Low-redshift Quasars Research Articles

Discovery of Six Low-z, High-luminosity, and High-mass Quasars

This study presents the discovery of six low-redshift quasars, identified through spectral observations conducted with the RTT-150 telescope. These quasars, with redshifts ranging from 0.3 to 0.6, were selected incorporating their placement in the color–color diagrams and detection by ROSAT 2RXS, focusing on those resembling the spectral energy distribution of a quasar. Our analysis includes detailed modeling of their continuum and emission line properties, which allowed us to estimate their bolometric luminosities, central black hole masses, and Eddington ratios. The findings reveal that these quasars exhibit exceptionally high luminosities and high masses for their redshift values, making them rare examples in the low-redshift quasar population. The results contribute to our understanding of quasar characteristics and their role in probing the structure and evolution of the nearby universe. This research underscores the importance of continued exploration of low-redshift quasars to enhance our knowledge of cosmic evolution and the dynamics of supermassive black holes in the early universe.

A quasar-galaxy merger at z ∼ 6.2: Black hole mass and quasar properties from the NIRSpec spectrum

We present JWST/NIRSpec integral field data of the quasar PJ308-21 at z = 6.2342. As shown by previous ALMA and HST imaging, the quasar has two companion sources, interacting with the quasar host galaxy. The high-resolution G395H/290LP NIRSpec spectrum covers the 2.87 − 5.27 μm wavelength range and shows the rest-frame optical emission of the quasar with exquisite quality (signal-to-noise ratio ∼100 − 400 per spectral element). Based on the Hβ line from the broad line region, we obtain an estimate of the black hole mass MBH, Hβ ∼ 2.7 × 109 M⊙. This value is within a factor ≲1.5 of the Hα-based black hole mass from the same spectrum (MBH, Hα ∼ 1.93 × 109 M⊙) and is consistent with a previous estimate relying on the Mg IIλ2799 line (MBH, MgII ∼ 2.65 × 109 M⊙). All these MBH estimates are within the ∼0.5 dex intrinsic scatter of the adopted mass calibrations. The high Eddington ratio of PJ308-21 λEdd, Hβ ∼ 0.67 (λEdd, Hα ∼ 0.96) is in line with the overall quasar population at z ≳ 6. The relative strengths of the [O III], Fe II, and Hβ lines are consistent with the empirical “Eigenvector 1” correlations as observed for low redshift quasars. We find evidence for blueshifted [O III] λ5007 emission with a velocity offset Δv[O III] = −1922 ± 39 km s−1 from the systemic velocity and a full width at half maximum (FWHM) FWHM([O III]) = 2776−74+75 km s−1. This may be the signature of outflowing gas from the nuclear region, despite the true values of Δv[O III] and FWHM([O III]) likely being more uncertain due to the blending with Hβ and Fe II lines. Our study demonstrates the unique capabilities of NIRSpec in capturing quasar spectra at cosmic dawn and studying their properties in unprecedented detail.

The Physical Properties of Low-redshift FeLoBAL Quasars. IV. Optical–Near-IR Spectral Energy Distributions and Near-IR Variability Properties

We present the optical–near-infrared spectral energy distributions (SED) and near-infrared variability properties of 30 low-redshift iron low-ionization Broad Absorption Line quasars (FeLoBALQs) and matched samples of LoBALQs and unabsorbed quasars. Significant correlations between the SED properties and accretion rate indicators found among the unabsorbed comparison sample objects suggest an intrinsic origin for SED differences. A range of reddening likely mutes these correlations among the FeLoBAL quasars. The rest-frame optical-band reddening is correlated with the location of the outflow, suggesting a link between the outflows and the presence of dust. We analyzed the WISE variability and provide a correction for photometry uncertainties in an appendix. We found an anticorrelation between the variability amplitude and inferred continuum emission region size, and we suggest that as the origin of the anticorrelation between variability amplitude and luminosity typically observed in quasars. We found that the LoBALQ Optical Emission-line and other parameters are more similar to those of the unabsorbed continuum sample objects than the FeLoBALQs. Thus, FeLoBAL quasars are a special population of objects. We interpret the results using an accretion-rate scenario for FeLoBAL quasars. The high-accretion-rate FeLoBAL quasars are radiating powerfully enough to drive a thick, high-velocity outflow. Quasars with intermediate accretion rates may have an outflow, but it is not sufficiently thick to include Fe ii absorption. Low-accretion-rate FeLoBAL outflows originate in absorption in a failing torus, no longer optically thick enough to reprocess radiation into the near-IR.

