Discovery of 16 new z ∼ 5.5 quasars: filling in the redshift gap of quasar color selection
We present initial results from the first systematic survey of luminous z ∼ 5.5 quasars. Quasars at z ∼ 5.5, the post-reionization epoch, are crucial tools to explore the evolution of intergalactic medium, quasar evolution, and the early super-massive black hole growth. However, it has been very cha...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
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American Astronomical Society
2017
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/42339/ |
| _version_ | 1848796466262310912 |
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| author | Yang, Jinyi Fan, Xiaohui Wu, Xue-Bing Wang, Feige Bian, Fuyan Yang, Qian McGreer, Ian D. Yi, Weimin Jiang, Linhua Green, Richard Yue, Minghao Wang, Shu Li, Zefeng Ding, Jiani Dye, S. Lawrence, Andy |
| author_facet | Yang, Jinyi Fan, Xiaohui Wu, Xue-Bing Wang, Feige Bian, Fuyan Yang, Qian McGreer, Ian D. Yi, Weimin Jiang, Linhua Green, Richard Yue, Minghao Wang, Shu Li, Zefeng Ding, Jiani Dye, S. Lawrence, Andy |
| author_sort | Yang, Jinyi |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | We present initial results from the first systematic survey of luminous z ∼ 5.5 quasars. Quasars at z ∼ 5.5, the post-reionization epoch, are crucial tools to explore the evolution of intergalactic medium, quasar evolution, and the early super-massive black hole growth. However, it has been very challenging to select quasars at redshifts 5.3 ≤ z ≤ 5.7 using conventional color selections, due to their similar optical colors to late-type stars, especially M dwarfs, resulting in a glaring redshift gap in quasar redshift distributions. We develop a new selection technique for z ∼ 5.5 quasars based on optical, near-IR, and mid-IR photometric data from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), UKIRT InfraRed Deep Sky Surveys—Large Area Survey (ULAS), VISTA Hemisphere Survey (VHS), and Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer. From our pilot observations in the SDSS-ULAS/VHS area, we have discovered 15 new quasars at 5.3 ≤ z ≤ 5.7 and 6 new lower redshift quasars, with SDSS z band magnitude brighter than 20.5. Including other two z ∼ 5.5 quasars already published in our previous work, we now construct a uniform quasar sample at 5.3 ≤ z ≤ 5.7, with 17 quasars in a ∼4800 square degree survey area. For further application in a larger survey area, we apply our selection pipeline to do a test selection by using the new wide field J-band photometric data from a preliminary version of the UKIRT Hemisphere Survey (UHS). We successfully discover the first UHS selected z ∼ 5.5 quasar. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:48:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-42339 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:48:26Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | American Astronomical Society |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-423392020-05-04T18:39:59Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/42339/ Discovery of 16 new z ∼ 5.5 quasars: filling in the redshift gap of quasar color selection Yang, Jinyi Fan, Xiaohui Wu, Xue-Bing Wang, Feige Bian, Fuyan Yang, Qian McGreer, Ian D. Yi, Weimin Jiang, Linhua Green, Richard Yue, Minghao Wang, Shu Li, Zefeng Ding, Jiani Dye, S. Lawrence, Andy We present initial results from the first systematic survey of luminous z ∼ 5.5 quasars. Quasars at z ∼ 5.5, the post-reionization epoch, are crucial tools to explore the evolution of intergalactic medium, quasar evolution, and the early super-massive black hole growth. However, it has been very challenging to select quasars at redshifts 5.3 ≤ z ≤ 5.7 using conventional color selections, due to their similar optical colors to late-type stars, especially M dwarfs, resulting in a glaring redshift gap in quasar redshift distributions. We develop a new selection technique for z ∼ 5.5 quasars based on optical, near-IR, and mid-IR photometric data from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), UKIRT InfraRed Deep Sky Surveys—Large Area Survey (ULAS), VISTA Hemisphere Survey (VHS), and Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer. From our pilot observations in the SDSS-ULAS/VHS area, we have discovered 15 new quasars at 5.3 ≤ z ≤ 5.7 and 6 new lower redshift quasars, with SDSS z band magnitude brighter than 20.5. Including other two z ∼ 5.5 quasars already published in our previous work, we now construct a uniform quasar sample at 5.3 ≤ z ≤ 5.7, with 17 quasars in a ∼4800 square degree survey area. For further application in a larger survey area, we apply our selection pipeline to do a test selection by using the new wide field J-band photometric data from a preliminary version of the UKIRT Hemisphere Survey (UHS). We successfully discover the first UHS selected z ∼ 5.5 quasar. American Astronomical Society 2017-03-30 Article PeerReviewed Yang, Jinyi, Fan, Xiaohui, Wu, Xue-Bing, Wang, Feige, Bian, Fuyan, Yang, Qian, McGreer, Ian D., Yi, Weimin, Jiang, Linhua, Green, Richard, Yue, Minghao, Wang, Shu, Li, Zefeng, Ding, Jiani, Dye, S. and Lawrence, Andy (2017) Discovery of 16 new z ∼ 5.5 quasars: filling in the redshift gap of quasar color selection. Astronomical Journal, 153 (4). p. 184. ISSN 1538-3881 Galaxies: active; Galaxies: high-redshift; Quasars: emission lines; Quasars: general http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/aa6577/meta doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aa6577 doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aa6577 |
| spellingShingle | Galaxies: active; Galaxies: high-redshift; Quasars: emission lines; Quasars: general Yang, Jinyi Fan, Xiaohui Wu, Xue-Bing Wang, Feige Bian, Fuyan Yang, Qian McGreer, Ian D. Yi, Weimin Jiang, Linhua Green, Richard Yue, Minghao Wang, Shu Li, Zefeng Ding, Jiani Dye, S. Lawrence, Andy Discovery of 16 new z ∼ 5.5 quasars: filling in the redshift gap of quasar color selection |
| title | Discovery of 16 new z ∼ 5.5 quasars: filling in the redshift gap of quasar color selection |
| title_full | Discovery of 16 new z ∼ 5.5 quasars: filling in the redshift gap of quasar color selection |
| title_fullStr | Discovery of 16 new z ∼ 5.5 quasars: filling in the redshift gap of quasar color selection |
| title_full_unstemmed | Discovery of 16 new z ∼ 5.5 quasars: filling in the redshift gap of quasar color selection |
| title_short | Discovery of 16 new z ∼ 5.5 quasars: filling in the redshift gap of quasar color selection |
| title_sort | discovery of 16 new z ∼ 5.5 quasars: filling in the redshift gap of quasar color selection |
| topic | Galaxies: active; Galaxies: high-redshift; Quasars: emission lines; Quasars: general |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/42339/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/42339/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/42339/ |