(abriged)In this paper we study different properties of quasars and their host galaxies at high redshifts up to z~3.4. We compare our results to those of other authors and discuss the correlation between galaxy evolution and quasar activity. We analysed broad-band images in eight filters (from U to K) of eight quasars in the FORS Deep Field with redshifts between z=0.87 and z=3.37. A fully 2-dimensional decomposition was carried out to detect and resolve the host galaxies. We were able to resolve the host galaxies of two out of eight quasars between z=0.87 and z=2.75. Additionally, two host galaxies were possibly resolved. The resolved low-redshift quasar (z=0.9) was identified as a late type galaxy with a moderate star formation rate of 1.8 M_{sun}/yr hosting a supermassive black hole with a mass of <10^{8}M_{sun}. The resolved high redshift host galaxy (z=2.8) shows moderate star formation of 4.4-6.9 M_{sun}/yr, for the black hole mass we found a lower limit of >10^{7}M_{sun}. All quasars host supermassive black hole with masses in the range ~10^{7}-10^{9}M_{sun}. Our findings are well consistent with those of other authors.
This review attempts to describe developments in the fields of quasar and quasar host galaxies in the past five. In this time period, the Sloan and 2dF quasar surveys have added several tens of thousands of quasars, with Sloan quasars being found to z>6. Obscured, or partially obscured quasars have begun to be found in significant numbers. Black hole mass estimates for quasars, and our confidence in them, have improved significantly, allowing a start on relating quasar properties such as radio jet power to fundamental parameters of the quasar such as black hole mass and accretion rate. Quasar …
We present VLT/ISAAC near-infrared imaging of the host galaxies of 15 low luminosity quasars at 1 < z < 2. This work complements our studies to trace the cosmological evolution of the host galaxies of high luminosity quasars. The radio-loud (RLQ) and radio-quiet (RQQ) quasars have similar distribution of redshift and luminosity, and together the high and low luminosity quasars cover a large range of the quasar luminosity function. Both RLQ and RQQ hosts resemble massive inactive ellipticals undergoing passive evolution. However, RLQ hosts are systematically more luminous than RQQ hosts, as als…
It is becoming possible to detect high redshift quasars in various molecular lines, and to show by mapping lensed objects that the strong dust and molecular emission arises in warm dense ~100 pc-scale "tori." The properties of ULIRGs, at least those with AGN-like narrow line regions, are very similar, as expected in the hidden quasar hypothesis. Several of the latter are in fact confirmed as "Quasar 2s" by spectropolarimetry.
We present near-infrared H-band observations of the hosts of three z~1 quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey made with the adaptive optics system at Lick Observatory. We derive a PSF for each quasar and model the host plus quasar nucleus to obtain magnitudes and approximate scale sizes for the host galaxies. We find our recovered host galaxies are similar to those found for z~1 quasars observed with the Hubble Space Telescope. They also have, with one interesting exception, black hole mass estimates from their bulge luminosities which are consistent with those from emission-line widths. We…
We use host galaxy imaging studies of the PG Quasar survey to compare the far-infrared (FIR) properties of quasars with disturbed and undisturbed host galaxies. By using survival analysis, we show that the quasars with disturbed host galaxies, with morphologies classified from a homogenous data set, have a 60 micron luminosity distribution that is different from that of those with undisturbed hosts with >97% confidence. For morphological classifications using an inhomogenous data set, including HST data for some objects, this confidence rises to >99% confidence. The mean 60 micron luminosity o…
A sample of 16 quasars selected from the Large Bright Quasar Survey in the redshift range 0.4 < z < 0.5 has been imaged in the R band with the Planetary Camera on the WFPC2 instrument of the Hubble Space Telescope. The host galaxy magnitudes are mostly similar to or brighter than L*, and the host luminosity is positively correlated with the luminosity of the quasar nuclear component. There is no distinction in host galaxy magnitude between radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars, assuming they are all of the same galaxy type. Many of the host galaxies in the sample have small axial ratios, which ma…
Some recent observations of nearby quasars with HST have apparently failed to detect host galaxies. We review the HST observations as well as near infrared ground-based observations of the same objects. We find that the quasar hosts can be detected in the HST data if they are smoothed sufficiently to reveal low surface brightness. The smooth hosts are very difficult to detect with HST but are more easily visible in the deeper, ground-based IR images. The V-H colors obtained by combining the HST and IR data are compatible with normal galaxy colors at the redshifts of the quasars. This behavior …
We have obtained deep, near-IR images of nearly 100 host galaxies of nearby quasars and Seyferts. We find the near-IR light to be a good tracer of luminous mass in these galaxies. For the most luminous quasars there is a correlation between the maximum allowed B-band nuclear luminosity and the host galaxy mass, a ``luminosity/host-mass limit''. Comparing our images with images from HST, we find that the hosts of these very luminous quasars are likely early type galaxies, even for radio-quiet objects whose lower-luminosity counterparts traditionally live in spirals. We speculate that the lumino…
