High-redshift sdss quasars with weak emission lines

Aleksandar M. Diamond-Stanic; Xiaohui Fan; W. N. Brandt; Ohad Shemmer; Michael A. Strauss; Scott F. Anderson; Christopher L. Carilli; Robert R. Gibson; Linhua Jiang; J. Serena Kim; Gordon T. Richards; Gary D. Schmidt; Donald P. Schneider; Yue Shen; Paul S. Smith; Marianne Vestergaard; Jason E. Young

doi:10.1088/0004-637X/699/1/782

High-redshift sdss quasars with weak emission lines

Aleksandar M. Diamond-Stanic, Xiaohui Fan, W. N. Brandt, Ohad Shemmer, Michael A. Strauss, Scott F. Anderson, Christopher L. Carilli, Robert R. Gibson, Linhua Jiang, J. Serena Kim, Gordon T. Richards, Gary D. Schmidt, Donald P. Schneider, Yue Shen, Paul S. Smith, Marianne Vestergaard, Jason E. Young

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132 Scopus citations

Abstract

We identify a sample of 74 high-redshift quasars (z > 3) with weak emission lines from the Fifth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and present infrared, optical, and radio observations of a subsample of four objects at z > 4. These weak emission-line quasars (WLQs) constitute a prominent tail of the Lyα + N v equivalent width distribution, and we compare them to quasars with more typical emission-line properties and to low-redshift active galactic nuclei with weak/absent emission lines, namely BL Lac objects. We find that WLQs exhibit hot (T 1000K) thermal dust emission and have rest-frame 0.1-5 μm spectral energy distributions that are quite similar to those of normal quasars. The variability, polarization, and radio properties of WLQs are also different from those of BL Lacs, making continuum boosting by a relativistic jet an unlikely physical interpretation. The most probable scenario for WLQs involves broad-line region properties that are physically distinct from those of normal quasars.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	782-799
Number of pages	18
Journal	Astrophysical Journal
Volume	699
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/699/1/782
State	Published - 2009

Keywords

Quasars: emission lines
Quasars: general

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Astronomy and Astrophysics
Space and Planetary Science

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10.1088/0004-637X/699/1/782

Cite this

Diamond-Stanic, A. M., Fan, X., Brandt, W. N., Shemmer, O., Strauss, M. A., Anderson, S. F., Carilli, C. L., Gibson, R. R., Jiang, L., Kim, J. S., Richards, G. T., Schmidt, G. D., Schneider, D. P., Shen, Y., Smith, P. S., Vestergaard, M., & Young, J. E. (2009). High-redshift sdss quasars with weak emission lines. Astrophysical Journal, 699(1), 782-799. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/699/1/782

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title = "High-redshift sdss quasars with weak emission lines",

abstract = "We identify a sample of 74 high-redshift quasars (z > 3) with weak emission lines from the Fifth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and present infrared, optical, and radio observations of a subsample of four objects at z > 4. These weak emission-line quasars (WLQs) constitute a prominent tail of the Lyα + N v equivalent width distribution, and we compare them to quasars with more typical emission-line properties and to low-redshift active galactic nuclei with weak/absent emission lines, namely BL Lac objects. We find that WLQs exhibit hot (T 1000K) thermal dust emission and have rest-frame 0.1-5 μm spectral energy distributions that are quite similar to those of normal quasars. The variability, polarization, and radio properties of WLQs are also different from those of BL Lacs, making continuum boosting by a relativistic jet an unlikely physical interpretation. The most probable scenario for WLQs involves broad-line region properties that are physically distinct from those of normal quasars.",

keywords = "Quasars: emission lines, Quasars: general",

author = "Diamond-Stanic, {Aleksandar M.} and Xiaohui Fan and Brandt, {W. N.} and Ohad Shemmer and Strauss, {Michael A.} and Anderson, {Scott F.} and Carilli, {Christopher L.} and Gibson, {Robert R.} and Linhua Jiang and Kim, {J. Serena} and Richards, {Gordon T.} and Schmidt, {Gary D.} and Schneider, {Donald P.} and Yue Shen and Smith, {Paul S.} and Marianne Vestergaard and Young, {Jason E.}",

year = "2009",

doi = "10.1088/0004-637X/699/1/782",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "699",

pages = "782--799",

journal = "Astrophysical Journal",

issn = "0004-637X",

publisher = "American Astronomical Society",

number = "1",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - High-redshift sdss quasars with weak emission lines

AU - Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar M.

AU - Fan, Xiaohui

AU - Brandt, W. N.

AU - Shemmer, Ohad

AU - Strauss, Michael A.

AU - Anderson, Scott F.

AU - Carilli, Christopher L.

AU - Gibson, Robert R.

AU - Jiang, Linhua

AU - Kim, J. Serena

AU - Richards, Gordon T.

AU - Schmidt, Gary D.

AU - Schneider, Donald P.

AU - Shen, Yue

AU - Smith, Paul S.

AU - Vestergaard, Marianne

AU - Young, Jason E.

PY - 2009

Y1 - 2009

N2 - We identify a sample of 74 high-redshift quasars (z > 3) with weak emission lines from the Fifth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and present infrared, optical, and radio observations of a subsample of four objects at z > 4. These weak emission-line quasars (WLQs) constitute a prominent tail of the Lyα + N v equivalent width distribution, and we compare them to quasars with more typical emission-line properties and to low-redshift active galactic nuclei with weak/absent emission lines, namely BL Lac objects. We find that WLQs exhibit hot (T 1000K) thermal dust emission and have rest-frame 0.1-5 μm spectral energy distributions that are quite similar to those of normal quasars. The variability, polarization, and radio properties of WLQs are also different from those of BL Lacs, making continuum boosting by a relativistic jet an unlikely physical interpretation. The most probable scenario for WLQs involves broad-line region properties that are physically distinct from those of normal quasars.

AB - We identify a sample of 74 high-redshift quasars (z > 3) with weak emission lines from the Fifth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and present infrared, optical, and radio observations of a subsample of four objects at z > 4. These weak emission-line quasars (WLQs) constitute a prominent tail of the Lyα + N v equivalent width distribution, and we compare them to quasars with more typical emission-line properties and to low-redshift active galactic nuclei with weak/absent emission lines, namely BL Lac objects. We find that WLQs exhibit hot (T 1000K) thermal dust emission and have rest-frame 0.1-5 μm spectral energy distributions that are quite similar to those of normal quasars. The variability, polarization, and radio properties of WLQs are also different from those of BL Lacs, making continuum boosting by a relativistic jet an unlikely physical interpretation. The most probable scenario for WLQs involves broad-line region properties that are physically distinct from those of normal quasars.

KW - Quasars: emission lines

KW - Quasars: general

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JO - Astrophysical Journal

JF - Astrophysical Journal

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ER -

High-redshift sdss quasars with weak emission lines

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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High-redshift SDSS-DR5 QSOs

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High-redshift sdss quasars with weak emission lines

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Datasets

High-redshift SDSS-DR5 QSOs

Cite this