M. Villar-Maritn, M. Rodriguez, G. Drouart, B. Emonts, L. Colina, A. Humphrey, S. Garcia Burillo, J. Gracia Carpio, P. Planesas, M. Perez Torres, S. Arribas
备注:
16 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS
We present results of CO(1-0) spectroscopic observations of 10 SDSS type 2 quasars (QSO2) at z~0.2-0.3 observed with the 30m IRAM radiotelescope and the Australia Telescope Compact Array. We report 5 new confirmed CO(1-0) detections and 1 tentative detection. They have L'(CO)~several x 1e9 K km s-1 pc^2, while upper limits for the non detections are L'(CO)<~ several x 1e9 K km s-1 pc^2. This study increases the total number of QSO2 with CO measurements at z<~1 to 20, with a 50% detection rate.
We present optical through radio observations of the host galaxies of two dust obscured, luminous quasars selected in the mid-infrared, at z=2.62 and z=2.99, including a search for CO emission. Our limits on the CO luminosities are consistent with these objects having masses of molecular gas <~10^10 solar masses, several times less than those of luminous submillimeter-detected galaxies (SMGs) at comparable redshifts. Their near-infrared spectral energy distributions, however, imply that these galaxies have high stellar masses (~10^11-12 solar masses). The relatively small reservoirs of molecul…
We report our new observations of redshifted carbon monoxide emission from six z~6 quasars, using the PdBI. CO (6-5) or (5-4) line emission was detected in all six sources. Together with two other previous CO detections, these observations provide unique constraints on the molecular gas emission properties in these quasar systems close to the end of the cosmic reionization. Complementary results are also presented for low-J CO lines observed at the GBT and the VLA, and dust continuum from five of these sources with the SHARC-II bolometer camera at the CSO. We then present a study of the molecu…
We present new millimeter and radio observations of nine z~6 quasars discovered in deep optical and near-infrared surveys. We observed the 250 GHz continuum in eight of the nine objects and detected three of them. New 1.4 GHz radio continuum data have been obtained for four sources, and one has been detected. We searched for molecular CO (6-5) line emission in the three 250 GHz detections and detected two of them. We study the FIR and radio emission and quasar-host galaxy evolution with a sample of 18 z~6 quasars that are faint at UV/optical wavelengths (rest-frame 1450A magnitudes of m_1450\g…
In the standard scenario for galaxy evolution young star-forming galaxies transform into red bulge-dominated spheroids, where star formation has been quenched. To explain such a transformation, a strong negative feedback generated by accretion onto a super-massive black hole is often invoked. The depletion of gas resulting from quasar-driven outflows should eventually stop star-formation in the host galaxy and lead the black hole to "suicide" for starvation. Direct observational evidence for a major quasar feedback onto the host galaxy is still missing, since outflows previously observed in qu…
We report on high angular resolution observations of the CO(7-6) line and millimeter continuum in the host galaxy of the gravitationally lensed (z~2.8) quasar RXJ0911.4+0551 using the Plateau de Bure Interferometer. Our CO observations resolve the molecular disk of the source. Using a lens model based on HST observations we fit source models to the observed visibilities. We estimate a molecular disk radius of 1$\pm$0.2 kpc and an inclination of 69$\pm$6°, the continuum is more compact and is only marginally resolved by our observations. The relatively low molecular gas mass, $Mgas=(2.3\pm 0.5)…
An anomaly in the distribution of quasar magnitudes based on the SDSS survey, has been recently reported by Longo (2012). The angular size of this anomaly is of the order of $\rm \pm 15^o$ on the sky. A low surface brightness smooth structure in $γ$-rays, coincides with the sky location and extent of the quasar anomaly, and is close to the Northern component of a pair of $γ$-ray bubbles discovered in the \sl Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope \rm survey. Molecular clouds are thought to be illuminated by cosmic rays. I test the hypothesis that the magnitude anomaly in the quasar distribution, is d…
