Browsing by Subject "Quasars"
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Item Demographics and evolution of super massive black holes in quasars and galaxies(2008-08) Salviander, Sarah Triplett, 1971-; Shields, Gregory A.This dissertation addresses the co-evolutionary relationship between central super-massive black holes and host galaxies. This relationship is suggested by observed correlations between black hole mass (M[subscript BH]) and properties of the host galaxy bulge. We first discuss investigation of the relationship between MBH and host galaxy velocity dispersion, [sigma subscript asterisk], for quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We derive MBH from the broad emission line width and continuum luminosity, and [sigma subscript asterisk] from the width of narrow forbidden emission lines. For redshifts z < 0.5, our results agree with the locally-observed M[subscript BH]- [sigma subscript asterisk] relationship. For 0.5 < z < 1.2, the M[subscript BH]- [sigma subscript asterisk] relationship appears to evolve with redshift in the sense that bulges are too small for their black holes. Part of this apparent trend can be attributed to observational biases, including a Malmquist bias involving the quasar luminosity. Accounting for these biases, we find approximately a factor of two evolution in the M[subscript BH]- [sigma subscript asterisk] relationship between the present and redshift z [approximately equal] 1. The second topic involves a search for the largest velocity dispersion galaxies in the SDSS. Black holes in quasars can have M[subscript BH]exceeding 5 billion M[mass compared to the sun], implying [sigma subscript asterisk] > 500 km s−1 by the local M[subscript BH]- [sigma subscript asterisk] relationship. We present high signal-to-noise HET observations for eight galaxies at redshift z < 0.3 from the SDSS showing large [sigma subscript asterisk] while appearing to be single galaxies in HST images. The maximum velocity dispersion we find is [sigma subscript asterisk] = 444 km s−1, suggesting either that quasar black hole masses are overestimated or that the black hole - bulge relationship changes at high black hole mass. The third topic involves work contributed to co-authored papers, including: (1) evidence for recoiling black holes in SDSS quasars, (2) the [sigma][O III] - [sigma subscript asterisk] relationship in active galactic nuclei (AGN), and (3) accretion disk temperatures and continuum colors in quasars. Lastly, we discuss research in progress, including: (1) possible physical influences on the width of narrow emission lines of SDSS AGN, including the gravitational effect of the black hole, and (2) a search for binary AGN in the SDSS using double-peaked [O III] emission lines.Item Exploring AGN and star formation activity of massive galaxies at cosmic noon(2020-08-17) Florez, Jonathan; Jogee, Shardha; Boylan-Kolchin, MichaelWe investigate the relation between AGN and star formation (SF) activity at 0.5 < z < 3 by analyzing 898 galaxies with X-ray luminous AGN (L [subscript x] > 10⁴⁴ erg s⁻¹) and a large comparison sample of ~ 320,000 galaxies without X-ray luminous AGN. Our samples are selected from a large (11.8 deg²) area in Stripe 82 that has multi-wavelength (X-ray to far-IR) data. The enormous comoving volume (~ 0.3 Gpc³) at 0.5 < z < 3 minimizes the effects of cosmic variance and captures a large number of massive galaxies (~ 30,000 galaxies with M [subscript *] > 10¹¹ \ [solar mass]) and X-ray luminous AGN. While many galaxy studies discard AGN hosts, we fit the SED of galaxies with and without X-ray luminous AGN with Code Investigating GALaxy Emission (CIGALE) and include AGN emission templates. We find that without this inclusion, stellar masses and star formation rates (SFRs) in AGN host galaxies can be overestimated, on average, by factors of up to ~ 5 and ~ 10, respectively. The average SFR of galaxies with X-ray luminous AGN is higher by a factor of ~ 3 to 10 compared to galaxies without X-ray luminous AGN at fixed stellar mass and redshift, suggesting that high SFRs and high AGN X-ray luminosities may be fueled by common mechanisms. The vast majority (> 95%) of galaxies