We present the results of a deep K-band imaging study which reveals the host galaxies around a sample of luminous radio-quiet quasars. The K-band images, obtained at UKIRT, are of sufficient quality to allow accurate modelling of the underlying host galaxy. Initially, the basic structure of the hosts is revealed using a modified Clean deconvolution routine optimised for this analysis. 2 of the 14 quasars are shown to have host galaxies with violently disturbed morphologies which cannot be modelled by smooth elliptical profiles. For the remainder of our sample, 2D models of the host and nuclear…
Observations with the Wide-Field/Planetary Camera-2 of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) are presented for three radio-loud quasars: 3C 48 (z=0.367), B2 1425+267 (z=0.366), and 3C 345 (z=0.594). All three quasars have luminous (~4 L^*) galaxies as hosts, which are either elliptical (B2 1425+267 and 3C 345) or interacting (3C 48), and all hosts are 0.5 - 1.0 mag bluer in (V-I) than other galaxies with the same overall morphology at similar redshifts to the quasars. The host of 3C 48 has many H II regions and a very extended tidal tail. All nine of the radio-loud quasars studied here and in Bahca…
Despite a general consensus in the astronomical community that all quasars are located at the distances implied by their redshifts, a number of observations still challenge this interpretation, possibly indicating that some subpopulation of quasars may harbour significant redshift components not related to the expansion of the universe. It has been suggested that these objects may have been ejected from local galaxies and are likely to evolve into new galaxies themselves. Here, a test of such exotic scenarios is proposed, based on the spectral energy distribution of the galaxies hosting quasar…
The study of molecular gas in quasar host galaxies addresses a number of interesting questions pertaining to the hosts' ISM, to unified schemes relating quasars and IR galaxies, and to the processes fueling nuclear activity. In this contribution I review observations of molecular gas in quasar hosts from z=0.06 to z=4.7. The Cloverleaf quasar at z=2.5 is featured as a case where there are now enough detected transitions (four in CO, and one each in CI and HCN) to allow detailed modeling of physical conditions in the molecular ISM. We find that the CO-emitting gas is warmer, denser, and less op…
We present Hubble ACS images of thirteen dust reddened Type-1 quasars selected from the FIRST/2MASS Red Quasar Survey. These quasars have high intrinsic luminosities after correction for dust obscuration (-23.5 > M_B > -26.2 from K-magnitude). The images show strong evidence of recent or ongoing interaction in eleven of the thirteen cases, even before the quasar nucleus is subtracted. None of the host galaxies are well fit by a simple elliptical profile. The fraction of quasars showing interaction is significantly higher than the 30% seen in samples of host galaxies of normal, unobscured quasa…
Quasars are thought to be powered by the infall of matter onto a supermassive black hole at the centre of massive galaxies. As the optical luminosity of quasars exceeds that of their host galaxy, disentangling the two components can be difficult. This led in the 1990's 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 on the observation 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…
HST images (with WFPC2) of PHL~909\ ($z = 0.171$) and PG~0052$+$251\ ($z = 0.155$) show that these luminous radio-quiet quasars each occur in an apparently normal host galaxy. The host galaxy of PHL~909 is an elliptical galaxy ($\sim$ E4) and the host of PG~0052$+$251 is a spiral ($\sim$~Sb). Both host galaxies are several tenths of a magnitude brighter than $L^*$, the characteristic Schechter luminosity of field galaxies. The images of PHL~909 and PG~0052$+$251, when compared with HST images of other objects in our sample of 20 luminous, small-redshift ($z \leq 0.30$) quasars, show that lumin…
We investigate correlations between the direction of the optical linear polarization and the orientation of the host galaxy/extended emission for type1 and type2 radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars. We have used high resolution Hubble Space Telescope data and a deconvolution process to obtain a good determination of the host galaxy/extended emission (EE) position angle. With these new measurements and a compilation of data from the literature, we find a significant correlation, different for type1 and type2 objects, between the linear polarization position angle and the orientation of the EE, s…
The [O II] 3727 line, a commonly used estimator of star formation rate in extragalactic surveys, should be an equally effective tracer of star formation in the host galaxies of quasars, whose narrow-line regions are expected to produce weak low-ionization emission. Quasar spectra generally show little or no [O II] emission beyond that expected from the active nucleus itself. The inferred star formation rates in optically selected quasars are typically below a few solar masses per yr, and some significantly less. Quasars do not appear to occur coevally with starbursts. Recent observations, on t…
We present the results of our observing program on near infrared spectroscopy of high-redshift quasars which have been undertaken both at Kitt Peak National Observatory and at Mauna Kea Observatory, University of Hawaii. These data are utilized for studying the epoch of major star formation in high-redshift quasar hosts.