We have analyzed the spatially integrated kinematic properties of the ionized gas within the inner r<few kpc in 13 optically selected SDSS type 2 quasars at z~0.3-0.6, using the [OIII]4959,5007 lines. The line profiles show a significant asymmetry in 11 objects. There is a clear preference for blue asymmetries, which are found in 9/13 quasars at 10% intensity level. In coherence with studies on other types of active and non active galaxies, we propose that the asymmetries are produced by outflows where differential dust extinction is at work. This scenario is favoured by other results we find:…
Cool neutral gas provides the raw material for all star formation in the Universe, and yet, from a survey of the hosts of high redshift radio galaxies and quasars, we find a complete dearth of atomic (HI 21-cm) and molecular (OH, CO, HCO+ & HCN) absorption at redshifts z > 3. Upon a thorough analysis of the optical photometry, we find that all of our targets have ionising ultra-violet continuum luminosities of logL > 23 W/Hz. We therefore attribute this deficit to the traditional optical selection of targets biasing surveys towards the most ultra-violet luminous objects, where the intense radi…
We report the detection of luminous CO(2-1), CO(3-2), and CO(4-3) emission in the strongly lensed high-redshift quasars B1938+666 (z=2.059), HE0230-2130 (z=2.166), HE1104-1805 (z=2.322), and B1359+154 (z=3.240), using the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA). B1938+666 was identified in a `blind' CO redshift search, demonstrating the feasibility of such investigations with millimeter interferometers. These galaxies are lensing-amplified by factors of mu_L~11-170, and thus allow us to probe molecular gas in intrinsically fainter galaxies than currently possible witho…
We report the detection of CO(1-0) emission in the strongly lensed high-redshift quasars IRAS F10214+4724 (z=2.286), the Cloverleaf (z=2.558), RX J0911+0551 (z=2.796), SMM J04135+10277 (z=2.846), and MG 0751+2716 (z=3.200), using the Expanded Very Large Array and the Green Bank Telescope. We report lensing-corrected CO(1-0) line luminosities of L'(CO) = 0.34-18.4 x 10^10 K km/s pc^2 and total molecular gas masses of M(H2) = 0.27-14.7 x 10^10 Msun for the sources in our sample. Based on CO line ratios relative to previously reported observations in J>=3 rotational transitions and line excitatio…
We report the results from a systematic search for molecular (OH-119 um) outflows with Herschel-PACS in a sample of 43 nearby (z < 0.3) galaxy mergers, mostly ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) and QSOs. We find that the character of the OH feature (strength of the absorption relative to the emission) correlates with that of the 9.7-um silicate feature, a measure of obscuration in ULIRGs. Unambiguous evidence for molecular outflows, based on the detection of OH absorption profiles with median velocities more blueshifted than -50 km/sec, is seen in 26 (70%) of the 37 OH-detected targets, …
The prevalence and energetics of quasar feedback is a major unresolved problem in galaxy formation theory. In this paper, we present Gemini Integral Field Unit observations of ionized gas around eleven luminous, obscured, radio-quiet quasars at z~0.5 out to ~15 kpc from the quasar; specifically, we measure the kinematics and morphology of [O III]5007 emission. The round morphologies of the nebulae and the large line-of-sight velocity widths (with velocities containing 80% of the emission as high as 1000 km/s combined with relatively small velocity difference across them (from 90 to 520 km/s) p…
We present deep, intermediate resolution, long slit Gemini GMOS-S optical spectra of the SDSS type II quasar J002531-104022, which is a highly disturbed system currently undergoing a major merger event. We use these data to model the ages and reddenings of the stellar populations in three distinct spatial regions and find a remarkable uniformity in the properties of the young stellar populations (YSP) that dominate the optical spectra. The YSPs are all found to have relatively young ages (tysp < 40$ Myr), strongly implying that the latest episode of star formation and quasar activity have been…
