Quasars Research Articles

Properties of Spectrally Defined Red QSOs at z = 0.3–1.2

Abstract We investigated the properties of a sample of red Quasi-stellar Objects (QSOs) using optical, radio, and infrared data. These QSOs were selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 quasar catalog. We only selected sources with sky coverage in the Very Large Array Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-centimeters survey, and searched for sources with Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer counterparts. We defined the spectral color of the QSOs based on the flux ratio of the rest-frame 4000 to 3000 Å continuum emission to select red QSOs and typical QSOs. In accordance with this criterion, only QSOs with redshifts between 0.3 and 1.2 could be selected. We found that red QSOs have stronger infrared emission than typical QSOs. We noted that the number ratios of red QSOs to typical QSOs decrease with increasing redshifts, although the number of typical QSOs increase with redshifts. Furthermore, at high redshifts, the luminosity distributions of typical QSOs and red QSOs seem to have similar peaks; however, at low redshifts, the luminosities of red QSOs seem to be lower than those of typical QSOs. These findings suggest that there might be at least two types of red QSOs in our QSO samples.

Active Galactic Nucleus Environments and Feedback to Neighboring Galaxies at z ∼ 5 Probed by Lyα Emitters∗

Abstract Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the high-redshift universe are thought to reside in overdense environments. However, recent works provide controversial results, partly due to the use of different techniques and possible suppression of nearby galaxy formation by AGN feedback. We conducted deep and wide-field imaging observations with the Suprime-Cam on the Subaru Telescope and searched for Lyα emitters (LAEs) around two quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) at z ∼ 4.9 and a radio galaxy at z ∼ 4.5 by using narrowband filters to address these issues more robustly. In the QSO fields, we obtained additional broadband images to select Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) at z ∼ 5 for comparison. We constructed a photometric sample of 301 LAEs and 170 LBGs in total. A wide field of view (34′ × 27′, corresponding to 80 × 60 comoving Mpc2) of the Suprime-Cam enabled us to probe galaxies in the immediate vicinities of the AGNs and in the blank fields simultaneously and compare various properties of them in a consistent manner. The two QSOs are located near local density peaks (<2σ), and one of the QSOs has a close companion LAE with projected separation of 80 physical kpc. The radio galaxy is found to be near a void of LAEs. The number densities of LAEs/LGBs in a larger spatial scale around the AGNs are not significantly different from those in blank fields. No sign of feedback is found down to . Our results suggest that high-redshift AGNs are not associated with extreme galaxy overdensity and that this cannot be attributed to the effect of AGN feedback.

Discovery of a new quasar: SDSS J022155.26‐064916.6

We report the discovery of a new quasar: SDSS J022155.26‐064916.6. This object was discovered while reducing the spectra of a sample of stars being considered as spectrophotometric standards for the Dark Energy Survey. The flux‐ and wavelength‐calibrated spectrum is presented with four spectral lines identified. From these lines, the redshift is determined to be z≈0.806. In addition, the rest‐frame u‐, g‐, and r‐band luminosity, determined using a k‐correction obtained with synthetic photometry of a proxy quasi stellar object (QSO), are reported as 7.496×1013L⊙, 2.049×1013L⊙, and 1.896×1013L⊙, respectively.

The nature of 50 PalermoSwift-BAT hard X-ray objects through optical spectroscopy

We present the nature of 50 hard X-ray emitting objects unveiled through an optical spectroscopy campaign performed at seven telescopes in the northern and southern hemispheres. These objects were detected with Swift-BAT and listed as of unidentified nature in the 54-month Palermo BAT catalogue. In detail, 45 sources in our sample are identified as active galactic nuclei of which, 27 are classified as type 1 (with broad and narrow emission lines) and 18 are classified as type 2 (with only narrow emission lines). Among the broad-line emission objects, one is a type 1 high-redshift quasi-stellar object, and among the narrow-line emission objects, one is a starburst galaxy, one is a X-ray bright optically normal galaxy, and one is a low ionization nuclear emission line region. We report 30 new redshift measurements, 13 confirmations and 2 more accurate redshift values. The remaining five objects are galactic sources: three are Cataclismic Variables, one is a X-ray Binary probably with a low mass secondary star, and one is an active star.