Optical and near-UV spectroscopic properties of low-redshift jetted quasars in the main sequence context

ABSTRACT This paper presents new optical and near-UV spectra of 11 extremely powerful jetted quasars, with radio to optical flux density ratio >103, which concomitantly cover the low-ionization emission of Mg iiλ2800 and hβ as well as the Fe ii blends in the redshift range 0.35 ≲ z ≲ 1. We aim to quantify broad emission line differences between radio-loud (RL) and radio-quiet (RQ) quasars by using the 4D eigenvector 1 parameter space and its main sequence (MS) and to check the effect of powerful radio ejection on the low-ionization broad emission lines. The hβ and Mg iiλ2800 emission lines were measured by using non-linear multicomponent fittings as well as by analysing their full profile. We found that broad emission lines show large redward asymmetry both in hβ and Mg iiλ2800. The location of our RL sources in a UV plane looks similar to the optical one, with weak Fe iiUV emission and broad Mg iiλ2800. We supplement the 11 sources with large samples from previous work to gain some general inferences. We found that, compared to RQ, our extreme RL quasars show larger median hβ full width at half maximum (FWHM), weaker Fe ii emission, larger MBH, lower Lbol/LEdd, and a restricted bf space occupation in the optical and UV MS planes. The differences are more elusive when the comparison is carried out by restricting the RQ population to the region of the MS occupied by RL sources, albeit an unbiased comparison matching MBH and Lbol/LEdd suggests that the most powerful RL quasars show the highest redward asymmetries in hβ.

A SPectroscopic Survey of Biased Halos in the Reionization Era (ASPIRE): A First Look at the Rest-frame Optical Spectra of z > 6.5 Quasars Using JWST

Studies of rest-frame optical emission in quasars at z > 6 have historically been limited by the wavelengths accessible by ground-based telescopes. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) now offers the opportunity to probe this emission deep into the reionization epoch. We report the observations of eight quasars at z > 6.5 using the JWST/NIRCam Wide Field Slitless Spectroscopy as a part of the “A SPectroscopic survey of biased halos In the Reionization Era (ASPIRE)” program. Our JWST spectra cover the quasars’ emission between rest frame ∼4100 and 5100 Å. The profiles of these quasars’ broad Hβ emission lines span a full width at half maximum from 3000 to 6000 km s−1. The Hβ-based virial black hole (BH) masses, ranging from 0.6 to 2.1 billion solar masses, are generally consistent with their Mg ii-based BH masses. The new measurements based on the more reliable Hβ tracer thus confirm the existence of a billion solar-mass BHs in the reionization epoch. In the observed [O iii] λ λ 4960,5008 doublets of these luminous quasars, broad components are more common than narrow core components (≤ 1200 km s−1), and only one quasar shows stronger narrow components than broad. Two quasars exhibit significantly broad and blueshifted [O iii] emission, thought to trace galactic-scale outflows, with median velocities of −610 and −1430 km s−1 relative to the [C ii] 158 μm line. All eight quasars show strong optical Fe ii emission and follow the eigenvector 1 relations defined by low-redshift quasars. The entire ASPIRE program will eventually cover 25 quasars and provide a statistical sample for the studies of the BHs and quasar spectral properties.