Quasars signal a unique phase of galaxy evolution -- when massive spheroids are rapidly being assembled, forming stars and growing their central super-massive black holes. Measurements of the metal abundances around quasars provide unique information about these complex evolutionary processes. Here we provide a brief review of the current status and implications of quasar abundance research.
We present the results of deep VLT-ISAAC Ks-band imaging of four z~1.5 flat-spectrum quasars selected from the Parkes half-Jansky flat spectrum sample. We find that the hosts of these flat-spectrum quasars are consistent with lying on the K-z Hubble relation for radio galaxies. This implies that the flat-spectrum quasar hosts fall in line with the expectations from orientation based unified schemes and also that they contain black holes of similar mass. Moreover, the width of the Hbeta broad emission line in these objects tends to be narrower than in their misaligned (low-frequency selected qu…
We present results of a deep HST/WFPC2 imaging study of 17 quasars at z~0.4, designed to determine the properties of their host galaxies. The sample consists of quasars with absolute magnitudes in the range -24>M_V>-28, allowing us to investigate host galaxy properties across a decade in quasar luminosity, but at a single redshift. We find that the hosts of all the RLQs, and all the RQQs with nuclear luminosities M_V<-24, are massive bulge-dominated galaxies, confirming and extending the trends deduced from our previous studies. From the best-fitting model host galaxies we have estimated spher…
The mass of massive black holes in quasar cores can be deduced using the typical velocities of Hb-emitting clouds in the Broad Line Region (BLR) and the size of this region. However, this estimate depends on various assumptions and is susceptible to large systematic errors. The Hb-deduced black hole mass in a sample of 14 bright quasars is found here to correlate with the quasar host galaxy luminosity, as determined with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). This correlation is similar to the black hole mass vs. bulge luminosity correlation found by Magorrian et al. in a sample of 32 nearby normal…
We present near-infrared imaging with ESO VLT+ISAAC of the host galaxies of low luminosity quasars in the redshift range 1 < z < 2, aimed at investigating the relationship between the nuclear and host galaxy luminosities at high redshift. This work complements our previous study to trace the cosmological evolution of the host galaxies of high luminosity quasars (Falomo et al. 2004). The new sample includes 15 low luminosity quasars, nine radio-loud (RLQ) and six radio-quiet (RQQ). They have similar distribution of redshift and optical luminosity, and together with the high luminosity quasars t…
We present high spatial resolution near-infrared H-band (1.65 microns) images, taken with ISAAC on UT1 of ESO VLT, of three radio-loud quasars at z = 1.5, as a pilot study for imaging of a larger sample of radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars in the redshift range 1 < z < 2. We are able to clearly detect the host galaxy in two quasars (PKS 0000-177 and PKS 0348-120) and marginally in the third (PKS 0402-362). The host galaxies appear compact (average bulge scale-length R(e) = 4 kpc) and luminous (average M(H) = -27.6+-0.1). They are 2.5 mag more luminous than the typical galaxy luminosity (M*(H)…
A description is given of the method used to extract quasar host-galaxy parameters from the deep Hubble Space Telescope quasar images presented by McLure et al. (1999) and Dunlop et al. (2000). We then give the results of extensive testing of this technique on a wide range of simulated quasar+host combinations spanning the redshift range of our HST study (0.1 < z < 0.3). These simulations demonstrate that, when applied to our deep HST images, our method of analysis can easily distinguish the morphological type of a given host galaxy, as well as determining its scalelength, luminosity, axial ra…
We present the analysis of a sample of 20 bright low-redshift quasars (M_B<-23 and z < 0.35) observed spectroscopically with the VLT. The FORS1 spectra, obtained in Multi Object Spectroscopy (MOS) mode, allow to observe simultaneously the quasars and several reference stars used to spatially deconvolve the data. Applying the MCS deconvolution method, we are able to separate the individual spectra of the quasar and of the underlying host galaxy. Contrary to some previous claims, we find that luminous quasars are not exclusively hosted by massive ellipticals. Most quasar host galaxies harbour la…
Brightness variability of QSOs is associated with variations of the spectral energy distribution in the optical-UV range. The observed change of the spectral shape depends on the contribution of the host galaxy. Simulations, taking into account luminosities and spectra expected for the host galaxies, are compared with the observed spectral variability of a complete QSO sample.
