Placing High-Redshift Quasars in Perspective: a Catalog of Spectroscopic Properties from the Gemini Near Infrared Spectrograph -- Distant Quasar Survey
Brandon M. Matthews, Ohad Shemmer, Cooper Dix, Michael S. Brotherton, Adam D. Myers, I. Andruchow, W. N. Brandt, Gabriel A. Ferrero, S. C. Gallagher, Richard Gr… 展开作者
Brandon M. Matthews, Ohad Shemmer, Cooper Dix, Michael S. Brotherton, Adam D. Myers, I. Andruchow, W. N. Brandt, Gabriel A. Ferrero, S. C. Gallagher, Richard Green, Paulina Lira, Richard M. Plotkin, Gordon T. Richards, Jessie C. Runnoe, Donald P. Schneider, Yue Shen, Michael A. Strauss, Beverley J. Wills
We present spectroscopic measurements for 226 sources from the Gemini Near Infrared Spectrograph - Distant Quasar Survey (GNIRS-DQS). Being the largest uniform, homogeneous survey of its kind, it represents a flux-limited sample ($m_{i}$ ${\lesssim}$ 19.0 mag, $H$ ${\lesssim}$ 16.5 mag) of Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasars at 1.5 ${\lesssim}$ $z$ ${\lesssim}$ 3.5 with a monochromatic luminosity ($λL_λ$) at 5100 ${\unicode{xC5}}$ in the range of $10^{44} - 10^{46}$ erg $\rm{s}^{-1}$. A combination of the GNIRS and SDSS spectra covers principal quasar diagnostic features, chiefly the C IV $λ$1549, Mg II $λλ$2798, 2803, H$β$ $λ$4861, and [O III] $λλ$4959, 5007 emission lines, in each source. The spectral inventory will be utilized primarily to develop prescriptions for obtaining more accurate and precise redshifts, black hole masses, and accretion rates for all quasars. Additionally, the measurements will facilitate an understanding of the dependence of rest-frame ultraviolet-optical spectral properties of quasars on redshift, luminosity, and Eddington ratio, and test whether the physical properties of the quasar central engine evolve over cosmic time.
We present near-infrared and optical emission-line and stellar kinematics of the Seyfert 2 galaxy Mrk 573 using the Near-Infrared Field Spectrograph (NIFS) at Gemini North and Dual Imaging Spectrograph (DIS) at Apache Point Observatory, respectively. By obtaining full kinematic maps of the infrared ionized and molecular gas and stellar kinematics in a 700 x 2100 pc^2 circumnuclear region of Mrk 573, we find that kinematics within the Narrow-Line Region (NLR) are largely due to a combination of both rotation and in situ acceleration of material originating in the host disk. Combining these obse…
We present Gemini Near-infrared Integral Field Spectrograph (NIFS) observations of the inner $1.5\times1.5$ kpc$^2$ of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 42 at a spatial resolution of 60 pc and spectral resolution of 40 km s$^{-1}$. The emission-line flux and equivalent width maps clearly show a ring of circumnuclear star formation regions (CNSFRs) surrounding the nucleus with radius of $\sim$500 pc. The spectra of some of these regions show molecular absorption features which are probably of CN, TiO or VO, indicating the presence of massive evolved stars in the thermally pulsing asymptotic …
We explore the kinematics of the stars, ionized gas, and warm molecular gas in the Seyfert 2 galaxy Mrk~3 (UGC~3426) on nuclear and galactic scales with {\it Gemini} Near-Infrared Field Spectrograph (NIFS) observations, previous {\it Hubble Space Telescope} data, and new long-slit spectra from the {\it Apache Point Observatory} ({\it APO}) 3.5 m telescope. The {\it APO} spectra are consistent with our previous suggestion that a galactic-scale gas/dust disk at PA $=$ 129\arcdeg, offset from the major axis of the host S0 galaxy at PA $=$ 28\arcdeg, is responsible for the orientation of the exten…
This paper is a response to a call for white papers solicited by Gemini Observatory and its Science and Technology Advisory Committee, to help define the science case and requirements for a new Gemini instrument, envisaged to consist of a single-object spectrograph at medium resolution simultaneously covering optical and near-infrared wavelengths. In this white paper we discuss the science case for an alternative new instrument, consisting instead of a multi-object, medium-resolution, high-throughput spectrograph, covering simultaneously the optical and near-infrared slices of the electromagne…
Galaxy mergers are expected to produce multiple supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in close-separation, but the detection of such SMBHs has been difficult. 2MASS J165939.7$+$183436 is a red active galactic nucleus (AGN) that is a prospective merging SMBH candidate owing to its merging features in Hubble Space Telescope imaging and double-peaked broad emission lines (BELs). Herein, we report a Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph Integral Field Unit observation of a double-peaked broad H$α$ line of 2MASS J165939.7$+$183436. Furthermore, we confirm the existence of two BEL peaks that are kinematically…
The Gemini Infrared Multi-Object Spectrograph (GIRMOS) is a powerful new instrument being built to facility-class standards for the Gemini telescope. It takes advantage of the latest developments in adaptive optics and integral field spectrographs. GIRMOS will carry out simultaneous high-angular-resolution, spatially-resolved infrared ($1-2.4$ $μ$m) spectroscopy of four objects within a two-arcminute field-of-regard by taking advantage of multi-object adaptive optics. This capability does not currently exist anywhere in the world and therefore offers significant scientific gains over a very br…