We show that time variations in the UV ionizing continuum of quasars, on scales of $\sim$1 year, affect the dynamic structure of the plasmas responsible for low ionization broad absorption lines. Variations of the ionizing continuum produce non-equilibrium photoionization conditions over a significant fraction of the absorbing clouds and supersonically moving ionization fronts. When the flux drops the contraction of the ionized region drives a supersonic cooling front towards the radiation source and a rarefaction wave in the opposite direction. The pressure imbalance is compensated by an incr…
Black hole feedback -- the strong interaction between the energy output of supermassive black holes and their surrounding environments -- is routinely invoked to explain the absence of overly luminous galaxies, the black hole vs. bulge correlations and the similarity of black hole accretion and star formation histories. Yet direct probes of this process in action are scarce and limited to small samples of active nuclei. We present Gemini IFU observations of the distribution of ionized gas around luminous, obscured, radio-quiet (RQ) quasars at z~0.5. We detect extended ionized gas nebulae via […
We present long-slit spectroscopic data which reveals extended Lyman alpha emission around the z=6.417 radio-quiet quasar CFHQS J2329-0301. The Lyman alpha emission is extended over 15 kpc and has a luminosity of > 8 x 10^36 W, comparable to the most luminous Lyman alpha halos known. The emission has complex kinematics, in part due to foreground absorption which only partly covers the extended nebula. The velocity ranges from -500 km/s to +500 km/s, with a peak remarkably close to the systemic velocity identified by broad MgII emission of the quasar. There is no evidence for infall or outflow …
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…
In this paper, we use the latest observations of quasars covering the redshift range of $0.04<z<5.1$ to investigate a series of Chaplygin gas models as candidates for unified dark matter and dark energy. Based on different combinations of available standard candle and standard ruler data, we put constraints on the generalized Chaplygin gas (GCG), modified Chaplygin gas (MCG), new generalized Chaplygin gas (NGCG) and viscous generalized Chaplygin gas (VGCG) models. Moreover, we apply Jensen-Shannon divergence (JSD), statefinder diagnostics, and the deviance information criterion (DIC) to distin…
Using long-slit optical spectroscopy obtained at the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias, we have examined the gaseous environment of the radio-loud quasar TXS 1436+157 (z=2.54), previously known to be associated with a large Ly-alpha nebula and a spatially extended Ly-alpha-absorbing structure. From the Ly-alpha nebula we measure kinematic properties consistent with infall at a rate of about 10-100 M./yr - more than sufficient to power a quasar at the top of the luminosity function. The absorbing structure lies outside of the Ly-alpha nebula, at a radius of >40 kpc from the quasar. Against the br…
From the first published z > 3 survey of 21-cm absorption within the hosts of radio galaxies and quasars, we found an apparent dearth of cool neutral gas at high redshift. From a detailed analysis of the photometry, each object is found to have a 1216 A continuum luminosity in excess of L ~1e23 W/Hz, a critical value above which 21-cm has never been detected at any redshift. At these wavelengths, and below, hydrogen is excited above the ground state so that it cannot absorb in 21-cm. In order to apply the equation of photoionsation equilibrium, we demonstrate that this critical value also appl…
We present the detection of carbon monoxide molecules (CO) at z=1.6408 towards the quasar SDSSJ160457.50+220300.5 using the VLT Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph. CO absorption is detected in at least two components in the first six A-X bands and one d-X(5-0) inter-band system. This is the second detection of this kind along a quasar line of sight. The CO absorption profiles are well modelled assuming a rotational excitation of CO in the range 6<Tex<16 K, which is consistent with or higher than the temperature of the CMB radiation at this redshift. We derive a total CO column density…
We present Spitzer IRS spectra and MIPS photometry of 12 radio-loud QSOs with FR II morphologies at z ~ 0.3. Six of the sources are surrounded by luminous extended emission-line regions (EELRs), while the other six do not have such extended nebulae. The two subsamples are indistinguishable in their mid-infrared spectra and overall infrared spectral energy distributions (SEDs). For both subsamples, the mid-infrared aromatic features are undetected in either individual sources or their stacked spectra, and the SEDs are consistent with pure quasar emission without significant star formation. The …