The Infrared Space Observatory (ISO), launched in November 1995, allows us to measure the far-infrared (far-IR) emission of quasars in greater detail and over a wider energy range than previously possible. In this paper, preliminary results in a study of the 5--200 $μm$ continuum of quasars and active galaxies are presented. Comparison of the spectral energy distributions show that, if the far-IR emission from quasars is thermal emission from galaxian dust, the host galaxies of quasars must contain dust in quantities comparable to IR luminous galaxies rather than normal spiral galaxies. In the…
A recent study suggests that the quasar HE 0450-2958 is hosted by a galaxy substantially fainter than that inferred from the correlation between black hole mass and bulge luminosity. As this result has significant bearings on galaxy and black hole evolution, we revisit the issue by performing an independent analysis of the data, using a two-dimensional image fitting technique. We indeed find no evidence of a host galaxy either, but, due to the brightness of the quasar and uncertainties in the point-spread function, the limits are fairly weak. To derive an upper limit on the host galaxy luminos…
We present near-infrared imaging of the host galaxies of 17 quasars in the redshift range 1 < z < 2, carried out at the ESO VLT UT1 8m telescope under excellent seeing conditions (~0.4 arcsec). The sample includes radio-loud (RLQ) and radio-quiet (RQQ) quasars with similar distribution of redshift and optical luminosity. For all the observed objects but one we have derived the global properties of the surrounding nebulosity. The host galaxies of both types of quasars follow the expected trend in luminosity of massive ellipticals undergoing simple passive evolution, but there is a systematic di…
We present K-band images of 31 radio quasars selected from the B3-VLA quasar sample. A new method has been developed to detect and restore the host galaxies of these quasars. We have detected the host galaxies of 16 of them. Using these data together with previous data from the B3-VLA quasars (Carballo et al. 1998, hereafter Paper I) and literature data from other samples, we have analyzed a sample of 69 hosts of radio quasars, covering a redshift range between 0<z<3. The host galaxies are large (r_e}~15kpc) and luminous elliptical galaxies (~75% of them brighter than L_*), with an evolution s…
We present the results of two complementary ground-based programmes to determine the host galaxy properties of radio-quiet and radio-loud quasars and to compare them with those of radio galaxies. Both infrared images and optical off-nuclear spectra were obtained and we discuss the various strategies used to separate the quasar-related emission from that of the underlying galaxy. However, the key feature of this project is the use of carefully matched samples, which ensure that the data for different types of object are directly comparable.