PHL 6625: A Minor Merger-associated QSO Behind NGC 247

Abstract PHL 6625 is a luminous quasi-stellar object (QSO) at z = 0.3954 located behind the nearby galaxy NGC 247 (z = 0.0005). Hubble Space Telescope observations revealed an arc structure associated with it. We report on spectroscopic observations with the Very Large Telescope and multiwavelength observations from the radio to the X-ray band for the system, suggesting that PHL 6625 and the arc are a close pair of merging galaxies, instead of a strong gravitational lens system. The QSO host galaxy is estimated to be (4–28) × 1010 M ☉ and the mass of the companion galaxy is estimated to be M * = (6.8 ± 2.4) × 109 M ☉, suggesting that this is a minor merger system. The QSO displays typical broad emission lines, from which a black hole mass of about (2–5) × 108 M ☉ and an Eddington ratio of about 0.01–0.05 can be inferred. The system represents an interesting and rare case where a QSO is associated with an ongoing minor merger, analogous to Arp 142.

A deep search for metals near redshift 7: the line of sight towards ULAS J1120+0641

We present a search for metal absorption line systems at the highest redshifts to date using a deep (30h) VLT/X-Shooter spectrum of the z = 7.084 quasi-stellar object (QSO) ULAS J1120+0641. We detect seven intervening systems at z > 5.5, with the highest-redshift system being a C IV absorber at z = 6.51. We find tentative evidence that the mass density of C IV remains flat or declines with redshift at z < 6, while the number density of C II systems remains relatively flat over 5 < z < 7. These trends are broadly consistent with models of chemical enrichment by star formation-driven winds that include a softening of the ultraviolet background towards higher redshifts. We find a larger number of weak ( W_rest < 0.3A ) Mg II systems over 5.9 < z < 7.0 than predicted by a power-law fit to the number density of stronger systems. This is consistent with trends in the number density of weak Mg II systems at z = 2.5, and suggests that the mechanisms that create these absorbers are already in place at z = 7. Finally, we investigate the associated narrow Si IV, C IV, and N V absorbers located near the QSO redshift, and find that at least one component shows evidence of partial covering of the continuum source.

Imprint of DESI fiber assignment on the anisotropic power spectrum of emission line galaxies

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), a multiplexed fiber-fed spectrograph, is a Stage-IV ground-based dark energy experiment aiming to measure redshifts for 29 million Emission-Line Galaxies (ELG), 4 million Luminous Red Galaxies (LRG), and 2 million Quasi-Stellar Objects (QSO). The survey design includes a pattern of tiling on the sky, the locations of the fiber positioners in the focal plane of the telescope, and an observation strategy determined by a fiber assignment algorithm that optimizes the allocation of fibers to targets. This strategy allows a given region to be covered on average five times for a five-year survey, with a typical variation of about 1.5 about the mean, which imprints a spatially-dependent pattern on the galaxy clustering. We investigate the systematic effects of the fiber assignment coverage on the anisotropic galaxy clustering of ELGs and show that, in the absence of any corrections, it leads to discrepancies of order ten percent on large scales for the power spectrum multipoles. We introduce a method where objects in a random catalog are assigned a coverage, and the mean density is separately computed for each coverage factor. We show that this method reduces, but does not eliminate the effect. We next investigate the angular dependence of the contaminated signal, arguing that it is mostly localized to purely transverse modes. We demonstrate that the cleanest way to remove the contaminating signal is to perform an analysis of the anisotropic power spectrum P(k,μ) and remove the lowest μ bin, leaving μ > 0 modes accurate at the few-percent level. Here, μ is the cosine of the angle between the line-of-sight and the direction of k⃗. We also investigate two alternative definitions of the random catalog and show that they are comparable but less effective than the coverage randoms method.

