Related papers: Can the soft X-ray opacity towards high redshift s…
The Parkes Half-Jansky Flat Spectrum Sample contains a large number of sources with unusually red optical-to-near-infrared continua. If this is to be interpreted as extinction by dust in the line-of-sight, then associated material might…
A measure of the average depression between Lyman absorption lines in the spectrum of the faint quasar BR1202-0725 ($z_{em}=4.695$) is presented. The relatively high resolution of the spectrum ($\sim 40$ km s$^{-1}$) allows the selection of…
Highly radio-loud quasars (HRLQs; $\log R>2.5$) at $z\gtrsim 4$ show apparent enhanced X-ray emission compared to matched HRLQs at lower redshifts, perhaps due to a redshift-dependent fractional contribution to the X-ray luminosity from…
We compare the properties of optically dark GRBs, defined by the optical-to-X-ray spectral index beta_OX<0.5, and normal ones discovered by the Swift satellite before the year 2008 in a statistical way, using data collected from the…
The current census of observed baryons in the local Universe is still missing a significant fraction of them according to standard Big-Bang nucleosynthesis. Numerical simulations predict that most of the missing baryons are in a hot…
GRB absorption spectroscopy opened up a new window in the study of the high redshift Universe, especially with the launch of the Swift satellite and the quick and precise localization of the afterglow. Eight-meter class telescopes can be…
We present high signal-to-noise ratio Gemini and MMT spectroscopy of the optical afterglow of the gamma-ray burst (GRB) 130606A at redshift z=5.913, discovered by Swift. This is the first high-redshift GRB afterglow to have spectra of…
We explore the X-ray properties of optically selected QSOs spectroscopically identified in the course of the 2dF QSO survey (2QZ). Our main goal is to expand to higher redshifts previous findings suggesting the presence of a fraction of…
The gamma-ray emission from Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars (FSRQs), a sub-class of blazars, is believed to be generated through interactions of high-energy leptons and/or hadrons in the jet with the ambient photon fields, including those from…
Recent studies have revealed a dynamic interplay between the galaxy ecosystem and the circumgalactic medium (CGM). We investigate the CGM at high redshifts (z $\gtrsim$ 2) by using bright afterglows of gamma-ray bursts (GRB) as background…
The reionisation of the Universe is thought to have ended around z~6, as inferred from spectroscopy of distant bright background sources, such as quasars (QSO) and gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows. Furthermore, spectroscopy of a GRB…
We present optical and near-infrared (NIR) photometry of 28 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected by the \textit{Swift} satellite and rapidly observed by the Reionization and Transients Infrared/Optical (RATIR) camera. We compare the optical…
We study the XMM-Newton spectra of a sample of 32 soft X-ray selected QSOs. Our goal is to check, using the spectra of moderate redshift (z~1.5), faint (f (0.2-8 keV) > 5x10^-15 cgs) broad-line QSOs, previous claims for either significant…
We report on a survey for associated HI 21-cm and OH 18-cm absorption with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope at redshifts z = 0.2-0.4. Although the low redshift selection ensures that our targets are below the critical ultra-violet…
We performed a study of high redshift ($z>2$) quasars, looking for the main differences between Radio Loud Quasars (RLQ) and Radio Quiet Quasars (RQQ) in the X-ray band. Our sample of 472 RQQ and 81 RLQ was selected by cross-matching the…
The X-ray luminosity function of distant (3<z<5.1) unabsorbed quasars has been measured. A sample of distant high-luminosity quasars ($10^{45} \leq L_{{\rm X},2-10} < 7.5 \times 10^{45}$ erg/s in the 2--10 keV energy band) from the catalog…
This paper reports the X-ray spectral analysis of 5 high-redshift (z \ge 2) radio-quiet quasars observed by ASCA. A simple power law continuum plus cold Galactic absorption model well fits all the spectra (tipically between $\sim$ 2-30 keV…
We present the final results of a ROSAT PSPC program to study the soft X-ray emission properties of a complete sample of low $z$ quasars. The main results are: 1. There is no evidence for significant soft excess emission or excess…
We present initial results from an exploratory X-ray monitoring project of two groups of comparably luminous radio-quiet quasars (RQQs). The first consists of four sources at 4.10 <= z <= 4.35, monitored by Chandra, and the second is a…
XMM-Newton observations of 29 high redshift (z>2) quasars, including seven radio-quiet, 16 radio-loud and six Broad Absorption Line (BAL) objects, are presented; due to the high redshifts, the rest-frame energy bands extend up to \~30-70…