We report the detection of HCO+(J=4-3) emission in the Cloverleaf Quasar at z=2.56, using the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer. HCO+ emission is a star formation indicator similar to HCN, tracing dense molecular hydrogen gas (n(H2) ~= 10^5 cm^-3) within star-forming molecular clouds. We derive a lensing-corrected HCO+(J=4-3) line luminosity of L'(HCO+(4-3)) = (1.6+/-0.3) x 10^9 (mu_L/11)^-1 K km/s pc^2, which corresponds to only 48% of the HCO+(J=1=0) luminosity, and <~4% of the CO(J=3-2) luminosity. The HCO+ excitation thus is clearly subthermal in the J=4-3 transition. Modeling of the HCO…
We present an analysis of the kinematics and excitation of the warm ionized gas in two obscured, powerful quasars at z>=3.5 from the SWIRE survey, SWIRE J022513.90-043419.9 and SWIRE J022550.67-042142, based on imaging spectroscopy on the VLT. Line ratios in both targets are consistent with luminous narrow-line regions of AGN. SWIRE J022550.67-042142 has very broad (FWHM=2000 km/s), spatially compact [OIII] line emission. SWIRE J022513.90-043419.9 is spatially resolved, has complex line profiles of H-beta and [OIII], including broad wings with blueshifts of up to -1500 km/s relative to the nar…
We present ALMA band 3 observations of the CO(6-5), CO(7-6), and [CI] 369micron emission lines in three of the highest redshift quasar host galaxies at 6.6<z<6.9. These measurements constitute the highest-redshift CO detections to date. The target quasars have previously been detected in [CII] 158micron emission and the underlying far-infrared (FIR) dust continuum. We detect (spatially unresolved, at a resolution of >2", or >14kpc) CO emission in all three quasar hosts. In two sources, we detect the continuum emission around 400micron (rest-frame), and in one source we detect [CI] at low signi…
We study the influence of a cosmological population of dense gas clouds on distant sources, with emphasis on quasar optical variability. In addition to gravitational lensing such clouds affect flux measurements via refraction in the neutral gas and via dust extinction, leading to a variety of possible light curves even in the low optical depth limit. We classify and illustrate the types of light curves that can arise. For sources as large as quasars we show that gravitational lensing and extinction are the dominant effects, with gas refraction playing only a minor role. We find that clouds wit…
Quasar feedback is suspected to play a key role in the evolution of massive galaxies, by removing or reheating gas in quasar host galaxies and thus limiting the amount of star formation. In this paper we continue our investigation of quasar-driven winds on galaxy-wide scales. We conduct Gemini Integral Field Unit spectroscopy of a sample of luminous unobscured (type 1) quasars, to determine the morphology and kinematics of ionized gas around these objects, predominantly via observations of the [O III]5007 emission line. We find that ionized gas nebulae extend out to ~13 kpc from the quasar, th…
We report interferometric imaging of CO(J=3-2) emission toward the z=2.846 submillimeter-selected galaxy SMM J04135+10277, using the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA). SMM J04135+10277 was previously thought to be a gas-rich, submillimeter-selected quasar, with the highest molecular gas mass among high-z quasars reported in the literature. Our maps at ~6x improved linear resolution relative to earlier observations spatially resolve the emission on ~1.7" scales, corresponding to a (lensing-corrected) source radius of ~5.2 kpc. They also reveal that the molecular g…
Observations of the most distant bright quasars imply that billion solar mass supermassive black holes (SMBH) have to be assembled within the first eight hundred million years. Under our standard galaxy formation scenario such fast growth implies large gas densities providing sustained accretion at critical or supercritical rates onto an initial black hole seed. It has been a long standing question whether and how such high black hole accretion rates can be achieved and sustained at the centers of early galaxies. Here we use our new cosmological hydrodynamic simulation (MassiveBlack) covering …