Probing Large Galaxy Halos at Z ∼ 0 with Automated Lyα-absorption Matching

Abstract We present initial results from an ongoing large-scale study of the circumgalactic medium in the nearby Universe ( 10,000 ), using archival Cosmic Origins Spectrograph spectra of background quasi-stellar objects. This initial sample contains 33 sightlines chosen for their proximity to large galaxies ( kpc) and high signal-to-noise ratios (S/N 10), yielding 48 Lyα absorption lines that we have paired with 33 unique galaxies, with 29 cases where multiple absorbers within a single sightline are paired with the same galaxy. We introduce a likelihood parameter to facilitate the matching of galaxies to absorption lines in a reproducible manner. We find the usual anti-correlation between Lyα equivalent width (EW) and impact parameter (ρ) when we normalize by galaxy virial radius (R vir). Galaxies associated with a Lyα absorber are found to be more highly inclined than galaxies in the survey volume at a confidence level (equivalent to for a normal distribution). In contrast with suggestions in other recent papers of a correlation with azimuth angle for Mg ii absorption, we find no such correlation for Lyα.

VoIgt profile Parameter Estimation Routine (viper): H i photoionization rate at z &lt; 0.5

We have developed a parallel code called the VoIgt profile Parameter Estimation Routine (viper) for automatically fitting the H i Lyα forest seen in the spectra of quasi-stellar objects (QSOs). We obtained the H i column density distribution function (CDDF) and linewidth (b) parameter distribution for z < 0.45 using spectra of 82 QSOs obtained using the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and viper. The consistency of these with existing measurements in the literature validates our code. By comparing this CDDF with those obtained from hydrodynamical simulations, we constrain the H i photoionization rate (⁠|$\Gamma _{\rm H\,\small {I}}$|⁠) at z < 0.45 in four redshift bins. viper, together with the Code for Ionization and Temperature Evolution (cite), which we developed for gadget-2, allows us to explore parameter space and perform χ2 minimization to obtain |$\Gamma _{\rm H\,\small {I}}$|⁠. We notice that the b parameters from the simulations are smaller than those derived from observations. We show that the observed b parameter distribution and b versus |$\log {N_{\rm H\,\small {I}}}$| scatter can be reproduced in simulations by introducing subgrid-scale turbulence. However, it has very little influence on the derived |$\Gamma _{\rm H\,\small {I}}$|⁠. The |$\Gamma _{\rm H\,\small {I}}(z)$| obtained here, (3.9 ± 0.1) × 10−14 (1 + z)4.98 ± 0.11 s−1, is in good agreement with the values derived by us using flux-based statistics in a previous article. These values are consistent with the hydrogen ionizing ultraviolet (UV) background being dominated mainly by QSOs, without needing any contribution from non-standard sources of UV photons.

Discovery of an Enormous Lyα Nebula in a Massive Galaxy Overdensity at z = 2.3

Abstract Enormous Lyα nebulae (ELANe), unique tracers of galaxy density peaks, are predicted to lie at the nodes and intersections of cosmic filamentary structures. Previous successful searches for ELANe have focused on wide-field narrowband surveys or have targeted known sources such as ultraluminous quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) or radio galaxies. Utilizing groups of coherently strong Lyα absorptions, we have developed a new method to identify high-redshift galaxy overdensities and have identified an extremely massive overdensity, BOSS1441, at . In its density peak, we discover an ELAN that is associated with a relatively faint continuum. To date, this object has the highest diffuse Lyα nebular luminosity of erg s−1. Above the 2σ surface brightness limit of SB erg s−1 cm−2 arcsec−2, this nebula has an end-to-end spatial extent of 442 kpc. This radio-quiet source also has extended C iv and He ii emission on scales. Note that the Lyα, He ii, and C iv emissions all have double-peaked line profiles. Each velocity component has an FWHM of ≈700–1000 km s−1. We argue that this Lyα nebula could be powered by shocks due to an active galactic nucleus–driven outflow or photoionization by a strongly obscured source.

