We present sensitive near--infrared VLT ISAAC spectroscopic observations of the z=6.08 quasar SDSS J030331.40-001912.9. This QSO is more than a magnitude fainter than other QSOs at z~6 for which NIR spectroscopy has been obtained to date and is therefore presumably more representative of the QSO population at the end of Cosmic Reionization. Combining rest--frame UV continuum luminosity with the width measurements of the Mg II and C IV lines, we derive a black hole mass of 2(+1.0/-0.5) x 10^8 solar masses, the lowest mass observed for z~6 QSOs to date, and derive an Eddington ratio of 1.6(+0.4/-0.6), amongst the highest value derived for QSOs at any redshift. The Spitzer 24 micron non--detection of this QSO does not leave space for a significant hot dust component in its optical/near--infrared SED, in common with one other faint QSO at z=6, but in contrast to more than twenty more z=6 QSOs and all known lower redshift QSOs with sufficiently deep multi-wavelength photometry. We conclude that we have found evidence for differences in the intrinsic properties of at least one z~6 QSO as compared to the lower--redshift population.
We propose a new method to explore the candidate super-Eddington active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We examine the properties of infrared (IR) emission from the inner edge of the dusty torus in AGNs, which are powered by super- or sub-Eddington accretion flows around black holes, by considering the dependence of the polar angle on the radiation flux of accretion flows (Watarai et al. 2005). We find that for super-Eddington AGNs, of which the mass accretion rate is more than 10^2 times larger than the Eddington rate, the ratio of the AGN IR luminosity and the disc bolometric luminosity is less than…
We present a correlation between the 2-10 keV spectral slope Gamma and the Eddington ratio L/L_{EDD} in a sample of ~400 Sloan Digital Sky Survey quasars with available hard X-ray spectra from XMM-Newton serendipitous observations. We find that the Gamma-L/L_{EDD} correlation is strongest in objects with black hole (BH) masses determined from the Hbeta line, and weaker (but still present) for those based on Mg II. An empirical non-linear correction of the Mg II-based masses, obtained by comparing the mass estimates in SDSS quasars having both Hbeta and Mg II measurements, significantly increas…
We present an estimate of the black hole mass function (BHMF) of broad line quasars (BLQSOs) that self-consistently corrects for incompleteness and the statistical uncertainty in the mass estimates, based on a sample of 9886 quasars at 1 < z < 4.5 drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We find evidence for `cosmic downsizing' of black holes in BLQSOs, where the peak in their number density shifts to higher redshift with increasing black hole mass. The cosmic mass density for black holes seen as BLQSOs peaks at z ~ 2. We estimate the completeness of the SDSS as a function of black hole mass a…
We report observations of the CO(2-1) emission of SDSSJ1506+54, a compact (r_e~135pc) starburst galaxy at z=0.6. SDSSJ1506+54 appears to be forming stars close to the limit allowed by stellar radiation pressure feedback models: the measured L_IR/L'_CO 1500 is one of the highest measured for any galaxy. With its compact optical morphology but extended low surface brightness envelope, post-starburst spectral features, high infrared luminosity (L_IR>10^12.5 L_Sun), low gas fraction (M_H2/M_stars~15%), and short gas depletion time (tens of Myr), we speculate that this is a feedback- limited centra…
A near-infrared (NIR; 2.5 - 4.5 micron) spectroscopic survey of SDSS(Sloan Digital Sky Survey)-selected blue early-type galaxies (BEGs) has been conducted using the AKARI. The NIR spectra of 36 BEGs are secured, which are well balanced in their star-formation(SF)/Seyfert/LINER type composition. For high signal-to-noise ratio, we stack the BEG spectra all and in bins of several properties: color, specific star formation rate and optically-determined spectral type. We estimate the NIR continuum slope and the equivalent width of 3.29 micron PAH emission. In the comparison between the estimated NI…
We present a catalog of over 130,000 quasars candidates with NIR photometric properties, with an areal coverage of approximately 1,200 deg^2. This is achieved by matching the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) in the optical ugriz bands, to the UKIRT Infrared Digital Sky Survey (UKIDSS) Large Area Survey (LAS) in the near-infrared YJHK bands. We match the ~1 million SDSS DR6 Photometric Quasar catalog to Data Release 3 of the UKIDSS LAS (ULAS), and produce a catalog with 130,827 objects with detections in one or more NIR bands, of which 74,351 objects have optical and K-band detections and 42,133…