The miniJPAS survey quasar selection

This paper is part of large effort within the J-PAS collaboration that aims to classify point-like sources in miniJPAS, which were observed in 60 optical bands over ~1 deg2 in the AEGIS field. We developed two algorithms based on artificial neural networks (ANN) to classify objects into four categories: stars, galaxies, quasars at low redshift (z < 2.1), and quasars at high redshift (z ≥ 2.1). As inputs, we used miniJPAS fluxes for one of the classifiers (ANN1) and colours for the other (ANN2). The ANNs were trained and tested using mock data in the first place. We studied the effect of augmenting the training set by creating hybrid objects, which combines fluxes from stars, galaxies, and quasars. Nevertheless, the augmentation processing did not improve the score of the ANN. We also evaluated the performance of the classifiers in a small subset of the SDSS DR12Q superset observed by miniJPAS. In the mock test set, the f1-score for quasars at high redshift with the ANN1 (ANN2) are 0.99 (0.99), 0.93 (0.92), and 0.63 (0.57) for 17 < r ≤ 20, 20 < r ≤ 22.5, and 22.5 < r ≤ 23.6, respectively, where r is the J-PAS rSDSS band. In the case of low-redshift quasars, galaxies, and stars, we reached 0.97 (0.97), 0.82 (0.79), and 0.61 (0.58); 0.94 (0.94), 0.90 (0.89), and 0.81 (0.80); and 1.0 (1.0), 0.96 (0.94), and 0.70 (0.52) in the same r bins. In the SDSS DR12Q superset miniJPAS sample, the weighted f1-score reaches 0.87 (0.88) for objects that are mostly within 20 < r ≤ 22.5. We find that the most common confusion occurs between quasars at low redshift and galaxies in mocks and miniJPAS data. We discuss the origin of this confusion, and we show examples in which these objects present features that are shared by both classes. Finally, we estimate the number of point-like sources that are quasars, galaxies, and stars in miniJPAS.

Low-redshift quasars in the SDSS Stripe 82 – III. MOS observations

ABSTRACT We present multi-object optical spectroscopy of the galaxies in the environment of 12 low-redshift (z < 0.5) quasars and of 11 inactive massive galaxies chosen to match the properties of the quasar host galaxies to probe physical association and possible events of recent star formation (SF). The quasars are selected from a sample of QSOs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe 82 region for which both the host galaxy and the large-scale environments were previously investigated. The new observations complement those reported in our previous works on close companion galaxies of nearby quasars. For the whole data set, we find that for about half (19 out of 44) of the observed QSOs, there is at least one associated companion galaxy. In addition to the new spectroscopic observations, we add data from the SDSS data base for the full sample of objects. We find that the incidence of companion galaxies in the fields of QSO (17 per cent) is not significantly different from that of inactive galaxies (19 per cent) similar to quasar hosts in redshift and mass. Nevertheless, the companions of quasars exhibit more frequently emission lines than those of inactive galaxies, suggesting a moderate link between the nuclear activity and recent SF in their environments.

Systematically smaller single-epoch quasar black hole masses using a radius–luminosity relationship corrected for spectral bias

ABSTRACT Determining black hole masses and accretion rates with better accuracy and precision is crucial for understanding quasars as a population. These are fundamental physical properties that underpin models of active galactic nuclei. A primary technique to measure the black hole mass employs the reverberation mapping of low-redshift quasars, which is then extended via the radius–luminosity relationship for the broad-line region to estimate masses based on single-epoch spectra. An updated radius–luminosity relationship incorporates the flux ratio of optical Fe ii to H β ($\equiv \mathcal {R}_{\rm Fe}$) to correct for a bias in which more highly accreting systems have smaller line-emitting regions than previously realized. In this work, we demonstrate and quantify the effect of using this Fe-corrected radius-luminosity relationship on mass estimation by employing archival data sets possessing rest-frame optical spectra over a wide range of redshifts. We find that failure to use an Fe-corrected radius predictor results in overestimated single-epoch black hole masses for the most highly accreting quasars. Their accretion rate measures (LBol/LEdd and $\dot{\mathscr{M}}$ ) are similarly underestimated. The strongest Fe-emitting quasars belong to two classes: high-z quasars with rest-frame optical spectra, which, given their extremely high luminosities, require high accretion rates, and their low-z analogues, which, given their low black holes masses, must have high accretion rates to meet survey flux limits. These classes have mass corrections downward of about a factor of two, on average. These results strengthen the association of the dominant Eigenvector 1 parameter $\mathcal {R}_{\rm Fe}$ with the accretion process.