Constraints on AGN feedback from its Sunyaev–Zel'dovich imprint on the cosmic background radiation

We derive constraints on feedback by active galactic nuclei (AGN) by setting limits on their thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) imprint on the cosmic microwave background (CMB). The amplitude of any SZ signature is small and degenerate with the poorly known sub-mm spectral energy distribution of the AGN host galaxy and other unresolved dusty sources along the line of sight. Here we break this degeneracy by combining microwave and sub-mm data from Planck with all-sky far-infrared maps from the AKARI satellite. We first test our measurement pipeline using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) redMaPPer catalogue of galaxy clusters, finding a highly significant detection ($>$$20\sigma$) of the SZ effect together with correlated dust emission. We then constrain the SZ signal associated with spectroscopically confirmed quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) from SDSS data release 7 (DR7) and the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) DR12. We obtain a low-significance ($1.6\sigma$) hint of an SZ signal, pointing towards a mean thermal energy of $\simeq 5 \times 10^{60}$ erg, lower than reported in some previous studies. A comparison of our results with high-resolution hydrodynamical simulations including AGN feedback suggests QSO host masses of $M_{200c} \sim 4 \times 10^{12}~h^{-1}M_\odot$, but with a large uncertainty. Our analysis provides no conclusive evidence for an SZ signal specifically associated with AGN feedback.

Gas around galaxy haloes - III: hydrogen absorption signatures around galaxies and QSOs in the Sherwood simulation suite

Modern theories of galaxy formation predict that galaxies impact on their gaseous surroundings, playing the fundamental role of regulating the amount of gas converted into stars. While star-forming galaxies are believed to provide feedback through galactic winds, Quasi-Stellar Objects (QSOs) are believed instead to provide feedback through the heat generated by accretion onto a central supermassive black hole. A quantitative difference in the impact of feedback on the gaseous environments of star-forming galaxies and QSOs has not been established through direct observations. Using the Sherwood cosmological simulations, we demonstrate that measurements of neutral hydrogen in the vicinity of star-forming galaxies and QSOs during the era of peak galaxy formation show excess LyA absorption extending up to comoving radii of about 150 kpc for star-forming galaxies and 300 - 700 kpc for QSOs. Simulations including supernovae-driven winds with the wind velocity scaling like the escape velocity of the halo account for the absorption around star-forming galaxies but not QSOs.

RADIO-LOUD AND RADIO-QUIET QSOs

ABSTRACT We discuss 6 GHz JVLA observations covering a volume-limited sample of 178 low-redshift ( ) optically selected quasi-stellar objects (QSOs). Our 176 radio detections fall into two clear categories: (1) about 20% are radio-loud QSOs (RLQs) with spectral luminosities of that are primarily generated in the active galactic nucleus (AGN) responsible for the excess optical luminosity that defines a bona fide QSO; and (2) the remaining 80% that are radio-quiet QSOs (RQQs) that have and radio sizes , and we suggest that the bulk of their radio emission is powered by star formation in their host galaxies. “Radio-silent” QSOs ( ) are rare, so most RQQ host galaxies form stars faster than the Milky Way; they are not “red and dead” ellipticals. Earlier radio observations did not have the luminosity sensitivity of that is needed to distinguish between such RLQs and RQQs. Strong, generally double-sided radio emission spanning was found to be associated with 13 of the 18 RLQ cores with peak flux densities of ( ). The radio luminosity function of optically selected QSOs and the extended radio emission associated with RLQs are both inconsistent with simple “unified” models that invoke relativistic beaming from randomly oriented QSOs to explain the difference between RLQs and RQQs. Some intrinsic property of the AGNs or their host galaxies must also determine whether or not a QSO appears radio-loud.