Starting from the ~50000 quasars of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey for which MgII line width and 3000 A monochromatic flux are available, we aim to study the dependence of the mass of active black holes on redshift. We focus on the observed distribution in the FWHM - nuclear luminosity plane, which can be reproduced at all redshifts assuming a limiting BH mass, a maximum Eddington ratio and a minimum luminosity (due to the survey flux limit). We study the z-dependence of the best fit parameters of assumed distributions at increasing redshift and find that the maximum mass of the quasar populatio…
We provide a catalog of 391 mid-infrared-selected (MIR, 24$μ$m) broad-emission-line (BEL, type 1) quasars in the 22 deg$^2$ SWIRE Lockman Hole field. This quasar sample is selected in the MIR from Spitzer MIPS with $S_{\rm 24} > 400μ$Jy, jointly with an optical magnitude limit of r (AB) $<$ 22.5 for broad line identification. The catalog is based on MMT and SDSS spectroscopy to select BEL quasars, extends the SDSS coverage to fainter magnitudes and lower redshifts, and recovers a more complete quasar population. The MIR-selected quasar sample peaks at $z\sim$1.4, and recovers a significant and…
Striking similarities have been seen between accretion signatures of Galactic X-ray binary (XRB) systems and active galactic nuclei (AGN). XRB spectral states show a V-shaped correlation between X-ray spectral hardness and Eddington ratio as they vary, and some AGN samples reveal a similar trend, implying analogous processes at vastly larger masses and timescales. To further investigate the analogies, we have matched 617 sources from the Chandra Source Catalog to SDSS spectroscopy, and uniformly measured both X-ray and optical spectral characteristics across a broad range of AGN and galaxy typ…
We employ a flexible Bayesian technique to estimate the black hole mass and Eddington ratio functions for Type 1 (i.e., broad line) quasars from a uniformly-selected data set of ~58,000 quasars from the SDSS DR7. We find that the SDSS becomes significantly incomplete at M_{BH} < 3 x 10^8 M_{Sun} or L / L_{Edd} < 0.07, and that the number densities of Type 1 quasars continue to increase down to these limits. Both the mass and Eddington ratio functions show evidence of downsizing, with the most massive and highest Eddington ratio black holes experiencing Type 1 quasar phases first, although the …
We investigate the optical variability of 7658 quasars from SDSS Stripe 82. Taking advantage of a larger sample and relatively more data points for each quasar, we estimate variability amplitudes and divide the sample into small bins of redshift, rest-frame wavelength, black hole mass, Eddington ratio and bolometric luminosity respectively, to investigate the relationships between variability and these parameters. An anti-correlation between variability and rest-frame wavelength is found. The variability amplitude of radio-quiet quasars shows almost no cosmological evolution, but that of radio…
We present near-infrared spectroscopy of the z=3.2 quasar SDSS J1707+6443, obtained with MOIRCS on the Subaru Telescope. This quasar is classified as a "nitrogen-loud" quasar because of the fairly strong NIII] and NIV] semi-forbidden emission lines from the broad-line region (BLR) observed in its rest-frame UV spectrum. However, our rest-frame optical spectrum from MOIRCS shows strong [OIII] emission from the narrow-line region (NLR) suggesting that, at variance with the BLR, NLR gas is not metal-rich. In order to reconcile these contradictory results, there may be two alternative possibilitie…
The Eddington ratio is a key parameter that governs the diversity of quasar properties. It can be scaled with a strong anti-correlation between optical Fe II and [O III] emission. In search of such indicators in the far-UV band, the HST far-UV spectra of 150 low-redshift quasars are analyzed in combination with their optical SDSS counterparts. The strength of Fe II+Fe III 1123 emission is significantly correlated with that of optical Fe II. A moderate correlation may also exist between Fe II 1071 and optical Fe II. The finding opens the possibility that far-UV Fe II emission may serve as a new…
We have investigated a sample of 2099 broad absorption line (BAL) quasars with z=1.7-2.2 built from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release Seven and the Wide-field Infrared Survey. This sample is collected from two BAL quasar samples in the literature, and refined by our new algorithm. Correlations of outflow velocity and strength with hot dust indicator (beta_NIR) and other quasar physical parameters, such as Eddington ratio, luminosity and UV continuum slope, are explored in order to figure out which parameters drive outflows. Here beta_NIR is the near-infrared continuum slope, a good ind…
There have been recent claims that a significant fraction of type 2 AGN accrete close or even above the Eddington limit. In type 2 AGN the bolometric luminosity (L_b) is generally inferred from the [OIII] emission line luminosity (L_OIII). The key issue, in order to estimate the bolometric luminosity in these AGN, is therefore to know the bolometric correction to be applied to L_OIII. A complication arises from the fact that the observed L_OIII is affected by extinction, likely due to dust within the narrow line region. The extinction-corrected [OIII] luminosity (L^c_OIII) is a better estimato…