Connecting Low- and High-redshift Weak Emission-line Quasars via Hubble Space Telescope Spectroscopy of Lyα Emission

We present ultraviolet spectroscopy covering the Lyα + N v complex of six candidate low-redshift (0.9 < z < 1.5) weak emission-line quasars (WLQs) based on observations with the Hubble Space Telescope. The original systematic searches for these puzzling Type 1 quasars with intrinsically weak broad emission lines revealed an N ≈ 100 WLQ population from optical spectroscopy of high-redshift (z > 3) quasars, defined by a Lyα + N v rest-frame equivalent width (EW) threshold <15.4 Å. Identification of lower-redshift (z < 3) WLQ candidates, however, has relied primarily on optical spectroscopy of weak broad emission lines at longer rest-frame wavelengths. With these new observations expanding existing optical coverage into the ultraviolet, we explore unifying the low- and high-z WLQ populations via EW[Lyα+N v]. Two objects in the sample unify with high-z WLQs, three others appear consistent with the intermediate portion of the population connecting WLQs and normal quasars, and the final object is consistent with typical quasars. The expanded wavelength coverage improves the number of available line diagnostics for our individual targets, allowing a better understanding of the shapes of their ionizing continua. The ratio of EW[Lyα+N v] to EW[Mg ii] in our sample is generally small but varied, favoring a soft ionizing continuum scenario for WLQs, and we find a lack of correlation between EW[Lyα+N v] and the X-ray properties of our targets, consistent with a “slim-disk” shielding gas model. We also find indications that weak absorption may be a more significant contaminant in low-z WLQ populations than previously thought.

Far-UV Fe emission as proxy of Eddington ratios

ABSTRACT The Eddington ratio is a key parameter that governs the diversity of quasar properties. It can be scaled with a strong anticorrelation between optical Fe iiopt and [O iii] emission. In search of such indicators in the far-UV band, the Hubble Space Telescope far-UV spectra of 150 low-redshift quasars are analysed in combination with their optical SDSS counterparts. The strength of Fe ii+Fe iii λ1123 emission is significantly correlated with that of Fe iiopt. A moderate correlation may also exist between Fe ii λ1071 and Fe iiopt. The finding opens the possibility that far-UV Fe ii emission may serve as a new gauge of the Eddington ratios. The high- and low-ionization lines in the far-UV band display different patterns: for the quasars with higher Eddington ratios, the low-ionization UV lines are stronger, and the high-ionization lines are broader and weaker.

The Infrared Emission and Vigorous Star Formation of Low-redshift Quasars

Abstract The star formation activity of the host galaxies of active galactic nuclei provides valuable insights into the complex interconnections between black hole growth and galaxy evolution. A major obstacle arises from the difficulty of estimating accurate star formation rates (SFRs) in the presence of a strong active galactic nucleus. Analyzing the 1–500 μm spectral energy distributions and high-resolution mid-infrared spectra of low-redshift (z &lt; 0.5) Palomar–Green quasars with bolometric luminosity of ∼1044.5–1047.5 erg s−1, we find, from comparison with an independent SFR indicator based on [Ne II] 12.81 μm and [Ne III] 15.56 μm, that the torus-subtracted, total infrared (8–1000 μm) emission yields robust SFRs in the range of ∼1–250 M ⊙ yr−1. Combined with available stellar mass estimates, the vast majority (∼75%–90%) of the quasars lie on or above the main sequence of local star-forming galaxies, including a significant fraction (∼50%–70%) that would qualify as starburst systems. This is further supported by the high star formation efficiencies derived from the gas content inferred from the dust masses. Inspection of high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope images reveals a wide diversity of morphological types, including a number of starbursting hosts that have not experienced significant recent dynamical perturbations. The origin of the high star formation efficiency is unknown.

Compact Molecular Gas Distribution in Quasar Host Galaxies

Abstract We use Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array CO (2–1) observations of six low-redshift Palomar-Green quasars to study the distribution and kinematics of the molecular gas of their host galaxies at kiloparsec-scale resolution. While the molecular gas content, molecular gas fraction, and star formation rates are similar to those of nearby massive, star-forming galaxies, the quasar host galaxies possess exceptionally compact, disky molecular gas distributions with a median half-light radius of 1.8 kpc and molecular gas mass surface densities ≳22 M ⊙ pc−2. While the overall velocity field of the molecular gas is dominated by regular rotation out to large radii, with ratio of rotation velocity to velocity dispersion ≳9, the nuclear region displays substantial kinematic complexity associated with small-scale substructure in the gas distribution. A tilted-ring analysis reveals that the kinematic and photometric position angles are misaligned on average by ∼ 34° ± 26° and provides evidence of kinematic twisting. These observations provide tantalizing clues to the detailed physical conditions of the circumnuclear environments of actively accreting supermassive black holes.