GAMMA-RAY EMISSION FROM PSR J0007+7303 USING SEVEN YEARS OF FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS

ABSTRACT Based on more than seven years of Fermi Large Area Telescope Pass 8 data, we report on a detailed analysis of the bright gamma-ray pulsar (PSR) J0007+7303. We confirm that PSR J0007+7303 is significantly detected as a point source also during the off-peak phases with a test statistic value of 262 (∼16σ). In the description of the off-peak spectrum of PSR J0007+7303, a power law with an exponential cutoff at 2.7 ± 1.2 ± 1.3 GeV (the first/second uncertainties correspond to statistical/systematic errors) is preferred over a single power law at a level of 3.5σ. The possible existence of a cutoff hints at a magnetospheric origin of the emission. In addition, no extended gamma-ray emission is detected that is compatible with either the supernova remnant (CTA 1) or the very high-energy (&gt;100 GeV) pulsar wind nebula. A flux upper limit of 6.5 × 10−12 erg cm−2 s−1 in the energy range 10–300 GeV is reported, for an extended source assuming the morphology of the VERITAS detection. During on-peak phases, a sub-exponential cutoff is significantly preferred (∼11σ) for representing the spectral energy distribution, in both the phase-averaged and phase-resolved spectra. Three glitches are detected during the observation period and we found no flux variability at the time of the glitches or in the long-term behavior. We also report the discovery of a previously unknown gamma-ray source in the vicinity of PSR J0007+7303, Fermi J0020+7328, which we associate with the z = 1.781 quasar S5 0016+73. A concurrent analysis of this source is needed to correctly characterize the behavior of CTA 1 and it is also presented in the paper.

PARALLAXES AND PROPER MOTIONS OF QSOs: A TEST OF ASTROMETRIC PRECISION AND ACCURACY

ABSTRACT Optical astrometry of 12 fields containing quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) is presented. The targets are radio sources in the International Celestial Reference Frame with accurate radio positions that also have optical counterparts. The data are used to test several quantities: the internal precision of the relative optical astrometry, the relative parallaxes and proper motions, the procedures to correct from relative to absolute parallax and proper motion, the accuracy of the absolute parallaxes and proper motions, and the stability of the optical photocenters for these optically variable QSOs. For these 12 fields, the mean error in absolute parallax is 0.38 mas and the mean error in each coordinate of absolute proper motion is 1.1 mas yr−1. The results yield a mean absolute parallax of −0.03 ± 0.11 mas. For 11 targets, we find no significant systematic motions of the photocenters at the level of 1–2 mas over the 10 years of this study; for one BL Lac object, we find a possible motion of 4 mas correlated with its brightness.

X-ray-selected broad absorption line quasi-stellar objects

We study a sample of six X-ray selected broad absorption line (BAL) quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) from the XMM-Newton Wide Angle Survey. All six objects are classified as BALQSOs using the classic balnicity index, and together they form the largest sample of X-ray selected BALQSOs. We find evidence for absorption in the X-ray spectra of all six objects. An ionized absorption model applied to an X-ray spectral shape that would be typical for non-BAL QSOs (a power law with energy index alpha=0.98) provides acceptable fits to the X-ray spectra of all six objects. The optical to X-ray spectral indices, alpha_OX, of the X-ray selected BALQSOs, have a mean value of 1.69 +- 0.05, which is similar to that found for X-ray selected and optically selected non-BAL QSOs of similar ultraviolet luminosity. In contrast, optically-selected BALQSOs typically have much larger alpha_OX and so are characterised as being X-ray weak. The results imply that X-ray selection yields intrinsically X-ray bright BALQSOs, but their X-ray spectra are absorbed by a similar degree to that seen in optically-selected BALQSO samples; X-ray absorption appears to be ubiquitous in BALQSOs, but X-ray weakness is not. We argue that BALQSOs sit at one end of a spectrum of X-ray absorption properties in QSOs related to the degree of ultraviolet absorption in C IV 1550.