with X-ray luminous AGN at z = 0.5 - 3 do not show quenched SF: this suggests that if AGN feedback quenches SF, the associated quenching process takes a significant time to act and the quenched phase sets in after the highly luminous phases of AGN activity.Item No evidence for millimeter continuum source overdensities in the environments of z [greater than approximately] 6 quasars(2018-09-05) Champagne, Jaclyn Bradli; Casey, Caitlin M.Bright high-redshift quasars (z > 6), hosting supermassive black holes (M [subscript BH] > 10⁸M [subscript circled dot]), are expected to reside in massive host galaxies embedded within some of the earliest, most massive galaxy overdensities. We analyze 1.2mm ALMA dust continuum maps of 35 bright quasars at 6 < z < 7 and search the primary beam for excess continuum emission as evidence for early protoclusters. We compare the detection rates of continuum sources at [greater than or equal to] 5σ significance in the fields surrounding the quasars (A [subscript eff] = 4.3 arcmin²) with millimeter number counts in blank field surveys. We discover 15 sources in the fields (excluding the quasars themselves), corresponding to an overdensity δ [subscript gal] [triple bar] (N [subscript gal] – N [subscript exp]) / N [subscript exp] = -0.07 ± 0.56, consistent with no detected overdensity of dusty galaxies within 140 physical kpc of the quasars. However, the apparent lack of continuum overdensity does not negate the hypothesis that quasars live in overdense environments, as evidenced by strong [CII] overdensities found on the same scales to similarly-selected quasars. The small field of view of ALMA could miss a true overdensity if it exists on scales larger than 1 cMpc, if the quasar is not centered in the overdensity, or if quasar feedback plays a role close to the quasar, but it is most likely that the large line of sight volume probed by a continuum survey will wash out a true overdensity signal.Item Unification of QSOs via black hole and accretion properties(2004-08) Yuan, Michael Juntao; Wills, Beverley J.; Evans, Neal J.Although the orientation-based AGN unification scheme can successfully explain many QSO observational phenomena, orientation does not address all the object-to-object differences in QSOs. Physical differences of the underlying engine, such as luminosity, black hole mass (MBH) and Eddington ratio (L/LEdd), are crucial to our understanding of QSO central engines. Broad Absorption Line (BAL) QSOs are a particularly interesting type of QSO that exhibits both orientation and intrinsic property-related observational features. In this thesis, I studied a large QSO sample, including 16 BAL QSOs at z ∼ 2, with new spectroscopy data for the Hβ region. This sample covers a luminosity range substantially wider than similar studies in the past and hence enables us to differentiate luminosity from other underlying mechanisms driving QSO observational properties. I found that overall, QSOs accrete at close to Eddington rate. Due to the narrow range of L/LEdd, the QSO luminosity is almost directly proportional to the MBH. The slight increase of L/LEdd at high luminosity suggests that the QSO MBH distribution has a high mass cut-off near 109M¯. Compared with radio quiet QSOs, radio loud QSOs tend to have higher MBH for the same luminosity. The [O iii] versus Fe ii anti-correlation discovered from low luminosity QSOs (BGEV1) extends to high luminosity objects with BAL QSOs at the weak [O iii] strong Fe ii end of the trend, and radio loud QSOs at strong [O iii] weak Fe ii end of the trend. Both [O iii] and Fe ii strengths are well correlated with L/LEdd over the entire luminosity range, indicating that L/LEdd is the physical driver behind the BGEV1 correlations. Although BAL QSOs have higher L/LEdd than most QSOs, they do not stand out when compared with high luminosity non-BAL QSOs. One interpretation is that [O iii] and Fe ii are indirectly linked to L/LEdd via the availability of accretion fuel. Even with the expanded luminosity coverage, I could not confirm the existence of an Hβ Baldwin Effect. An [O iii] ”Baldwin Effect” is observed, suggesting a limited amount of [O iii] NLR gas in all QSO systems.