Quasar foreground damped absorbers, associated with HI-rich galaxies allow to estimate the neutral gas mass over cosmic time, which is a possible indicator of gas consumption as star formation proceeds. The DLAs and sub-DLAs are believed to contain a large fraction of neutral gas mass in the Universe. In Paper I of the series, we present the results of a search for DLAs and sub-DLAs in the ESO-UVES Advanced Data Products dataset of 250 quasars. Here we use an unbiased sub-sample of sub-DLAs from this dataset. We build a subset of 122 quasars ranging from 1.5 <z_em < 5.0, suitable for statistic…
Galaxy-scale gas outflows triggered by active galactic nuclei have been proposed as a key physical process to regulate the co-evolution of nuclear black holes and their host galaxies. The recent detection of a massive gas outflow in one of the most distant quasar, SDSS J1148+5251 at z = 6.4, presented by Maiolino et al. (2012) strongly supports this idea and suggests that strong quasar feedback is already at work at very early times. In a previous work, Valiante et al. (2011), we have presented a hierarchical semi-analytical model, GAMETE/ QSOdust, for the formation and evolution of high-redsh…
Quasar feedback models often predict an expanding hot gas bubble which drives a galaxy-scale outflow. In many circumstances this hot gas radiates inefficiently and is therefore difficult to observe directly. We present an indirect method to detect the presence of a hot bubble using hydrostatic photoionization calculations of the cold (~10^4 K) line-emitting gas. We compare our calculations with observations of the broad line region, the inner face of the torus, the narrow line region (NLR), and the extended NLR, and thus constrain the hot gas pressure at distances 0.1 pc -- 10 kpc from the cen…
Many theoretical models predict that quasar driven outflows account for the observed quenching of star formation in massive galaxies. There is growing observational evidence for quasar-launched massive outflows at z>6, while the details of outflow-host galaxy interaction remain obscure. In this paper, we study the feedback around the highest redshift quasar in the BlueTides simulation, the largest volume cosmological hydrodynamic simulation so far carried out. We present predictions for gas outflows around the brightest $z = 7.54$ quasar which hosts the most massive black hole in the simulatio…
Observations of $z \gtrsim 6$ quasars provide information on the early phases of the most massive black holes (MBHs) and galaxies. Current observations at sub-mm wavelengths trace cold and warm gas, and future observations will extend information to other gas phases and the stellar properties. The goal of this study is to examine the gas life cycle in a $z \gtrsim 6$ quasar: from accretion from the halo to the galaxy and all the way into the MBH, to how star formation and the MBH itself affect the gas properties. Using a very-high resolution cosmological zoom-in simulation of a $z=7$ quasar in…
We investigate the properties of the circumgalactic gas in the halo of quasar host galaxies from CIV absorption line systems. Optical spectroscopy of closely aligned pairs of quasars (projected distance \leq 200 kpc) obtained at the Gran Telescopio Canarias is used to investigate the distribution of the absorbing gas for a sample of 18 quasars at z \sim 2. We found that the detected absorption systems of EW \geq 0.3Ang associated with the foreground QSO are revealed up to 200 kpc from the center of the host galaxy. The structure of the absorbing gas is rather patchy with a covering fraction of…
Poorly understood feedback processes associated with highly-luminous black hole accretion in quasars may dramatically affect the properties of their host galaxies. We search for the effect of quasar feedback on surrounding gas using Planck maps of the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect (tSZ). By stacking tSZ Compton-y maps centered on the locations of 26,686 spectroscopic quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we detect a strong but unresolved tSZ Compton-y signal at >5 sigma significance that likely originates from a combination of virialized halo atmosphere gas and quasar feedback effects…