Gemini Near Infrared Spectrograph -- Distant Quasar Survey: Augmented Spectroscopic Catalog and a Prescription for Correcting UV-Based Quasar Redshifts
We present the Deep Integral Field Spectrograph View of Nuclei of Galaxies (DIVING$^{3D}$) survey, a seeing-limited optical 3D spectroscopy study of the central regions of all 170 galaxies in the Southern hemisphere with B < 12.0 and |b| > 15 degrees. Most of the observations were taken with the Integral Field Unit of the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph, at the Gemini South telescope, but some are also being taken with the Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope (SOAR) Integral Field Spectrograph. The DIVING$^{3D}$ survey was designed for the study of nuclear emission-line properties, circu…
Gemini Near Infrared Spectrograph - Distant Quasar Survey: Prescriptions for Calibrating UV-Based Estimates of Supermassive Black Hole Masses in High-Redshift Quasars
We use the Gemini Near-Infrared Integral Field Spectrograph (NIFS) to map the stellar kinematics of the inner few hundred parsecs of a sample of 16 nearby Seyfert galaxies, at a spatial resolution of tens of parsecs and spectral resolution of 40 km/s. We find that the line-of-sight (LOS) velocity fields for most galaxies are well reproduced by rotating disk models. The kinematic position angle (PA) derived for the LOS velocity field is consistent with the large scale photometric PA. The residual velocities are correlated with the hard X-ray luminosity, suggesting that more luminous AGN have a …
We have used the Gemini Near-Infrared Integral Field Spectrograph (NIFS) in the J and K bands to map the distribution, excitation and kinematics of the ionized HII and warm molecular gas H$_2$, in the inner few 100 pc of 6 nearby active galaxies: NGC 788, Mrk 607, NGC 3227, NGC 3516, NGC 5506, NGC 5899. {For most galaxies, this is the first time that such maps have been obtained}. The ionized and H$_2$ gas show distinct kinematics: while the H$_2$ gas is mostly rotating in the galaxy plane with low velocity dispersion ($σ$), the ionized gas usually shows signatures of outflows associated with …
We present and characterize a sample of 20 nearby Seyfert galaxies selected for having BAT 14--195keV luminosities $L_X \ge 10^{41.5}$ erg s$^{-1}$, redshift $z\le$0.015, being accessible for observations with the Gemini Near-Infrared Field Spectrograph (NIFS) and showing extended [OIII]$λ$5007 emission. Our goal is to study Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) feeding and feedback processes from near-infrared integral-field spectra, that include both ionized (HII) and hot molecular (H$_2$) emission. This sample is complemented by other 9 Seyfert galaxies previously observed with NIFS. We show that th…
We use Gemini Near-Infrared Integral Field Spectrograph (NIFS) adaptive optics assisted data-cubes to map the stellar population of the inner few hundred parsecs of a sample of 18 nearby Seyfert galaxies. The near-infrared light is dominated by the contribution of young to intermediate old stellar populations, with light-weighted mean ages $<t>_L\ \lesssim $ 1.5\,Gyr. Hot dust ($HD$) emission is centrally peaked (in the unresolved nucleus), but it is also needed to reproduce the continuum beyond the nucleus in nearly half of the sample. We have analysed the stellar population properties of the…
We use observations from the GEMINI-N/GMOS integral-field spectrograph (IFS) to obtain spatially resolved stellar kinematics of the central $\sim 1$ kpc of 20 early-type galaxies (ETGs) with stellar masses greater than $10^{11.7} M_\odot$ in the MASSIVE survey. Together with observations from the wide-field Mitchell IFS at McDonald Observatory in our earlier work, we obtain unprecedentedly detailed kinematic maps of local massive ETGs, covering a scale of $\sim 0.1-30$ kpc. The high ($\sim 120$) signal-to-noise of the GMOS spectra enable us to obtain two-dimensional maps of the line-of-sight v…
We present an integral field spectroscopic study with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) of the unusual blue compact dwarf (BCD) galaxy Mrk 996. We show through velocity and dispersion maps, emission-line intensity and ratio maps, and by a new technique of electron density limit imaging that the ionization properties of different regions in Mrk 996 are correlated with their kinematic properties. From the maps, we can spatially distinguish a very dense high-ionization zone with broad lines in the nuclear region, and a less dense low-ionization zone with narrow lines in the circumnuclea…
Changing-look quasars are a newly-discovered class of luminous active galactic nuclei that undergo rapid ($\lesssim$10 year) transitions between Type 1 and Type 1.9/2, with an associated change in their continuum emission. We characterize the host galaxies of four faded changing-look quasars using broadband optical imaging. We use \textit{gri} images obtained with the Gemini Multi Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on Gemini North to characterize the surface brightness profiles of the quasar hosts and search for [O III] $\lambda4959,\lambda5007$ emission from spatially extended regions, or voorwerpjes…