Investigating the relation between CO (3–2) and far-infrared luminosities for nearby merging galaxies using ASTE

Abstract We present the new single-dish CO (3–2) emission data obtained toward 19 early-stage and 7 late-stage nearby merging galaxies using the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment (ASTE). Combining with the single-dish and interferometric data of galaxies observed in previous studies, we investigate the relation between the CO (3–2) luminosity ($L^{\prime }_{\rm CO(3-2)}$) and the far-infrared luminosity (LFIR) in a sample of 29 early-stage and 31 late-stage merging galaxies, and 28 nearby isolated spiral galaxies. We find that normal isolated spiral galaxies and merging galaxies have different slopes (α) in the $\log L^{\prime }_{\rm CO(3-2)}$–log LFIR plane (α ∼ 0.79 for spirals and ∼1.12 for mergers). The large slope (α &amp;gt; 1) for merging galaxies can be interpreted as evidence for increasing star formation efficiency (SFE = $L_{\rm FIR}/L^{\prime }_{\rm CO(3-2)}$) as a function of LFIR. Comparing our results with sub-kpc-scale local star formation and global starburst activity in the high-z universe, we find deviations from the linear relationship in the $\log L^{\prime }_{\rm CO(3-2)}$–log LFIR plane for the late-stage mergers and high-z star-forming galaxies. Finally, we find that the average SFE gradually increases from isolated galaxies to merging galaxies and to high-z submillimeter galaxies/quasi-stellar objects. By comparing our findings with results from numerical simulations, we suggest that: (1) inefficient starbursts triggered by disk-wide dense clumps occur in the early stage of interaction, and (2) efficient starbursts triggered by central concentration of gas occur in the final stage. A systematic high spatial resolution survey of diffuse- and dense-gas tracers is the key to confirming this scenario.

A GLOBAL ASTROMETRIC SOLUTION FOR PAN-STARRS REFERENCED TO ICRF2

We describe development and application of a Global Astrometric Solution (GAS) to the problem of Pan-STARRS1 (PS1) astrometry. Current PS1 astrometry is based on differential astrometric measurements using 2MASS reference stars, thus PS1 astrometry inherits the errors of the 2MASS catalog. The GAS, based on a single, least squares adjustment to approximately 750k grid stars using over 3000 extragalactic objects as reference objects, avoids this catalog-to-catalog propagation of errors to a great extent. The GAS uses a relatively small number of Quasi-Stellar Objects (QSOs, or distant AGN) with very accurate (<1 mas) radio positions, referenced to the ICRF2. These QSOs provide a hard constraint in the global least squares adjustment. Solving such a system provides absolute astrometry for all the stars simultaneously. The concept is much cleaner than conventional astrometry but is not easy to perform for large catalogs. In this paper we describe our method and its application to Pan-STARRS1 data. We show that large-scale systematic errors are easily corrected but our solution residuals for position (~60 mas) are still larger than expected based on simulations (~10 mas). We provide a likely explanation for the reason the small-scale residual errors are not corrected in our solution as would be expected.

MAD ADAPTIVE OPTICS IMAGING OF HIGH-LUMINOSITY QUASARS: A PILOT PROJECT

ABSTRACT We present near-IR images of five luminous quasars at z ∼ 2 and one at z ∼ 4 obtained with an experimental adaptive optics (AO) instrument at the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope. The observations are part of a program aimed at demonstrating the capabilities of multi-conjugated adaptive optics imaging combined with the use of natural guide stars for high spatial resolution studies on large telescopes. The observations were mostly obtained under poor seeing conditions but in two cases. In spite of these nonoptimal conditions, the resulting images of point sources have cores of FWHM ∼ 0.2 arcsec. We are able to characterize the host galaxy properties for two sources and set stringent upper limits to the galaxy luminosity for the others. We also report on the expected capabilities for investigating the host galaxies of distant quasars with AO systems coupled with future Extremely Large Telescopes. Detailed simulations show that it will be possible to characterize compact (2–3 kpc) quasar host galaxies for quasi-stellar objects at z = 2 with nucleus K-magnitude spanning from 15 to 20 (corresponding to absolute magnitude −31 to −26) and host galaxies that are 4 mag fainter than their nuclei.

Secrets of quasars unveiled

Secrets of quasars unveiled