Related papers: Decoding quasars: gravitationally redshifted spect…
Using Voigt-profile-fitting procedures on Keck HIRES spectra of nine QSOs we identify 1099 CIV absorber components clumped in 201 systems outside the Lyman forest over 1.6 < z < 4.4. With associated SiIV, CII, SiII and NV where available we…
Quasars trace the most massive structures at high redshifts and their presence may influence the evolution of the massive host galaxies. We study the extended Lyman alpha emission line regions (EELRs) around seven bright, mostly radio-quiet…
The matter density field at $z\sim 6$ is very challenging to probe. One of the traditional probes of the low density IGM that works successfully at lower redshifts is the Lyman-alpha forest in quasar spectra. However, at the end of…
Observed magnitudes of many quasars with redshifts exceeding $z=5$ correspond to luminosities $L_{\rm bol} > 10^{14}\,L_\odot$. The standard mechanism of quasar energy release by accretion suggests that masses of superluminous quasars…
Absorption spectroscopy of gravitationally lensed quasars (GLQs) enables study of spatial variations in the interstellar and/or circumgalactic medium of foreground galaxies. We report observations of 4 GLQs, each with two images separated…
Quasars are the most luminous sources in the Universe. They are currently observed out to redshift z ~ 7 when the Universe was less than one tenth of its present age. Since their discovery 50 years ago astronomers have dreamed of using them…
Combining large-area optical quasar surveys with the new far-infrared Herschel-ATLAS Data Release 1, we search for an observational signature associated with the minority of quasars possessing bright far-infrared (FIR) luminosities. We find…
Insight into quasar ages may be obtained from the proximity effect, but so far only in a limited number of bright quasars. Based on ~2600 SDSS quasar spectra at 2.5 <= z <= 3.5, a search for spectral voids between Ly-alpha forest lines…
Observational evidence revealing the main mechanisms that accelerate quasar outflows has proven difficult to obtain, due to the complexity of the absorption features that this gas produces in the spectra of the emission sources. We build 36…
We present new spectroscopic observations of the quasar Q2059-360, confirming the existence of an emission feature within the Damped Lyman Alpha (DLA) absorption trough. By observing also at slit positions offset from the quasar, we show…
Damped Lyman-alpha systems seen in spectra of background quasars are generally thought to represent high redshift counterparts of present-day galaxies. We summarize observations of heavy element abundances in damped Lyman-alpha systems. The…
Based on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 16, we have detected the large-scale structure of Ly$\alpha$ emission in the Universe at redshifts $z = 2$--3.5 by cross-correlating quasar positions and Ly$\alpha$ emission imprinted in…
We present a model for the Lyman-alpha absorbers that treats all objects (from the low-density forest clouds to the dense damped systems) in a unified description. This approach is consistent with an earlier model of galaxies (luminosity…
We present the Lyman-$\alpha$ flux power spectrum measurements of the XQ-100 sample of quasar spectra obtained in the context of the European Southern Observatory Large Programme "Quasars and their absorption lines: a legacy survey of the…
In light of recent successes in measuring baryon acoustic oscillations in quasar absorption using the Lyman $\alpha$ (Ly$\alpha$) transition, I explore the possibility of using the 1548\AA\ transition of triply ionized carbon (C IV) as a…
We have obtained high signal:to:noise optical spectroscopy at 5\AA\ resolution of 27 quasars from the APM z$>$4 quasar survey. The spectra have been analyzed to create new samples of high redshift Lyman-limit and damped Lyman-$\alpha$…
In this work we shall sketch a further piece of evidence for the plausibility of hypothesis of galactic origin of Ly-$\alpha$ forest absorption systems. Two basic premises of our discussion are (1) HDF redshift surface densities in the…
The distribution on the sky of clusters of galaxies shows significant association with relatively nearby, large, active galaxies. The pattern is that of clusters paired equidistant across a central galaxy with the apparent magnitudes and…
We describe initial results of a search for redshifted molecular absorption toward four millimetre-loud, optically faint quasars. A wide frequency bandwidth of up to 23 GHz per quasar was scanned using the Swedish-ESO Sub-millimetre…
Quasar outflows carry mass, momentum and energy into the surrounding environment, and have long been considered a potential key factor in regulating the growth of supermassive black holes and the evolution of their host galaxies. A crucial…