Anomalies in the Counts of Low Redshift Quasars

The commonly held view by astronomers and cosmologists is that redshift indicates distance for both galaxies and quasars. However, data from over 750,000 quasars, and specifically about 9500 with high accuracy measurements in the redshift range 0.05 to 0.25, contained in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data release DR16 indicates several anomalies that might indicate that many quasars do not follow the same redshift-distance relationship as measured for galaxies. Also, while the commonly held view is that quasars are, in general, much brighter than galaxies, in the redshift range up to 0.5, this is not the case in the nearby universe. Two proposals are given that might explain why quasars do not follow the same redshift-distance relationship as measured for galaxies and why they might be fainter than galaxies at lower redshifts. Astronomers are urged to find more quasars in the redshift range 0 < Z < 1.0 in order to clarify the luminosity distribution function of quasars at low redshift.

High-redshift Extreme Variability Quasars from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Multiepoch Spectroscopy

Abstract We perform a systematic search for high-redshift ( 1.5) extreme variability quasars (EVQs) using repeat spectra from the Sixteenth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, which provides a baseline spanning up to ∼18 yr in the observed frame. We compile a sample of 348 EVQs with a maximum continuum variability at rest frame 1450 Å of more than 100% (i.e., δV ≡ (Max − Min)/Mean &gt; 1). The EVQs show a range of emission-line variability, including 23 where at least one line in our redshift range disappears below detectability, which can then be seen as analogous to low-redshift changing-look quasars (CLQs). Importantly, spurious CLQs caused by problematic SDSS spectral flux calibration, e.g., fiber-drop issue, have been rejected. The similar properties (e.g., continuum/line, difference-composite spectra and Eddington ratio) of normal EVQs and CLQs imply that they are basically the same physical population with analogous intrinsic variability mechanisms, as a tail of a continuous distribution of normal quasar properties. In addition, we find no reliable evidence (≲1σ) to support that CLQs are a subset of EVQs with less efficient accretion. Finally, we also confirm the antibreathing of C iv (i.e., the line width increases as luminosity increases) in EVQs and find that in addition to the ∼0.4 dex systematic uncertainty in single-epoch C iv virial black hole mass estimates, an extra scatter of ∼0.3 dex will be introduced by extreme variability.

Low-redshift quasars in the SDSS Stripe 82 – II. Associated companion galaxies and signature of star formation

ABSTRACT We present optical spectroscopy of the close companions of 22 low-redshift (z &amp;lt; 0.5) quasars (QSO) selected from a larger sample of QSO in the SDSS Stripe82 region for which both the host galaxy and the large-scale environments have been investigated in our previous work. The new observations extend the number of QSO studied in our previous paper on close companion galaxies of 12 quasars. Our analysis here covers all 34 quasars from both this work and the previously published paper. We find that half of them (15 QSO; ∼44 per cent) have at least one associated galaxy. Many (12 galaxies; ∼67 per cent) of the associated companions exhibit [O ii] 3727 Å emission line as signature of recent star formation. The star formation rate (SFR) of these galaxies is modest (median SFR ∼ 4.3 M⊙ yr−1). For eight QSO, we are also able to detect the starlight of the host galaxy from which three have a typical spectrum of a post-starburst galaxy. Our results suggest that quasars do not have a strong influence on the star formation of their companion galaxies.

Modelling X-ray RMS spectra II: the ultrafast outflow of PDS 456

ABSTRACT We present an improved model for excess variance spectra describing ultrafast outflows and successfully apply it to the luminous ($L_{\rm bol}\sim 10^{47}\mathrm{erg}\, \mathrm{s}^{-1}$) low-redshift (z = 0.184) quasar Pico del Dias Survey (PDS) 456. The model is able to account well for the broadening of the spike-like features of these outflows in the excess variance spectrum of PDS 456, by considering two effects: a correlation between the outflow velocity and the logarithmic X-ray flux and intrinsic Doppler broadening with $v_\mathrm{int} = 10^4\, \mathrm{km}\, \mathrm{s}^{-1}$. The models were generated by calculating the fractional excess variance of count spectra from a Monte Carlo simulation. We find evidence that the outflow in PDS 456 is structured, i.e. there exist two or more layers with outflow velocities $0.27\!-\!0.30\, c$, $0.41\!-\!0.49\, c$, and $0.15\!-\!0.20\, c$ for a possible third layer, which agrees well with the literature. We discuss the prospects of generally applicable models for excess variance spectra for detecting ultrafast outflows and investigating their structure. We provide an estimate for the strength of the correlation between the outflow velocity and the logarithmic X-ray flux and investigate its validity.

