2013-01-01

We report the discovery of Seyfert-2 galaxies in SDSS-DR8 with galaxy-wide, ultraluminous narrow-line regions (NLRs) at redshifts z = 0.2-0.6. With a space density of 4.4 Gpc –3 at z ∼ 0.3, these 'green beans' (GBs) are amongst the rarest objects in the universe. We are witnessing an exceptional and/or short-lived phenomenon in the life cycle of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The main focus of this paper is on a detailed analysis of the GB prototype galaxy J2240–0927 (z = 0.326). Its NLR extends over 26 × 44 kpc and is surrounded by an extended NLR. With a total [O III] λ5008 luminosity of (5.7 ± 0.9) × 10 43 erg s –1 , this is one of the most luminous NLRs known around any type-2 galaxy. Using VLT/XSHOOTER, we show that the NLR is powered by an AGN, and we derive resolved extinction, density, and ionization maps. Gas kinematics is disturbed on a global scale, and high-velocity outflows are absent or faint. This NLR is unlike any other NLR or extended emission line region known. Spectroscopy with Gemini/GMOS reveals extended, high-luminosity [O III] emission also in other GBs. WISE 24 μm luminosities are 5-50 times lower than predicted by the [O III] fluxes, suggesting that the NLRs reflect earlier, very active quasar states that have strongly subsided in less than a galaxy's light-crossing time. These light echoes, or ionization echoes, are about 100 times more luminous than any other such echo known to date. X-ray data are needed for photoionization modeling and to verify the light echoes.

Mean Occupation Function of High-redshift Quasars from the Planck Cluster Catalog

Science.gov (United States)

Chakraborty, Priyanka; Chatterjee, Suchetana; Dutta, Alankar; Myers, Adam D.

2018-06-01

We characterize the distribution of quasars within dark matter halos using a direct measurement technique for the first time at redshifts as high as z ∼ 1. Using the Planck Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) catalog for galaxy groups and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) DR12 quasar data set, we assign host clusters/groups to the quasars and make a measurement of the mean number of quasars within dark matter halos as a function of halo mass. We find that a simple power-law fit of {log} =(2.11+/- 0.01) {log}(M)-(32.77+/- 0.11) can be used to model the quasar fraction in dark matter halos. This suggests that the quasar fraction increases monotonically as a function of halo mass even to redshifts as high as z ∼ 1.

A search for optical variability of type 2 quasars in SDSS stripe 82

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barth, Aaron J.; Carson, Daniel J.; Voevodkin, Alexey; Woźniak, Przemysław

2014-01-01

Hundreds of Type 2 quasars have been identified in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data, and there is substantial evidence that they are generally galaxies with highly obscured central engines, in accord with unified models for active galactic nuclei (AGNs). A straightforward expectation of unified models is that highly obscured Type 2 AGNs should show little or no optical variability on timescales of days to years. As a test of this prediction, we have carried out a search for variability in Type 2 quasars in SDSS Stripe 82 using difference-imaging photometry. Starting with the Type 2 AGN catalogs of Zakamska et al. and Reyes et al., we find evidence of significant g-band variability in 17 out of 173 objects for which light curves could be measured from the Stripe 82 data. To determine the nature of this variability, we obtained new Keck spectropolarimetry observations for seven of these variable AGNs. The Keck data show that these objects have low continuum polarizations (p ≲ 1% in most cases) and all seven have broad Hα and/or Mg II emission lines in their total (unpolarized) spectra, indicating that they should actually be classified as Type 1 AGNs. We conclude that the primary reason variability is found in the SDSS-selected Type 2 AGN samples is that these samples contain a small fraction of Type 1 AGNs as contaminants, and it is not necessary to invoke more exotic possible explanations such as a population of 'naked' or unobscured Type 2 quasars. Aside from misclassified Type 1 objects, the Type 2 quasars do not generally show detectable optical variability over the duration of the Stripe 82 survey.

Deep learning of quasar spectra to discover and characterize damped Lyα systems

Science.gov (United States)

Parks, David; Prochaska, J. Xavier; Dong, Shawfeng; Cai, Zheng

2018-05-01

We have designed, developed, and applied a convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture using multi-task learning to search for and characterize strong H I Lyα absorption in quasar spectra. Without any explicit modelling of the quasar continuum or application of the predicted line profile for Lyα from quantum mechanics, our algorithm predicts the presence of strong H I absorption and estimates the corresponding redshift zabs and H I column density N_{H I}, with emphasis on damped Lyα systems (DLAs, absorbers with N_{H I}≥ 2 × 10^{20} cm^{-2}). We tuned the CNN model using a custom training set of DLAs injected into DLA-free quasar spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), data release 5 (DR5). Testing on a held-back validation set demonstrates a high incidence of DLAs recovered by the algorithm (97.4 per cent as DLAs and 99 per cent as an H I absorber with N_{H I}> 10^{19.5} cm^{-2}) and excellent estimates for zabs and N_{H I}. Similar results are obtained against a human-generated survey of the SDSS DR5 data set. The algorithm yields a low incidence of false positives and negatives but is challenged by overlapping DLAs and/or very high N_{H I} systems. We have applied this CNN model to the quasar spectra of SDSS DR7 and the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (data release 12) and provide catalogues of 4913 and 50 969 DLAs, respectively (including 1659 and 9230 high-confidence DLAs that were previously unpublished). This work validates the application of deep learning techniques to astronomical spectra for both classification and quantitative measurements.