We present the first results from a major HST WFPC2 imaging study aimed at providing the first statistically meaningful comparison of the morphologies, luminosities, scalelengths and colours of the host galaxies of radio-quiet quasars, radio-loud quasars, and radio galaxies. We describe the design of this study and present the images which have been obtained for the first half of our 33-source sample. We find that the hosts of all three classes of luminous AGN are massive elliptical galaxies, with scalelengths ~=10 kpc, and R-K colours consistent with mature stellar populations. Most important…
In this paper we present new ESO/VLT FORS1 and ISAAC images of the fields around eight gravitationally lensed quasars: CTQ414, HE0230-2130, LBQS1009-0252, B1030+074, HE1104-1805, B1359+154, H1413+117 and HE2149-2745. When available and deep enough, HST/WFPC2 data were also used to infer the photometric redshifts of the galaxies around the quasars. The search of galaxy overdensities in space and redshift, as well as a weak-shear analysis and a mass reconstruction are presented in this paper. We find that there are most probably galaxy groups towards CTQ414, HE0230-2130, B1359+154, H1413+117 and…
The observed number counts of quasars may be explained either by long-lived activity within rare massive hosts, or by short-lived activity within smaller, more common hosts. It has been argued that quasar lifetimes may therefore be inferred from their clustering length, which determines the typical mass of the quasar host. Here we point out that the relationship between the mass of the black-hole and the circular velocity of its host dark-matter halo is more fundamental to the determination of the clustering length. In particular, the clustering length observed in the 2dF quasar redshift surve…
I review our current understanding of the structures and ages of the host galaxies of quasars, and the masses of their central black holes. At low redshift, due largely to the impact of the Hubble Space Telescope, there is now compelling evidence that the hosts of quasars with M_V < -24 mag are virtually all massive ellipticals, with basic properties indistinguishable from those displayed by their quiescent counterparts. The masses of these spheroids are as expected given the relationship between black hole and spheroid mass now established for nearby galaxies, as is the growing prevalence of …
We have obtained Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer images of 16 radio quiet quasars observed as part of a project to investigate the ``luminosity/host-mass limit.'' The limit results were presented in McLeod, Rieke, & Storrie-Lombardi (1999). In this paper, we present the images themselves, along with 1- and 2-dimensional analyses of the host galaxy properties. We find that our model-independent 1D technique is reliable for use on ground-based data at low redshifts; that many radio-quiet quasars live in deVaucouleurs-law hosts, although some of the techniques used to determine…
We derive the transverse flux correlation function in the Lyman-alpha forest at z~2.1 from VLT-FORS observations of a total of 32 pairs of quasars. The shape and correlation length of the transverse correlation function are in good agreement with the paradigm of intergalactic medium predicted in CDM-like models for structures formation. Using a sample of 139 Civ systems detected along the lines of sight toward the pairs of quasars we investigate the transverse correlation of metals on the same scales. We find that the correlation function is consistent with that of a randomly distributed popul…
We present the first results from a major Hubble Space Telescope program designed to investigate the cosmological evolution of quasar host galaxies from z~2 to the present day. Here we describe J and H-band NICMOS imaging of two quasar samples at redshifts of 0.9 and 1.9 respectively. Each sample contains equal numbers of radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars, selected to lie within the same narrow range of optical absolute magnitude (-24 > M_V > -25). Filter and target selection were designed to ensure that at each redshift the images sample the same part of the object's rest-frame spectrum, avo…
We present the results of a high resolution (0.27 arcsec/px) near-infrared H band (1.65 micron) imaging survey of a complete sample of 20 flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQ) extracted from the 2Jy catalogue of radio sources. The observed objects are intrinsically luminous with median M(B) = -25.5. The median redshift of the objects in the sample is z = 0.65. At this redshift, the H band observations probe the old stellar population of the hosts at rest frame wavelength of 1 micron. We are able to detect the host galaxy clearly for six (30 %) FSRQs and marginally for six (30 %) other FSRQs, whil…
We describe an algorithm that measures self-consistently the relative galaxy contribution in a sample of radio-quasars from their optical spectra alone. This is based on a spectral fitting method which uses the size of the characteristic 4000Å~ feature of elliptical galaxy SEDs. We apply this method to the Parkes Half-Jansky Flat Spectrum sample of Drinkwater et al. (1997) to determine whether emission from the host galaxy can significantly contribute to the very red optical-to-near-infrared colours observed. We find that at around $2σ$ confidence, most of the reddening in unresolved (mostly q…