According to recent models, the accretion disk and black hole in active galactic nuclei are surrounded by a clumpy torus. We investigate the NIR flux variation of the torus in response to a UV flash for various geometries. Anisotropic illumination by the disk and the torus self-occultation contrast our study with earlier works. Both the waning effect of each clump and the torus self-occultation selectively reduce the emission from the region with a short delay. Therefore, the NIR delay depends on the viewing angle (where a more inclined angle leads to a longer delay) and the time response show…
The dependence of the long-term optical/UV variability on the spectral and the fundamental physical parameters for radio-quiet active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is investigated. The multi-epoch repeated photometric scanning data in the Stripe-82 region of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) are exploited for two comparative AGN samples (mostly quasars) selected therein, a broad-line Seyfert\,1 (BLS1) type sample and a narrow-line Seyfert\,1 (NLS1) type AGN sample within redshifts 0.3--0.8. Their spectral parameters are derived from the SDSS spectroscopic data. It is found that on rest-frame timesc…
The broad MgII doublet has been much studied in connection with its potentially important role as a virial estimator of black hole mass in high redshift quasars. An important task is therefore identification of any line components likely related to broadening by non-virial motions. High s/n median composite spectra (binned in the "4D eigenvector 1" context of Sulentic et al. 2007) were constructed for the brightest 680 SDSS DR7 quasars in the 0.4 < z < 0.75 range where both MgII 2800 and Hbeta are recorded in the same spectra. Composite spectra representing 90% of the quasars confirm previous …
Low-ionization (MgII, FeII, FeIII) broad absorption line quasars (LoBALs) probe a relatively obscured quasar population, and could be at an early evolutionary stage for quasars. We study the intrinsic fractions of LoBALs using the SDSS, 2MASS, and FIRST surveys. We find that the LoBAL fractions of the near infra-red (NIR) and radio samples are approximately 5--7 times higher than those measured in the optical sample. This suggests that the fractions measured in the NIR and radio bands are closer to the intrinsic fractions of the populations, and that the optical fractions are significantly bia…
We present near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic observations of the blue compact dwarf (BCD) galaxy Mrk 59, obtained with the TripleSpec spectrograph mounted on the 3.5m APO telescope. The NIR spectrum of Mrk 59, which covers the 0.90 - 2.40 micron wavelength range, shows atomic hydrogen, molecular hydrogen, helium, sulfur and iron emission lines. The NIR data have been supplemented by a SDSS optical spectrum. We found extinction in the BCD to be low [A(V)=0.24 mag] and to be the same in both the optical and NIR ranges. The NIR light does not reveal hidden star formation. The H2 emission comes fr…
We present the discovery of six new quasars at z~6 selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) southern survey, a deep imaging survey obtained by repeatedly scanning a stripe along the celestial equator. The six quasars are about two magnitudes fainter than the luminous z~6 quasars found in the SDSS main survey and one magnitude fainter than the quasars reported in Paper I (Jiang et al. 2008). Four of them comprise a complete flux-limited sample at 21<z_AB<21.8 over an effective area of 195 deg^2. The other two quasars are fainter than z_AB=22 and are not part of the complete sample. The…
We estimated black hole masses and Eddington ratios for a well defined sample of local (z<0.3) broad line AGN from the Hamburg/ESO Survey (HES), based on the Hbeta line and standard recipes assuming virial equilibrium for the broad line region. The sample represents the low-redshift AGN population over a wide range of luminosities, from Seyfert 1 galaxies to luminous quasars. From the distribution of black hole masses we derived the active black hole mass function (BHMF) and the Eddington ratio distribution function (ERDF) in the local universe, exploiting the fact that the HES has a well-defi…
We cross-correlate the SDSS DR3 quasar sample with FIRST and the Vestergaard et al. black hole (BH) mass sample to compare the mean accretion histories of optical and radio quasars. We find significant statistical evidence that radio quasars have a higher mean Eddington ratio Lambda at z > 2 with respect to optical quasars, while the situation is clearly reverse at z < 1. At z > 2 radio quasars happen to be less massive than optical quasars; however, as redshift decreases radio quasars appear in increasingly more massive BHs with respect to optical quasars. These two trends imply that radio so…