A new multiwavelength census of blazars

Context.Blazars are the rarest and most powerful active galactic nuclei. They play a crucial and expanding role in the multifrequency and multimessenger astrophysics of today. Dominating the high-energy extragalactic sky, they have been recently associated with high-energy astrophysical neutrinos and they may be among the accelerators of the ultra-high energy cosmic rays. Current blazar catalogs, however, are incomplete and they are depleted, in particular, at low Galactic latitudes.Aims.Our study is aimed at augmenting the current blazar census, starting from a sample of ALMA calibrators that provides more homogeneous sky coverage, especially at low Galactic latitudes, to build a catalog of blazar candidates that can provide candidate counterparts to unassociatedγ-ray sources and sources of high-energy neutrino emission or ultra-high energy cosmic rays.Methods.Based on the ALMA Calibrator Catalog, we compiled a selection of 1580 ALMA Blazar Candidates (ABCs) for which we collected multiwavelength information, includingGaiaphotometric, parallax, and proper motion data, as well as SDSS and LAMOST photometric and spectral data, WISE photometric data, X-ray (Swift-XRT,Chandra-ACIS andXMM-Newton-EPIC) count-rates and spectra, andFermi-LAT fluxes and spectral slopes. We also compared our ALMA Blazar Candidates with existing blazar catalogs, such as 4FGL, 3HSP, WIBRaLS2, and the KDEBLLACS.Results.The ABC catalog fills in the gaps with regard to low Galactic latitude sources in current blazar catalogs. By cross-matching this catalog withGaiaDR2, SDSS DR12, LAMOST DR5, AllWISE, and 4FGL catalogs, we obtained 805, 295, 31, 1311, and 259 matches, respectively. ALMA Blazar Candidates are significantly dimmer than known blazars in theGaiagband, while the difference in theGaiab − rcolor between the two populations is less pronounced. Also, ABC sources appear bluer in SDSS than known blazars, although with low statistical significance. Most ABCs classified as QSO and BL Lac fall into the SDSS color regions of low redshift quasars, with some QSOs entering the regions of higher redshift quasars. We collected 110 optical spectra in SDSS DR12 and LAMOST DR5, which mostly classify the corresponding sources as QSO (98), while 12 sources turned out to be galactic objects. Regarding the WISE colors, we found that ABC sources are significantly bluer than known blazars in thew2 − w3 andw3 − w4 colors. In X-ray, we detected 173 ABCs and we were able to extract X-ray spectra for 92 of them. Our sources are, on average, similar in the X-ray band to known blazars in terms of count rates and spectral slopes, implying that our sample covers the same region of the blazar parameter space in this band. A comparison ofγ-ray properties shows that the ABCs are, on average, dimmer and that theirγ-ray spectra are softer than known blazars, indicating a significant contribution on the part of FSRQ sources. Making use of WISE colors, we classified 715 ABCs as candidateγ-ray blazar of different classes.Conclusions.We built a new catalog of 1580 candidate blazars with a rich multiwavelength data-set, filling in the gaps for low Galactic latitude sources in current blazar catalogs. This will be particularly important for the identification of the source population of high-energy neutrinos or ultra-high energy cosmic rays, or to verify theGaiaoptical reference frame. In addition, ALMA Blazar Candidates can be investigated both through optical spectroscopic observation campaigns or through repeated photometric observations for variability studies. In this context, the data collected by the upcoming LSST surveys will provide a key tool for investigating the possible blazar nature of these sources.

