High-redshift QSOs in the FIRST survey
Abstract
In a pilot search for high-redshift radio QSOs, we have obtained spectra of 55 FIRST sources (S(1.4GHz) > 1 mJy) with very red (O-E > 3) starlike optical identifications. 10 of the candidates are QSOs with redshifts 3.6 < z < 4.4 (4 previously known), six with z > 4. The remaining 45 candidates comprise: a z = 2.6 BAL QSO; 3 low-redshift galaxies with narrow emission lines; 18 probable radio galaxies; and 23 M stars (mainly misidentifications). The success rate (high-redshift QSOs / spectroscopically-observed candidates) for this search is 1/2 for S(1.4GHz) > 10 mJy, and 1/9 for S(1.4GHz) > 1 mJy. With an effective search area of 4030 deg^2, the surface density of high-redshift (z > 4) QSOs discovered with this technique is 0.0015 deg^-2.
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0109313,
title = {High-redshift QSOs in the FIRST survey},
author = {C. R. Benn and M. Vigotti and M. Pedani and J. Holt and K. -H. Mack and R. Curran and S. F. Sanchez},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0109313},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
7 pages, including 5 figures