The 1 < z < 5 infrared luminosity function of type I quasars

Michael J.I. Brown; Kate Brand; Arjun Dey; Buell T. Jannuzi; Richard Cool; Emeric Le Floc'h; Christopher S. Kochanek; Lee Armus; Chao Bian; Jim Higdon; Sarah Higdon; Casey Papovich; George Rieke; Marcia Rieke; J. D. Smith; B. T. Soifer; Dan Weedman

doi:10.1086/498843

The 1 < z < 5 infrared luminosity function of type I quasars

Michael J.I. Brown, Kate Brand, Arjun Dey, Buell T. Jannuzi, Richard Cool, Emeric Le Floc'h, Christopher S. Kochanek, Lee Armus, Chao Bian, Jim Higdon, Sarah Higdon, Casey Papovich, George Rieke, Marcia Rieke, J. D. Smith, B. T. Soifer, Dan Weedman

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Abstract

We determine the rest-frame 8 μm luminosity function of type I quasars over the redshift range 1 < z < 5. Our sample consists of 292 24 μm sources brighter than 1 mJy selected from 7.17 deg² of the Spitzer Space Telescope MIPS survey of the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey Bootes field. The AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey (AGES) has measured redshifts for 270 of the R < 21.7 sources, and we estimate that the contamination of the remaining 22 sources by stars and galaxies is low. We are able to select quasars missed by ultraviolet excess quasar surveys, including reddened type I quasars and 2.2 < z < 3.0 quasars with optical colors similar to main-sequence stars. We find that reddened type I quasars comprise ∼20% of the type I quasar population. Nonetheless, the shape, normalization, and evolution of the rest-frame 8 μm luminosity function are comparable to those of quasars selected from optical surveys. The 8 μm luminosity function of type I quasars is well approximated by a power law with index -2.75 ± 0.14. We directly measure the peak of the quasar space density to be at z = 2.6 ± 0.3.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	88-99
Number of pages	12
Journal	Astrophysical Journal
Volume	638
Issue number	1 I
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1086/498843
State	Published - Feb 10 2006

Keywords

Quasars: general
Surveys

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Astronomy and Astrophysics
Space and Planetary Science

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10.1086/498843

Cite this

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title = "The 1 < z < 5 infrared luminosity function of type I quasars",

abstract = "We determine the rest-frame 8 μm luminosity function of type I quasars over the redshift range 1 < z < 5. Our sample consists of 292 24 μm sources brighter than 1 mJy selected from 7.17 deg2 of the Spitzer Space Telescope MIPS survey of the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey Bootes field. The AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey (AGES) has measured redshifts for 270 of the R < 21.7 sources, and we estimate that the contamination of the remaining 22 sources by stars and galaxies is low. We are able to select quasars missed by ultraviolet excess quasar surveys, including reddened type I quasars and 2.2 < z < 3.0 quasars with optical colors similar to main-sequence stars. We find that reddened type I quasars comprise ∼20% of the type I quasar population. Nonetheless, the shape, normalization, and evolution of the rest-frame 8 μm luminosity function are comparable to those of quasars selected from optical surveys. The 8 μm luminosity function of type I quasars is well approximated by a power law with index -2.75 ± 0.14. We directly measure the peak of the quasar space density to be at z = 2.6 ± 0.3.",

keywords = "Quasars: general, Surveys",

author = "Brown, {Michael J.I.} and Kate Brand and Arjun Dey and Jannuzi, {Buell T.} and Richard Cool and {Le Floc'h}, Emeric and Kochanek, {Christopher S.} and Lee Armus and Chao Bian and Jim Higdon and Sarah Higdon and Casey Papovich and George Rieke and Marcia Rieke and Smith, {J. D.} and Soifer, {B. T.} and Dan Weedman",

year = "2006",

month = feb,

day = "10",

doi = "10.1086/498843",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "638",

pages = "88--99",

journal = "Astrophysical Journal",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - The 1 < z < 5 infrared luminosity function of type I quasars

AU - Brown, Michael J.I.

AU - Brand, Kate

AU - Dey, Arjun

AU - Jannuzi, Buell T.

AU - Cool, Richard

AU - Le Floc'h, Emeric

AU - Kochanek, Christopher S.

AU - Armus, Lee

AU - Bian, Chao

AU - Higdon, Jim

AU - Higdon, Sarah

AU - Papovich, Casey

AU - Rieke, George

AU - Rieke, Marcia

AU - Smith, J. D.

AU - Soifer, B. T.

AU - Weedman, Dan

PY - 2006/2/10

Y1 - 2006/2/10

N2 - We determine the rest-frame 8 μm luminosity function of type I quasars over the redshift range 1 < z < 5. Our sample consists of 292 24 μm sources brighter than 1 mJy selected from 7.17 deg2 of the Spitzer Space Telescope MIPS survey of the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey Bootes field. The AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey (AGES) has measured redshifts for 270 of the R < 21.7 sources, and we estimate that the contamination of the remaining 22 sources by stars and galaxies is low. We are able to select quasars missed by ultraviolet excess quasar surveys, including reddened type I quasars and 2.2 < z < 3.0 quasars with optical colors similar to main-sequence stars. We find that reddened type I quasars comprise ∼20% of the type I quasar population. Nonetheless, the shape, normalization, and evolution of the rest-frame 8 μm luminosity function are comparable to those of quasars selected from optical surveys. The 8 μm luminosity function of type I quasars is well approximated by a power law with index -2.75 ± 0.14. We directly measure the peak of the quasar space density to be at z = 2.6 ± 0.3.

AB - We determine the rest-frame 8 μm luminosity function of type I quasars over the redshift range 1 < z < 5. Our sample consists of 292 24 μm sources brighter than 1 mJy selected from 7.17 deg2 of the Spitzer Space Telescope MIPS survey of the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey Bootes field. The AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey (AGES) has measured redshifts for 270 of the R < 21.7 sources, and we estimate that the contamination of the remaining 22 sources by stars and galaxies is low. We are able to select quasars missed by ultraviolet excess quasar surveys, including reddened type I quasars and 2.2 < z < 3.0 quasars with optical colors similar to main-sequence stars. We find that reddened type I quasars comprise ∼20% of the type I quasar population. Nonetheless, the shape, normalization, and evolution of the rest-frame 8 μm luminosity function are comparable to those of quasars selected from optical surveys. The 8 μm luminosity function of type I quasars is well approximated by a power law with index -2.75 ± 0.14. We directly measure the peak of the quasar space density to be at z = 2.6 ± 0.3.

KW - Quasars: general

KW - Surveys

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ER -

The 1 < z < 5 infrared luminosity function of type I quasars

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