We show that the Lyman-alpha optical depth statistics in the proximity regions of quasar spectra depend on the mass of the dark matter halos hosting the quasars. This is owing to both the overdensity around the quasars and the associated infall of gas toward them. For a fiducial quasar host halo mass of (3.0+/-1.6) h^-1 x 10^12 Msun, as inferred by Croom et al. from clustering in the 2dF QSO Redshift Survey, we show that estimates of the ionizing background (Gamma^bkg) from proximity effect measurements could be biased high by a factor of ~2.5 at z=3 owing to neglecting these effects alone. Th…
We have detected the host galaxies of 16 nearby, radio-quiet quasars using images obtained with the Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS). We confirm that these luminous quasars tend to live in luminous, early-type host galaxies, and we use the host-galaxy magnitudes to refine the luminosity/host-mass limit inferred from ground-based studies. If quasars obey the relation $M_{black hole}/M_{spheroid}\sim0.006$ found for massive dark objects in nonactive galaxies, then our analysis implies that they radiate at up to $\sim20%$ of the Eddington rate. An analogous analysis for…
For Seyfert galaxies, the AGN unification model provides a simple and well established explanation of the Type 1/Type 2 dichotomy through orientation based effects. The generalization of this unification model to the higher luminosity AGNs that are the quasars remains a key question. The recent detection of Type 2 Radio-Quiet quasars seems to support such an extension. We propose to further test this scenario. On the basis of a compilation of quasar host galaxy position angles consisting of previously published data and of new measurements performed using HST Archive images, we investigate the…
We report the results of a search for X-ray emission from quasar host clusters at moderate redshift using the {\sl ROSAT} HRI. We detect no emission from the host clusters of 3C~263 (z=0.646) and PKS~2352-34 (z=0.706) to 3$σ$\ limits of 3.26 and 2.86 $\times$10$^{44}$\ ergs~s$^{-1}$ respectively (H$_o$=50, q$_o$=1/2) for clusters with r$_{core}$=125~kpc and T=5~keV. These limits show that these quasar host clusters are not substantially more X-ray luminous than optically or X-ray selected clusters of similar richnesses at z$\gtrsim$0.5. We also report the possible detection of a clump of X-ray…
We present the results of our recent Hubble Space Telescope imaging study, in which we have successfully deconvolved host and nuclear flux for the some of the most luminous quasars in the Universe. Host morphologies have been recovered for each of our 17-strong sample. From these fits, we have estimated Black Hole masses through extrapolation of the Black Hole - Spheroid mass relation and begun to address the complicated issue of fuelling vs black hole mass in determining quasar luminosity: We find that the order-of-magnitude increase in luminosity is due to increased black hole size, and to i…
We study the gas metallicity of quasar hosts using cosmological hydrodynamic simulations of the Lambda-cold dark matter model. Galaxy formation in the simulations is coupled with a prescription for black hole activity enabling us to study the evolution of the metal enrichment in quasar hosts and hence explore the relationship between star/spheroid formation and black hole growth/activity. We find a steep radial metallicity gradient in quasar host galaxies, with gas metallicities close to solar values in the outer parts but becoming supersolar in the center. The hosts of the rare bright quasars…
I review our knowledge of the properties of the host galaxies of radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars, both in comparison to each other and in the context of the general galaxy population. It is now clear that the hosts of radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars with M_V < -23.5 are virtually all massive elliptical galaxies. The masses of these spheroids are as expected given the relationship between black-hole and spheroid mass found for nearby quiescent galaxies, as is the growing prevalence of disc components in the hosts of progressively fainter AGN. There is also now compelling evidence that qua…
We report the detection of extended X-ray emission around several powerful 3CR quasars with redshifts out to 0.73. The ROSAT HRI images of the quasars have been corrected for spacecraft wobble and compared with an empirical point-spread function. All the quasars examined show excess emission at radii of 15 arcsec and more; the evidence being strong for the more distant objects and weak only for the two nearest ones, which are known from other wavelengths not to lie in strongly clustered environments. The spatial profiles of the extended component is consistent with thermal emission from the in…
We report on ESO--VLT adaptive optics imaging of one radio-loud quasar at z $\sim$ 3. In spite of the large distance of the object we are able to detect its surrounding extended nebulosity the properties of which are consistent with an underlying massive galaxy of M$_K$ $\sim$ --27 and effective radius R$_e$ = 7 kpc. As far as we know this is the clearest detection of a radio loud quasar host at high redshift. The host luminosity is indicative of the existence of massive spheroids even at this early cosmic epoch. The host luminosity is about 1 magnitude fainter than the expected value based on…
Type II quasars are luminous Active Galactic Nuclei whose centers are obscured by large amounts of gas and dust. In this contribution we present 3-band HST images of nine type II quasars with redshifts 0.25<z<0.4 selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey based on their emission line properties. The intrinsic luminosities of these quasars are thought to be in the range -24>M_B>-26, but optical obscuration implies that host galaxies can be studied unencumbered by bright nuclei. Each object has been imaged in three filters (`red', `green' and `blue') placed between the strong emission lines. The…
