Related papers: The quasar main sequence and its potential for cos…
We review past work using broad emission lines as virial estimators of black hole masses in quasars. Basically one requires estimates of the emitting region radius and virial velocity dispersion to obtain black hole masses. The three major…
There is considerable evidence that powerful radio quasars and radio galaxies are orientation-dependent manifestations of the same parent population: massive spheroids containing correspondingly massive black holes. Following the…
(Abridged) We analyzed the {\it Chandra} and {\it XMM-Newton} archival observations for 72 type 2 quasars at $z<1$. These objects were was selected based on the [O III]$\lambda$5007 optical emission line which we assume to be an approximate…
We studied optical-ultraviolet spectral energy distribution of 10 weak emission-line quasars (WLQs) which lie at redshifts z = 0.19 and 1.43 < z < 3.48. The theoretical models of their accretion disk continua are created based on the…
Supermassive black holes underwent periods of exponential growth during which we seem them as quasars in the distant Universe. The summed emission from these quasars generates the cosmic X-ray background, the spectrum of which has been used…
We report the discovery of giant (50-100 kpc) [O II] emitting nebulae with the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) in the field of TXS 0206-048, a luminous quasar at z=1.13. Down-the-barrel UV spectra of the quasar show absorption at…
Black holes with masses M_BH~10^{8.5} M_Sun dominate the accretion history of the Universe. These black hole masses are typical of those found in radio-selected galaxies today, suggesting that the giant elliptical hosts of low redshift…
Black hole feedback is now a standard component of galaxy formation models. These models predict that the impact of black hole activity on its host galaxy likely peaked at z=2-3, the epoch of strongest star formation activity and black hole…
We describe a method for determination of physical conditions in the broad line regions of a significant subsample of Seyfert-1 nuclei and quasars. Several diagnostic ratios based on intermediate (AlIII 1860, SiIII 1892) and high (CIV 1549,…
Quasars are among the most luminous sources characterized by their broad band spectra ranging from radio through optical to X-ray band, with numerous emission and absorption features. Using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Boroson &…
Quasars are complex sources, characterized by broad band spectra from radio through optical to X-ray band, with numerous emission and absorption features. However, Boroson & Green (1992) used Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and with…
Eigenvector 1 (EV1) was found to be the dominant component behind the significant correlations for the measured parameters in quasar spectra (Boroson & Green, 1992). The parameter R$_{\mathrm{FeII}}$, which strongly correlates to the EV1,…
We report the discovery of an unambiguous, substantial low-energy cutoff in the broad band X-ray spectrum of the radio quasar RXJ1028.6-0844 at a redshift of 4.276 obtained with the ASCA satellite, which we preferably explained as…
We present bolometric luminosities, black hole masses and Eddington ratios for 42 luminous quasars at z>6 using high signal-to-noise ratio VLT/X-Shooter spectra, acquired in the enlarged ESO Large Programme XQR-30. In particular, we derive…
We present high S/N UV spectra for eight quasars at $z\sim3$\ obtained with VLT/FORS. The spectra enable us to analyze in detail the strongest emission features in the rest-frame range 1400-2000 \AA\ of each source (\ciii, \siiii, \aliii,…
Models and observations suggest that luminous quasar activity is triggered by mergers, so it should preferentially occur in the most massive primordial dark matter haloes, where the frequency of mergers is expected to be the highest. Since…
We derive quantitative predictions of the optical and X-ray luminosity functions (LF) for QSs in the redshift range $z<3$. Based on BH paradigm, we investigate how the accretion is controlled by the surrounding structures, as these grow…
The transmission grating spectrometers on AXAF have sufficient sensitivity and energy resolution to detect resonance X-ray absorption lines in the spectra of distant quasars. Such lines would be produced in an ionized, and somewhat…
A reliable method for estimating the black-hole masses of high-redshift quasars would provide crucial new information for understanding the nature and cosmological evolution of quasars. In this proceedings we summarize the results of our…
According to a currently popular paradigm, nuclear activity in quasars is sustained via accretion of material onto super-massive black holes located at the quasar nuclei. A useful tracer of the gravitational field in the vicinity of such…