We study the gas distribution and kinematics of the inner kpc of six moderately luminous (43.43$\leq$log$L_{\rm bol}\leq$44.83) nearby ($0.004 \leq z \leq 0.014$) Seyfert galaxies observed with the Near-infrared Integral Field Spectrograph (NIFS) in the J(1.25$μ$m) and K(2.2$μ$m) bands. We analyse the most intense emission lines detected on these spectral wavebands: [Fe II] 1.2570 $μ$m and Pa$β$, which trace the ionised gas in the partially and fully ionised regions, and H$_2$2.1218$μ$m, that traces the hot ($\sim 2000$ K) molecular gas. The dominant kinematic component is rotation in the disc…
Since their discovery, the Quintuplet proper members (QPMs) have been somewhat mysterious in nature. Originally dubbed the "cocoon stars" due to their cool featureless spectra, high-resolution near-infrared imaging observations have shown that at least two of the objects exhibit "pinwheel" nebulae consistent with binary systems with a carbon-rich Wolf-Rayet star and O/B companion. In this paper, we present 19.7, 25.2, 31.5, and 37.1 $μ$m observations of the QPMs (with an angular resolution of 3.2-3.8") taken with the Faint Object Infrared Camera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST) in conjunction…
High-resolution optical spectra of 30 metal-poor stars selected from the \Pristine\ survey are presented, based on observations taken with the Gemini Observatory GRACES spectrograph. Stellar parameters \teff and \logg are determined using a Gaia DR2 colour-temperature calibration and surface gravity from the Stefan-Boltzmann equation. GRACES spectra are used to determine chemical abundances (or upper-limits) for 20 elements (Li, O, Na, Mg, K, Ca, Ti, Sc, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Y, Zr, Ba, La, Nd, Eu). These stars are confirmed to be metal-poor ([Fe/H]$<-2.5$), with higher precision than from e…
The environment of the high-redshift (z=1.408), powerful radio-loud galaxy 3C 297 has several distinctive features of a galaxy cluster. Among them, a characteristic halo of hot gas revealed by Chandra X-ray observations. In addition, a radio map obtained with the Very Large Array (VLA) shows a bright hotspot in the northwestern direction, created by the interaction of the AGN jet arising from 3C 297 with its environment. In the X-ray images, emission cospatial with the northwestern radio lobe is detected, and peaks at the position of the radio hotspot. The extended, complex X-ray emission obse…
Emission from metal resonant lines has recently emerged as a potentially powerful probe of the structure of galactic winds at low and high redshift. In this work, we present only the second example of spatially resolved observations of NaI D emission from a galactic wind in a nearby galaxy (and the first 3D observations at any redshift). F05189-2524, a nearby (z=0.043) ultra luminous infrared galaxy powered by a quasar, was observed with the integral field unit on the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) at Gemini North. NaI D absorption in the system traces dusty filaments on the near side…
We present the results of SPT-GMOS, a spectroscopic survey with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on Gemini South. The targets of SPT-GMOS are galaxy clusters identified in the SPT-SZ survey, a millimeter-wave survey of 2500 squ. deg. of the southern sky using the South Pole Telescope (SPT). Multi-object spectroscopic observations of 62 SPT-selected galaxy clusters were performed between January 2011 and December 2015, yielding spectra with radial velocity measurements for 2595 sources. We identify 2243 of these sources as galaxies, and 352 as stars. Of the galaxies, we identify 1579…
We present near-infrared (IR) spectra of two planetary nebula (PN) candidates in close lines of sight toward the Galactic center (GC) using the Gemini Near-Infrared Spectrograph (GNIRS) at Gemini North. High-resolution images from radio continuum and narrow-band IR observations reveal ringlike or barrel-shaped morphologies of these objects, and their mid-IR spectra from the Spitzer Space Telescope exhibit rich emission lines from highly-excited species such as [S IV], [Ne III], [Ne V], and [O IV]. We also derive elemental abundances using the Cloudy synthetic models, and find an excess amount …
We present a spectroscopic study of the four extended star clusters (ESCs) in NGC 6822 based on the data obtained with Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on the Gemini-South 8.1m telescope. Their radial velocities derived from the spectra range from $-61.2 \pm 20.4$ km s$^{-1}$ (for C1) to $-115.34 \pm 57.9$ km s$^{-1}$ (for C4) and, unlike the intermediate age carbon stars, they do not display any sign of systematic rotation around NGC 6822. The ages and metallicities derived using the Lick indices show that the ESCs are old ($\geq 8$ Gyr) and metal poor ([Fe/H]$\lesssim -1.5$). NGC 6822…
We report the observation and confirmation of the first group- and cluster-scale strong gravitational lensing systems found in Dark Energy Survey (DES) data. Through visual inspection of data from the Science Verification (SV) season, we identified 53 candidate systems. We then obtained spectroscopic follow-up of 21 candidates using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) at the Gemini South telescope and the Inamori-Magellan Areal Camera and Spectrograph (IMACS) at the Magellan/Baade telescope. With this follow-up, we confirmed six candidates as gravitational lenses: Three of the systems …