Star-forming galaxies (SFGs) are forming stars at a regular pace, forming the so-called main sequence (MS). However, all studies of their gas content show that their gas reservoir ought to be depleted in 0.5-2 Gyr. Thus, SFGs are thought to be fed by the continuous accretion of intergalactic gas in order to sustain their star-formation activity. However, direct observational evidence for this accretion phenomenon has been elusive. Theoretically, the accreted gas coming from the intergalactic medium is expected to orbit about the halo, delivering not just fuel for star-formation but also angula…
The properties of quasar-host galaxies might be determined by the growth and feedback of their supermassive (SMBH, $10^{8-10}$ M$_{\odot}$) black holes. We investigate such connection with a suite of cosmological simulations of massive (halo mass $\approx 10^{12}$ M$_{\odot}$) galaxies at $z\simeq 6$ which include a detailed sub-grid multiphase gas and accretion model. BH seeds of initial mass $10^5$ M$_{\odot}$ grow mostly by gas accretion, and become SMBH by $z=6$ setting on the observed $M_{\rm BH} - M_{\star}$ relation without the need for a boost factor. Although quasar feedback crucially…
Luminous type-2 quasars in which the glow from the central black hole is obscured by dust are ideal targets for studying their host galaxies and the quasars' effect on galaxy evolution. Such feedback appears ubiquitous in luminous obscured quasars where high velocity ionized nebulae have been found. We present rest-frame yellow-band (~5000 Angstroms) observations using the Hubble Space Telescope for a sample of 20 luminous quasar host galaxies at 0.2 < z < 0.6 selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. For the first time, we combine host galaxy observations with geometric measurements of quas…
We present observations of extended, 20-kpc scale soft X-ray gas around a luminous obscured quasar hosted by an ultra-luminous infrared galaxy caught in the midst of a major merger. The extended X-ray emission is well fit as a thermal gas with a temperature of kT ~ 280 eV and a luminosity of L_X ~ 10^42 erg/s and is spatially coincident with a known ionized gas outflow. Based on the X-ray luminosity, a factor of ~10 fainter than the [OIII] emission, we conclude that the X-ray emission is either dominated by photoionization, or by shocked emission from cloud surfaces in a hot quasar-driven wind…
Molecular hydrogen transitions in the sub-damped Lyman alpha absorber at redshift z = 2.69, toward the background quasar SDSS J123714.60+064759.5, were analyzed in order to search for a possible variation of the proton-to-electron mass ratio mu over a cosmological time-scale. The system is composed of three absorbing clouds where 137 H2 and HD absorption features were detected. The observations were taken with the Very Large Telescope/Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph with a signal-to-noise ratio of 32 per 2.5 km/s pixel, covering the wavelengths from 356.6 to 409.5 nm. A comprehensi…
Resolving circumgalactic gas flows around a z$\approx$3.6 quasar using MUSE and ALMA
Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca(米兰比可卡大学);DTU Space, Technical University of Denmark(丹麦技术大学空间中心);Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN)(宇宙黎明中心);INAF–Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste(意大利国家天体物理研究所的里雅斯特天文台);Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen(格罗宁根大学卡普坦天文研究所);INAF–Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio(意大利国家天体物理研究所天文与空间科学观测站);IUCAA(印度天体物理学与宇宙学大学研究中心);Leiden Observatory, Leiden University(莱顿大学莱顿天文台)
The absence of high Eddington ratio, obscured Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) in local ($z\lesssim0.1$) samples of moderate luminosity AGN has generally been explained to result from radiation pressure on the dusty gas governing the level of nuclear ($\lesssim10$pc) obscuration. However, very high accretion rates are routinely reported among obscured quasars at higher luminosities, and may require a different feedback mechanism. We compile constraints on obscuration and Eddington ratio for samples of X-ray, optical, infrared, and submm selected AGN at quasar luminosities. Whereas moderate luminos…
Signs of damping wing absorption attenuating the Lyman-$α$ emission line of the first known $z \sim 7$ quasar, ULAS J1120+0641, recently provided exciting evidence of a significantly neutral IGM. This long-awaited signature of reionization was inferred, in part, from a deficit of flux in the quasar's Lyman-$α$ emission line based on predictions from a composite of lower-redshift quasars. The composite sample was chosen based on its C IV emission line properties; however, as the original study by Mortlock et al. noted, the composite contained a slight velocity offset in C IV compared to ULAS J1…