Formación estelar y AGNs en los entornos de quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Coldwell, G.; García Lambas, D.

En este trabajo utilizamos las galaxias del catálogo 2dF (2dF public 100K data release) y muestras de quasars tomados del catálogo Verón-Cetty & Verón (2001) para estudiar la naturaleza de estas galaxias en los entornos de quasars con redshift en el rango 0.1en una muestra de galaxias random del catálogo 2dF y en una muestra de cúmulos Abell con similar distribución de redshift que los quasars. Los resultados indican que existe una gran fracción de galaxias con fuertes líneas de emisión, eta > 3.5, en los entornos de quasars comparado con la fracción presente en las vecindades de galaxias típicas del 2dF. Analizamos las distribuciones de luminosidad para estas galaxias (eta > 3.5) encontrando un exceso de galaxias mas luminosas que M ˜ -19.5 en las vecindades de quasars, indicativo de la posible presencia de AGNs. Por otro lado, estimamos la tasa de formación estelar promedio para objetos a distintas distancias de quasars, galaxias y cúmulos de galaxias detectando una actividad de formacion estelar significativamente alta dentro de 1.5 Mpc h-1 de quasars con respecto a las galaxias del 2dF. Estos resultados proveen evidencia de un particular entorno de galaxias alrededor de Quasars.

Black-hole masses of distant quasars

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vestergaard, Marianne

2011-01-01

A brief overview of the methods commonly used to determine or estimate the black hole mass in quiescent or active galaxies is presented and it is argued that the use of mass-scaling relations is both a reliable and the preferred method to apply to large samples of distant quasars. The method uses...... that the black hole masses are very large, of order 1 to 10 billion solar masses, even at the highest redshifts of 4 to 6. The black holes must build up their mass very fast in the early universe. Yet they do not grow much larger than that: a maximum mass of about 10 billion solar masses is also observed....... Preliminary mass functions of active black holes are presented for several quasar samples, including the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Finally, common concerns related to the application of the mass scaling relations, especially for high redshift quasars, are briefly discussed....

Gas-rich galaxy pair unveiled in the lensed quasar 0957+561

Science.gov (United States)

Planesas; Martin-Pintado; Neri; Colina

1999-12-24

Molecular gas in the host galaxy of the lensed quasar 0957+561 (QSO 0957+561) at the redshift of 1.41 has been detected in the carbon monoxide (CO) line. This detection shows the extended nature of the molecular gas distribution in the host galaxy and the pronounced lensing effects due to the differentially magnified CO luminosity at different velocities. The estimated mass of molecular gas is about 4 x 10(9) solar masses, a molecular gas mass typical of a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way. A second, weaker component of CO is interpreted as arising from a close companion galaxy that is rich in molecular gas and has remained undetected so far. Its estimated molecular gas mass is 1.4 x 10(9) solar masses, and its velocity relative to the main galaxy is 660 kilometers per second. The ability to probe the molecular gas distribution and kinematics of galaxies associated with high-redshift lensed quasars can be used to improve the determination of the Hubble constant H(0).

A DESCRIPTION OF QUASAR VARIABILITY MEASURED USING REPEATED SDSS AND POSS IMAGING

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacLeod, Chelsea L.; Ivezić, Željko; Becker, Andrew C.; Anderson, Scott F.; Sesar, Branimir; De Vries, Wim; Kochanek, Christopher S.; Kelly, Brandon C.; Lupton, Robert H.; Hall, Patrick B.; Richards, Gordon T.; Schneider, Donald P.

2012-01-01

We provide a quantitative description and statistical interpretation of the optical continuum variability of quasars. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) has obtained repeated imaging in five UV-to-IR photometric bands for 33,881 spectroscopically confirmed quasars. About 10,000 quasars have an average of 60 observations in each band obtained over a decade along Stripe 82 (S82), whereas the remaining ∼25,000 have 2-3 observations due to scan overlaps. The observed time lags span the range from a day to almost 10 years, and constrain quasar variability at rest-frame time lags of up to 4 years, and at rest-frame wavelengths from 1000 Å to 6000 Å. We publicly release a user-friendly catalog of quasars from the SDSS Data Release 7 that have been observed at least twice in SDSS or once in both SDSS and the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey, and we use it to analyze the ensemble properties of quasar variability. Based on a damped random walk (DRW) model defined by a characteristic timescale and an asymptotic variability amplitude that scale with the luminosity, black hole mass, and rest wavelength for individual quasars calibrated in S82, we can fully explain the ensemble variability statistics of the non-S82 quasars such as the exponential distribution of large magnitude changes. All available data are consistent with the DRW model as a viable description of the optical continuum variability of quasars on timescales of ∼5-2000 days in the rest frame. We use these models to predict the incidence of quasar contamination in transient surveys such as those from the Palomar Transient Factory and Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.