At low redshift, there are fundamental correlations between the mass of supermassive black holes (MBH) and the mass (Mbulge) and luminosity of the host galaxy bulge. We investigate the same relation at z>=1. Using virial mass estimates for 11 quasars at z >~2 to measure their black hole mass, we find that black holes at high z fall nearly on the same MBH versus R-band magnitude (MR) relation (to ~0.3 mag) as low-redshift active and inactive galaxies, without making any correction for luminosity evolution. Using a set of conservative assumptions about the host galaxy stellar population, we show…
Using cosmological hydrodynamic simulations we measure the mean transmitted flux in the Lyman alpha forest for quasar sightlines that pass near a foreground quasar. We find that the trend of absorption with pixel-quasar separation distance can be fitted using a simple power law form including the usual correlation function parameters r_{0} and γso that (<F(r)> = \sum exp(-tau_eff*(1+(r/r_{0})^(-γ)))). From the simulations we find the relation between r_{0} and quasar mass and formulate this as a way to estimate quasar host dark matter halo masses, quantifying uncertainties due to cosmological …
We present K-band imaging and photometry of a sample of 52 radio loud quasars (RQs) selected from the B3 survey with flux densities above 0.5 Jy at 408 MHz. The optical completeness of the sample is 90% and the quasars cover the redshift range 0.4 - 2.3. For ~57% of the sources for which the quality of the images allowed a detailed morphological study (16/28) resolved extended emission was detected around the QSO, and its K flux was measured. Interpreting this ``fuzz'' as starlight emission from the host galaxy, its location on the K-z plane at z<1 is consistent with radio quasars being hosted…
We present H-band observations of gravitationally lensed QSO host galaxies obtained with NICMOS on HST as part of the CfA-Arizona-Gravitational-Lens-Survey (CASTLES). The detections are greatly facilitated by the lensing magnification in these systems; we find that most hosts of radio-quiet QSOs (RQQ) at z~2 are of modest luminosity (L<L_*). They are 2-5 times fainter than the hosts of radio-loud QSOs at the same epoch. Compared to low redshifts, RQQ hosts at z~2 also support higher nuclear luminosities at given stellar host mass. This suggests that the supermassive black holes at their center…
The properties of high redshift quasar host galaxies are studied, in order to investigate the connection between galaxy evolution, nuclear activity, and the formation of supermassive black holes. We combine new near-infrared observations of three high redshift quasars (2 < z < 3), obtained at the ESO Very Large Telescope equipped with adaptive optics, with selected data from the literature. For the three new objects we were able to detect and characterize the properties of the host galaxy, found to be consistent with those of massive elliptical galaxies of M(R) ~ -24.7 for the one radio loud q…
We have simulated disk galaxies undergoing continual bombardment by other galaxies in a rich cluster. "Galaxy harassment" leads to dramatic evolution of smaller disk galaxies and provides an extremely effective mechanism to fuel a central quasar. Within a few billion years after a small disk galaxy enters the cluster environment, up to 90% of its gas can be driven into the inner 500 pc. Up to half of the mass can be transferred in a burst lasting just 100-200 Myr. This transport of gas to the center of galaxy is far more efficient than any mechanism proposed before. Galaxy harassment was first…
We present the results of near-infrared H-band (1.65 microns) imaging of 19 steep spectrum radio quasars (SSRQ) in the redshift range 0.5 < z < 1.0. This sample of SSRQs is matched with our previously studied complete sample of 20 flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQ) with respect to redshift and optical and radio luminosity. We are able to clearly detect the host galaxy in 10 (53 %) SSRQs and marginally in 6 (32 %) others, while the host remains unresolved in 3 (16 %) SSRQs. The galaxies hosting the SSRQs are large (average bulge scale-length R(e) = 9.0+-1.7 kpc) and luminous (average M(H) = -27…
A possible connection among host-galaxies of gamma-ray bursts, BL Lacs and quasars is analysed. It is believed that the gamma-ray bursts, which do not show radio or infrared emission, occur in faint blue dwarf galaxies, that are seen around radio-quiet quasars, which lie in clusters. The GRB counterparts, which show radio emission, may be associated with more evolved starbursting environments, and arise from red galaxies, that are observed around some radio-loud quasars lying in richer clusters. The absorption lines are believed to arise from gases, that move in the intergalactic medium, due t…
We investigate correlations between the optical linear polarization position angle and the orientation of the host galaxy/extended emission of Type 1 and Type 2 Radio-Loud (RL) and Radio-Quiet (RQ) quasars. We have used high resolution Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data and deconvolution process to obtain a good determination of the host galaxy orientation. With these new measurements and a compilation of data from the literature, we find a significant correlation between the polarization position angle and the position angle of the major axis of the host galaxy/extended emission. The correlati…