AGN Feedback and Star Formation of Quasar Host Galaxies: Insights from the Molecular Gas

Abstract Molecular gas serves as a key probe of the complex interplay between black hole accretion and star formation in the host galaxies of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We use CO(2–1) observations from a new Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array survey, in conjunction with literature measurements, to investigate the molecular gas properties of a representative sample of 40 z &lt; 0.3 Palomar–Green quasars, the largest and most sensitive study of molecular gas emission to date for nearby quasars. We find that the AGN luminosity correlates with both the CO luminosity and black hole mass, suggesting that AGN activity is loosely coupled to the cold gas reservoir of the host. The observed strong correlation between host galaxy total infrared luminosity and AGN luminosity arises from their common dependence on the molecular gas. We argue that the total infrared luminosity, at least for low-redshift quasars, can be used to derive reliable star formation rates for the host galaxy. The host galaxies of low-redshift quasars have a molecular gas content similar to that of star-forming galaxies of comparable stellar mass. Moreover, they share similar gas kinematics, as evidenced by their CO Tully–Fisher relation and the absence of detectable molecular outflows down to sensitive limits. There is no sign that AGN feedback quenches star formation for the quasars in our sample. On the contrary, the abundant gas supply forms stars prodigiously, at a rate that places most of them above the star-forming main sequence and with an efficiency that rivals that of starburst systems.

No Redshift Evolution in the Broad-line-region Metallicity up to z = 7.54: Deep Near-infrared Spectroscopy of ULAS J1342+0928

Abstract We present deep (9 hr) Gemini-N/Gemini Near-InfraRed Spectrograph near-infrared spectroscopic observations of ULAS J1342+0928, a luminous quasar at z = 7.54. Various broad emission lines were detected, as well as the underlying continuum and iron forests over the rest-frame wavelength 970–2930 Å. There is a clear trend that higher-ionization emission lines show larger blueshifts with C iv exhibiting km s−1 blueshift with respect to the systematic redshift from the far-infrared [C ii] emission line. Those high-ionization lines have wide profiles with FWHM more than 10,000 km s−1. A modest blueshift of km s−1 is also seen in Mg ii, the lowest-ionization line identified in the spectrum. The updated Mg ii-based black hole mass of and the Eddington ratio of confirm that ULAS J1342+0928 is powered by a massive and actively accreting black hole. There is no significant difference in the emission-line ratios such as Si iv/C iv and Al iii/C iv when compared to lower-redshift quasars in a similar luminosity range, which suggests early metal pollution of the broad-line-region clouds. This trend also holds for the Fe ii/Mg ii line ratio, known as a cosmic clock that traces the iron enrichment in the early universe. Different iron templates and continuum fitting ranges were used to explore how the Fe ii/Mg ii measurement changes as a function of spectral modeling. Quasars at even higher redshift or at fainter luminosity range ( erg s−1) are needed to probe the sites of early metal enrichment and a corresponding change in the Fe ii/Mg ii ratio.

Reionization history constraints from neural network based predictions of high-redshift quasar continua

ABSTRACT Observations of the early Universe suggest that reionization was complete by z ∼ 6, however, the exact history of this process is still unknown. One method for measuring the evolution of the neutral fraction throughout this epoch is via observing the Lyα damping wings of high-redshift quasars. In order to constrain the neutral fraction from quasar observations, one needs an accurate model of the quasar spectrum around Lyα, after the spectrum has been processed by its host galaxy but before it is altered by absorption and damping in the intervening intergalactic medium (IGM). In this paper, we present a novel machine learning approach, using artificial neural networks, to reconstruct quasar continua around Lyα. Our Quasar Spectra from Artificial Neural Network based predictive Regression Algorithm(QSANNdRA) improves the error in this reconstruction compared to the state-of-the-art principal component analysis (PCA) based model in the literature by 14.2 per cent on average, and provides an improvement of 6.1 per cent on average when compared to an extension thereof. In comparison with the extended PCA model, QSANNdRA further achieves an improvement of 22.1 per cent and 16.8 per cent when evaluated on low-redshift quasars most similar to the two high-redshift quasars under consideration, ULAS J1120+0641 at z = 7.0851 and ULAS J1342+0928 at z = 7.5413, respectively. Using our more accurate reconstructions of these two z &amp;gt; 7 quasars, we estimate the neutral fraction of the IGM using a homogeneous reionization model and find $\bar{x}_\mathrm{H\, \small{I}} = 0.25^{+0.05}_{-0.05}$ at z = 7.0851 and $\bar{x}_\mathrm{H\, \small{I}} = 0.60^{+0.11}_{-0.11}$ at z = 7.5413. Our results are consistent with the literature and favour a rapid end to reionization.