A Potential Link between Nuclear Winds and Cold Gas Outflows on Kiloparsec Scales in Reionization-Era Quasars
Steward Observatory, University of Arizona(亚利桑那大学斯图尔德天文台);Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University(北京大学科维理天文与天体物理研究所);Department of Astronomy, School of Physics, Peking University(北京大学物理学院天文学系);Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics and Department of Physics, Fudan University(复旦大学天文与空间科学中心及物理系);Department of Space, Earth, & Environment, Chalmers University of Technology(查尔姆斯理工大学空间、地球与环境系);Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of California, Riverside(加州大学河滨分校物理与天文学系);Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan(密歇根大学天文学系);Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie(马克斯·普朗克天文学研究所)
We use the MusE GAs FLOw and Wind (MEGAFLOW) survey to study the kinematics of extended disk-like structures of cold gas around $z\approx1$ star-forming galaxies. The combination of VLT/MUSE and VLT/UVES observations allows us to connect the kinematics of the gas measured through MgII quasar absorption spectroscopy to the kinematics and orientation of the associated galaxies constrained through integral field spectroscopy. Confirming previous results, we find that the galaxy-absorber pairs of the MEGAFLOW survey follow a strong bimodal distribution, consistent with a picture of MgII absorption…
High redshift quasars emit copious X-ray photons which heat the intergalactic medium to temperatures up to $\sim$ 10$^6$ K. At such high temperatures the primordial gas will not form stars until it is assembled into dark matter haloes with masses of up to $\sim$ 10$^{11}$ M$_{\odot}$, at which point the hot gas collapses and cools under the influence of gravity. Once this occurs, there is a massive reservoir of primordial gas from which stars can form, potentially setting the stage for the brightest Population (Pop) III starbursts in the early Universe. Supporting this scenario, recent observa…
We present the discovery of copious molecular gas in the halo of cid_346, a $z=2.2$ quasar studied as part of the SINFONI survey for Unveiling the Physics and Effect of Radiative feedback (SUPER). New Atacama Compact Array (ACA) CO(3-2) observations detect a much higher flux (by a factor of $14\pm5$) than measured on kiloparsec scales ($r\lesssim8$ kpc) using previous snapshot Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array data. Such additional CO(3-2) emission traces a structure that extends out to $r\sim200$ kpc in projected size, as inferred through direct imaging and confirmed by an analysis…
We investigate the extent and the properties of the MgII cool, low-density absorbing gas located in the halo and in the circum-galactic environment of quasars, using a sample of 31 projected quasar pairs with impact parameter pd<200kpc in the redshift range 0.5<z<1.6. In the transverse direction, we detect 18 MgII absorbers associated with the foreground quasars, while no absorption system originated by the gas surrounding the quasar itself is found along the line-of-sight. This suggests that the quasar emission induces an anisotropy in the absorbing gas distribution. Our observations indicate…
Cool gas (T$\sim$10$^{4}$~K) traced by hydrogen Ly$α$ emission is now routinely detected around $z\sim3$ quasars, but little is known about their molecular gas reservoirs. Here, we present an APEX spectroscopic survey of the CO(6-5), CO(7-6) and [CI](2-1) emission lines for 9 quasars from the QSO MUSEUM survey which have similar UV luminosities, but very diverse Ly$α$ nebulae. These observations ($\langle~\rm rms~\rangle=2.6$~mJy in 300~km~s$^{-1}$) detected three CO(6-5) lines with 3.4$\leq I_{\rm CO(6-5)} \leq$5.1~Jy~km~s$^{-1}$, 620$\leq$FWHM$\leq$707~km~s$^{-1}$, and three [CI](2-1) lines …
Growing Supermassive Black Holes (SMBH) are believed to influence their parent galaxies in a negative way, terminating their growth by ejecting gas out before it could turn into stars. Here we present some of the most sophisticated SMBH feedback simulations to date showing that quasar's effects on galaxies are not always negative. We find that when the ambient shocked gas cools rapidly, the shocked gas is compressed into thin cold dense shells, filaments and clumps. Driving these high density features out is much more difficult than analytical models predict since dense filaments are resilient…