In order to find more examples of the elusive high-redshift molecular absorbers, we have embarked on a systematic discovery program for highly obscured, radio-loud "invisible AGN" using the VLA Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty centimeters (FIRST) radio survey in conjunction with Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to identify 82 strong (> 300 mJy) radio sources positionally coincident with late-type, presumably gas-rich galaxies. In this first paper, the basic properties of this sample are described including the selection process and the analysis of the spectral-energydistributions (SEDs) …
We measure the location and energetics of a SIV BALQSO outflow. This ouflow has a velocity of 10,800 km s$^{-1}$ and a kinetic luminosity of $10^{45.7}$ erg s$^{-1}$, which is 5.2% of the Eddington luminosity of the quasar. From collisional excitation models of the observed SIV$/$SIV* absorption troughs, we measure a hydrogen number density of $n_\mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle H}=10^{4.3}$ cm$^{-3}$, which allows us to determine that the outflow is located 110 pc from the quasar. Since SIV is formed in the same ionization phase as CIV, our results can be generalized to the ubiquitous CIV BALs. Our…
We present a census of the active black hole population at 1<z<2, by constructing the bivariate distribution function of black hole mass and Eddington ratio, employing a maximum likelihood fitting technique. The study of the active black hole mass function (BHMF) and the Eddington ratio distribution function (ERDF) allows us to clearly disentangle the active galactic nuclei (AGN) downsizing phenomenon, present in the AGN luminosity function, into its physical processes of black hole mass downsizing and accretion rate evolution. We are utilizing type-1 AGN samples from three optical surveys (VV…
We jointly constrain the luminosity function (LF) and black hole mass function (BHMF) of broad-line quasars with forward Bayesian modeling in the quasar mass-luminosity plane, based on a homogeneous sample of ~ 58,000 SDSS DR7 quasars at z ~ 0.3-5. We take into account the selection effect of the sample flux limit; more importantly, we deal with the statistical scatter between true BH masses and FWHM-based single-epoch virial mass estimates, as well as potential luminosity-dependent biases of these mass estimates. The LF is tightly constrained in the regime sampled by SDSS, and makes reasonabl…
We present single-epoch multi-wavelength optical-NIR observations of the "anomalous" lensed quasar SDSS J0924+0219, made using the Magellan 6.5-metre Baade telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. The data clearly resolve the anomalous bright image pair in the lensed system, and exhibit a strong decrease in the anomalous flux ratio with decreasing wavelength. This is interpreted as a result of microlensing of a source of decreasing size in the core of the lensed quasar. We model the radius of the continuum emission region, sigma, as a power-law in wavelength, sigma lambda^zeta. We place a…
We have imaged CO(J=7-6) and CI(3P2-3P1) emission in the host galaxy of the z=6.42 quasar SDSS J114816.64+525150.3 (hereafter: J1148+5251) through observations with the Plateau de Bure Interferometer. The region showing CO(J=7-6) emission is spatially resolved, and its size of 5 kpc is in good agreement with earlier CO(J=3-2) observations. In combination with a revised model of the collisional line excitation in this source, this indicates that the highly excited molecular gas traced by the CO J=7-6 line is subthermally excited (showing only 58+/-8% of the CO J=3-2 luminosity), but not more ce…
The nature of weak emission-line quasars (WLQs) is probed by comparing the Baldwin effect (BEff) in WLQs and normal quasars (QSOs). We selected 81 high-redshift (z>2.2) and 2 intermediate-redshift (z=1.66 and 1.89) WLQs. Their rest-frame equivalent widths (EWs) of the C IV emission-line and their Eddington ratio were obtained from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 (SDSS DR7) Quasar Catalogue or from Diamond-Stanic et al. We compare the parameters of WLQs with these of 81 normal quasars from Bright Quasar Survey (BQS) and 155 radio-quiet and radio-intermediate quasars detected by SDSS…
In order to investigate the growth of super-massive black holes (SMBHs), we construct the black hole mass function (BHMF) and Eddington ratio distribution function (ERDF) of X-ray-selected broad-line AGNs at z~1.4 in the Subaru XMM-Newton Deep Survey field. In this redshift range, a significant part of the accretion growth of SMBHs is thought to be taking place. Black hole masses of X-ray-selected broad-line AGNs are estimated using the width of the broad MgII line and the 3000A monochromatic luminosity. We supplement the MgII FWHM values with the Ha FWHM obtained from our NIR spectroscopic su…
[abridged] Quasars (QSOs) at the highest known redshift (z~6) are unique probes of the early growth of supermassive black holes (BHs). Until now, only the most luminous QSOs have been studied, often one object at a time. Here we present the most extensive consistent analysis to date of z>4 QSOs with observed NIR spectra, combining three new z~6 objects from our ongoing VLT-ISAAC program with nineteen 4<z<6.5 sources from the literature. The new sources extend the existing SDSS sample towards the faint end of the QSO luminosity function. Using a maximum likelihood fitting routine optimized for …
