Gemini Near Infrared Spectrograph–Distant Quasar Survey: Augmented Spectroscopic Catalog and a Prescription for Correcting UV-based Quasar Redshifts

Matthews, Brandon M.; Dix, Cooper; Shemmer, Ohad; Brotherton, Michael S.; Myers, Adam D.; Andruchow, I.; Brandt, W. N.; Gallagher, S. C.; Green, Richard F.; Lira, P.; McLane, Jacob N.; Plotkin, Richard M.; Richards, Gordon T.; Runnoe, Jessie C.; Schneider, Donald P.; Strauss, Michael A.

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/acd04c

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 55 publications

(64 reference statements)

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“…Our study focuses primarily on comparing rest-frame optical properties between the two groups of quasars. A statistically meaningful comparison of this kind is now possible by utilizing the Gemini Near Infrared Spectrograph−Distant Quasar Survey (GNIRS-DQS), which includes 65 (195) luminous BAL (non-BAL) quasars (Matthews et al 2021(Matthews et al , 2023.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gemini Near Infrared Spectrograph−Distant Quasar Survey: Rest-frame Ultraviolet−Optical Spectral Properties of Broad Absorption Line Quasars

Ahmed,

Shemmer,

Matthews

et al. 2024

ApJ

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We present the rest-frame ultraviolet−optical spectral properties of 65 broad absorption line (BAL) quasars from the Gemini Near Infrared Spectrograph−Distant Quasar Survey (GNIRS-DQS). These properties are compared with those of 195 non-BAL quasars from GNIRS-DQS in order to identify the drivers for the appearance of BALs in quasar spectra. In particular, we compare equivalent widths and velocity widths, as well as velocity offsets from systemic redshifts, of principal emission lines. In spite of the differences between their rest-frame ultraviolet spectra, we find that luminous BAL quasars are generally indistinguishable from their non-BAL counterparts in the rest-frame optical band at redshifts 1.55 ≲ z ≲ 3.50. We do not find any correlation between BAL trough properties and the Hβ-based supermassive black hole masses and normalized accretion rates in our sample. Considering the Sloan Digital Sky Survey quasar sample, which includes the GNIRS-DQS sample, we find that a monochromatic luminosity at rest-frame 2500 Å of ≳1045 erg s−1 is a necessary condition for launching BAL outflows in quasars. We compare our findings with other BAL quasar samples and discuss the roles that accretion rate and orientation play in the appearance of BAL troughs in quasar spectra.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gemini Near Infrared Spectrograph−Distant Quasar Survey: Rest-frame Ultraviolet−Optical Spectral Properties of Broad Absorption Line Quasars

Ahmed,

Shemmer,

Matthews

et al. 2024

ApJ

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The most luminous blue quasars at 3.0 < z < 3.3

Trefoloni¹,

Lusso²,

Nardini³

et al. 2023

A&A

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We present the analysis of the rest frame ultraviolet and optical spectra of 30 bright blue quasars at z ∼ 3, selected to examine the suitability of active galactic nuclei as cosmological probes. In our previous works, based on pointed XMM-Newton observations, we found an unexpectedly high fraction (≈25%) of X-ray weak quasars in the sample. The latter sources also display a flatter UV continuum and a broader and fainter C IV profile in the archival UV data with respect to their X-ray normal counterparts. Here we present new observations with the Large Binocular Telescope in both the zJ (covering the rest frame ≃2300–3100 Å) and the KS (≃4750–5350 Å) bands. We estimated black hole masses (MBH) and Eddington ratios (λEdd) from the available rest frame optical and UV emission lines (Hβ, Mg II), finding that our z ∼ 3 quasars are on average highly accreting (⟨λEdd⟩≃1.2 and ⟨MBH⟩≃109.7 M⊙), with no difference in λEdd or MBH between X-ray weak and X-ray normal quasars. From the zJ spectra, we derived the properties (e.g. flux, equivalent width) of the main emission lines (Mg II, Fe II), finding that X-ray weak quasars display higher Fe II/Mg II ratios with respect to typical quasars. Fe II/Mg II ratios of X-ray normal quasars are instead consistent with other estimates up to z ≃ 6.5, corroborating the idea of already chemically mature broad line regions at early cosmic time. From the KS spectra, we find that all the X-ray weak quasars present generally weaker [O III] emission (EW < 10 Å) than the normal ones. The sample as a whole, however, abides by the known X-ray-[O III] luminosity correlation, hence the different [O III] properties are likely due to an intrinsically weaker [O III] emission in X-ray weak objects, associated to the shape of the spectral energy distribution. We interpret these results in the framework of accretion-disc winds.

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[O iii] emission in z ≈ 2 quasars with and without broad absorption lines

Temple,

Rankine,

Banerji

et al. 2024

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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Understanding the links between different phases of outflows from active galactic nuclei is a key goal in extragalactic astrophysics. Here, we compare [O iii] $\lambda \lambda$4960, 5008 outflow signatures in quasars with and without broad absorption lines (BALs), aiming to test how the broad absorption troughs seen in the rest-frame ultraviolet are linked to the narrow line region outflows seen in the rest-frame optical. We present new near-infrared spectra from Magellan/FIRE that cover [O iii] in 12 quasars with $2.1\lt z\lt 2.3$, selected to have strong outflow signatures in C iv$\lambda$1550. Combining with data from the literature, we build a sample of 73 BAL, 115 miniBAL, and 125 non-BAL quasars with $1.5\lt z\lt 2.6$. The strength and velocity width of [O iii] correlate strongly with the C iv emission properties, but no significant difference is seen in the [O iii] emission-line properties between the BALs, non-BALs, and miniBALs once the dependence on C iv emission is taken into account. A weak correlation is observed between the velocities of C iv BALs and [O iii] emission, which is accounted for by the fact that both outflow signatures correlate with the underlying C iv emission properties. Our results add to the growing evidence that BALs and non-BALs are drawn from the same parent population and are consistent with a scenario wherein BAL troughs are intermittent tracers of persistent quasar outflows, with a part of such outflow becoming optically thick along our line of sight for sporadic periods of time within which BALs are observed.

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Gemini Near Infrared Spectrograph–Distant Quasar Survey: Augmented Spectroscopic Catalog and a Prescription for Correcting UV-based Quasar Redshifts

Cited by 4 publications

References 55 publications

Gemini Near Infrared Spectrograph−Distant Quasar Survey: Rest-frame Ultraviolet−Optical Spectral Properties of Broad Absorption Line Quasars

Gemini Near Infrared Spectrograph−Distant Quasar Survey: Rest-frame Ultraviolet−Optical Spectral Properties of Broad Absorption Line Quasars

The most luminous blue quasars at 3.0 < z < 3.3

[O iii] emission in z ≈ 2 quasars with and without broad absorption lines

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