We present NuSTAR hard X-ray observations of two X-ray weak broad absorption line (BAL) quasars, PG 1004+130 (radio loud) and PG 1700+518 (radio quiet). Many BAL quasars appear X-ray weak, probably due to absorption by the shielding gas between the nucleus and the accretion-disk wind. The two targets are among the optically brightest BAL quasars, yet they are known to be significantly X-ray weak at rest-frame 2-10 keV (16-120 times fainter than typical quasars). We would expect to obtain ~400-600 hard X-ray (>10 keV) photons with NuSTAR, provided that these photons are not significantly absorb…
Direct Ly $α$ imaging of intergalactic gas at $z\sim2$ has recently revealed giant cosmological structures around quasars, e.g. the Slug Nebula (Cantalupo et al. 2014). Despite their high luminosity, the detection rate of such systems in narrow-band and spectroscopic surveys is less than 10%, possibly encoding crucial information on the distribution of gas around quasars and the quasar emission properties. In this study, we use the MUSE integral-field instrument to perform a blind survey for giant Ly $α$ nebulae around 17 bright radio-quiet quasars at $3<z<4$ that does not suffer from most of …
We present high spatial resolution (0.4", 2.2kpc) observations of the CO(6-5), CO(7-6) and [CI] lines and dust continuum emission from the interstellar medium in the host galaxy of the quasar J0305$-$3150 at $z=6.6$. These, together with archival [CII] data at comparable spatial resolution, enable studies of the spatial distribution and kinematics between the ISM in different phases. When comparing the radial profiles of CO, [CII] and the dust continuum, we find that the CO and dust continuum exhibit similar spatial distributions, both of which are less extended than the [CII], indicating that…
Absorption lines of H$_2$ and HD molecules observed at high redshift in the line of sight towards quasars are a test ground to search for variation of the proton-to-electron mass ratio $μ$. For this purpose, results from astronomical observations are compared with a compilation of molecular data of the highest accuracy, obtained in laboratory studies as well as in first-principles calculations. Aims: A comprehensive line list is compiled for H$_2$ and HD absorption lines in the Lyman ($B^1Σ_u^+$ - $X^1Σ_g^+$) and Werner ($C^1Π_u$ - $X^1Σ_g^+$) band systems up to the Lyman cutoff at 912 Angstro…
We present Northern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA) CO(2-1) maps of the z=0.4418 cluster-central QSO IRAS 09104+4109, which trace ~4.5x10^10 Msol of molecular gas in and around the galaxy. As in many low redshift cool core clusters, the molecular gas is located in a series of clumps extending along the old radio jets and lobes. It has a relatively low velocity dispersion (336 [+39,-35] km/s FWHM) and shows no velocity gradients indicative of outflow or infall. Roughly half the gas is located in a central clump on the northeast side of the galaxy, overlapping a bright ionized gas filament and…
We present multi-frequency (1-8 GHz) VLA data, combined with VIMOS IFU data and HST imaging, of a z=0.085 radio-quiet type 2 quasar (with L(1.4GHz)~5e23 W/Hz and L(AGN)~2e45 erg/s). Due to the morphology of its emission-line region, the target (J1430+1339) has been referred to as the Teacup AGN in the literature. We identify "bubbles" of radio emission that are extended ~10-12 kpc to both the east and west of the nucleus. The edge of the brighter eastern bubble is co-spatial with an arc of luminous ionized gas. We also show that the Teacup AGN hosts a compact radio structure, located ~0.8 kpc …
We investigate quasar outflows at $z \geq 6$ by performing zoom-in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. By employing the SPH code GADGET-3, we zoom in the $2 R_{200}$ region around a $2 \times 10^{12} M_{\odot}$ halo at $z = 6$, inside a $(500 ~ {\rm Mpc})^3$ comoving volume. We compare the results of our AGN runs with a control simulation in which only stellar/SN feedback is considered. Seeding $10^5 M_{\odot}$ BHs at the centers of $10^{9} M_{\odot}$ halos, we find the following results. BHs accrete gas at the Eddington rate over $z = 9 - 6$. At $z = 6$, our most-massive BH has grown to …