Related papers: Exploring Low Luminosity Quasar Diversity at z ~ 2…
[Abridged] Context: The advent of 8-10m class telescopes makes possible for the first time detailed comparison of quasars with similar luminosity and very different redshifts. Aims: A search for z-dependent gradients in line emission…
We study the observational signatures of a potential population of low-luminosity quasars at high redshifts in a LambdaCDM cosmology. We derive the evolution of the quasar luminosity function at fainter luminosities and higher redshifts…
We present the results of a multi-colour (VIZ) survey for low luminosity (M_B<-23.5) quasars with z~5 using the 12K CCD mosaic camera on CFHT. The survey covers 1.8deg^2 to a limiting magnitude of m_z=22.5(Vega), about two magnitudes…
We present our first results of the survey for high redshift quasars at $5 \lesssim {\rm z} \lesssim 5.7$. The search for quasars in this redshift range has been known to be challenging due to limitations of filter sets used in previous…
High-redshift quasars are currently the only probes of the growth of supermassive black holes and potential tracers of structure evolution at early cosmic time. Here we present our candidate selection criteria from the Panoramic Survey…
Low-frequency radio surveys are ideal for selecting orientation-independent samples of extragalactic sources because the sample members are selected by virtue of their isotropic steep-spectrum extended emission. We use the new 7C Redshift…
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…
We present the final results from our survey of luminous $z \sim $ 5.5 quasars. This is the first systematic quasar survey focusing on quasars at $z \sim$ 5.5, during the post-reionization epoch. It has been challenging to select quasars at…
The faint-end slope of the quasar luminosity function at z~6 and its implication on the role of quasars in reionizing the intergalactic medium at early times has been an outstanding problem for some time. The identification of faint…
High redshift quasars ($z>5$) that also shine brightly at radio wavelengths are unique signposts of supermassive black hole activity in the early universe. However, bright radio sources at $z\ge5$ are extremely rare and therefore we have…
We report initial results from a large Gemini program to observe z>~5.7 quasars with GNIRS near-IR spectroscopy. Our sample includes 50 quasars with simultaneous ~0.85-2.5 micron spectra covering the rest-frame ultraviolet and major broad…
We present broad band imaging observations obtained with the ``peak up'' imagers of the Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) at wavelengths of 16micron and 22micron for a number of sources detected primarily at submillimeter…
We investigate the high-redshift quasar luminosity function (QLF) down to an apparent magnitude of I(AB) = 25 in the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS). Careful analysis of the extensive COSMOS photometry and imaging data allows us to…
We report the first results of an observational program designed to determine the luminosity density of high redshift quasars (z > 5 quasars) using deep multi-colour CCD data. We report the discovery and spectra of 3 i < 21.5 high redshift…
We present near-IR images of five luminous quasars at z~2 and one at z~4 obtained with an experimental adaptive optics instrument at the ESO Very Large Telescope. The observations are part of a program aimed at demonstrating the…
We present spectroscopic observations of a sample of faint Gigahertz Peaked Spectrum (GPS) radio sources drawn from the Westerbork Northern Sky Survey (WENSS). Redshifts have been determined for 19 (40%) of the objects. The optical spectra…
We present the results from a survey of i-dropout objects selected from ~1550 deg^2 of multicolor imaging data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, to search for luminous quasars at z>5.8. Objects with i*-z*>2.2 and z*<20.2 are selected, and…
The quasar sample selected by cross-correlating the FIRST and the 2dF Quasar Redshift Surveys allows us to explore, for the first time, the faint end of the radio and optical luminosity functions up to z = 2.2. We find indications (~3…
Submillimeter (and in some cases millimeter) wavelength continuum measurements are presented for a sample of 40 active galactic nuclei (probably all quasars) lensed by foreground galaxies. The object of this study is to use the lensing…
The identifications of quasars in the redshift range 2.2<z<3 are known to be very inefficient as their optical colors are indistinguishable from those of stars. Recent studies have proposed to use optical variability or near-IR colors to…