We present discovery observations of a quasar in the Canada-France High-z Quasar Survey (CFHQS) at redshift z=6.44. We also use near-IR spectroscopy of nine CFHQS quasars at z~6 to determine black hole masses. These are compared with similar estimates for more luminous Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasars to investigate the relationship between black hole mass and quasar luminosity. We find a strong correlation between MgII FWHM and UV luminosity and that most quasars at this early epoch are accreting close to the Eddington limit. Thus these quasars appear to be in an early stage of their l…
Weak emission line quasars are a rare and puzzling group of objects. In this paper we present one more object of this class found in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The quasar SDSS J094533.99+100950.1, lying at z = 1.66, has practically no C IV emission line, a red continuum very similar to the second steepest of the quasar composite spectra of Richards et al., is not strongly affected by absorption and the Mg II line, although relatively weak, is strong enough to measure the black hole mass. The Eddington ratio in this object is about 0.45, and the line properties are not consistent with…
We report on a LUCI/Large Binocular Telescope near-infrared (NIR) spectrum of PSO J030947.49+271757.31 (hereafter PSO J0309+27), the highest redshift blazar known to date (z$\sim$6.1). From the C$\rm IV$$λ$1549 broad emission line we found that PSO J0309+27 is powered by a 1.45$^{+1.89}_{-0.85}$$\times$10$^9$M$_{\odot}$ supermassive black hole (SMBH) with a bolometric luminosity of $\sim$8$\times$10$^{46}$ erg s$^{-1}$ and an Eddington ratio equal to 0.44$^{+0.78}_{-0.35}$. We also obtained new photometric observations with the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo in J and K bands to better constrain …
We present an X-ray spectroscopic study of optically selected (SDSS) Seyfert 2 (Sy2) galaxies. The goal is to study the obscuration of Sy2 galaxies beyond the local universe, using good quality X-ray spectra in combination with high S/N optical spectra for their robust classification. We analyzed all available XMM-Newton archival observations of narrow emission line galaxies that meet the above criteria in the redshift range 0.05<z<0.35. We initially selected narrow line AGN using the SDSS optical spectra and the BPT classification diagram. We further modeled and removed the stellar continuum,…
We combine data from the MGC, SDSS and UKIDSS LAS surveys to produce ugrizYJHK luminosity functions and densities from within a common, low redshift volume (z<0.1, ~71,000 h_1^-3 Mpc^3 for L* systems) with 100 per cent spectroscopic completeness. In the optical the fitted Schechter functions are comparable in shape to those previously reported values but with higher normalisations (typically 0, 30, 20, 15, 5 per cent higher phi*-values in u, g, r, i, z respectively over those reported by the SDSS team). We attribute these to differences in the redshift ranges probed, incompleteness, and adopte…
We estimate the radiative efficiency (epsilon) of individual type 1 SDSS QSOs by using their bolometric luminosities (L_{bol}) and accretion rates (\dot{M}_{\bullet,acc}), which may be related to the assembly histories and spins of the central massive black holes (MBHs). We estimate L_{bol} by using the empirical spectral energy distributions of QSOs and \dot{M}_{\bullet,acc} by fitting the observed optical luminosity(/-ies) with the thin accretion disk model, assuming the MBH masses given by the virial mass estimator(s) (M_{\bullet,vir}). We find an apparent correlation between epsilon and M_…
We present the first luminous, spatially resolved binary quasar that clearly inhabits an ongoing galaxy merger. SDSS J125455.09+084653.9 and SDSS J125454.87+084652.1 (SDSS J1254+0846 hereafter) are two luminous z=0.44 radio quiet quasars, with a radial velocity difference of just 215 km/s, separated on the sky by 21 kpc in a disturbed host galaxy merger showing obvious tidal tails. The pair was targeted as part of a complete sample of binary quasar candidates with small transverse separations drawn from SDSS DR6 photometry. We present follow-up optical imaging which shows broad, symmetrical ti…
Extremely red quasars, with bolometric luminosities exceeding $10^{47}$ erg s$^{-1}$, are a fascinating high-redshift population that is absent in the local universe. They are the best candidates for supermassive black holes accreting at rates at or above the Eddington limit, and they are associated with the most rapid and powerful outflows of ionized gas known to date. They are also hosted by massive galaxies. Here we present the first integral field unit (IFU) observations of a high-redshift quasar obtained by the Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on board the James Webb Space Telescope (…
