Related papers: Quasar Clustering and the Lifetime of Quasars
The lifetime t_Q of the luminous phase of quasars is constrained by current observations to be between 10^6 and 10^8 years, but is otherwise unkown. We model the quasar luminosity function in detail in the optical and X-ray bands using the…
The observed number counts of quasars may be explained either by long-lived activity within rare massive hosts, or by short-lived activity within smaller, more common hosts. It has been argued that quasar lifetimes may therefore be inferred…
We constrain the average episodic quasar lifetime (as in steady-state accretion) using two statistics of quasars that are recently turned off (i.e., dimmed by a large factor): 1) the fraction of turned-off quasars in a statistical sample…
We present detailed clustering measurements from the 2dF QSO Redshift Survey (2QZ) in the redshift range 0.8<z<2.1. Using a flux limited sample of ~14,000 objects with effective redshift z_eff=1.47, we estimate the quasar projected…
Recent observations from the EIGER JWST program have measured for the first time the quasar-galaxy cross-correlation function at $z\approx6$. The auto-correlation function of faint $z\approx6$ quasars was also recently estimated. These…
Wang et al. (2006) estimated an average radiative efficiency of 30% -- 35% for quasars at moderate redshift. We find that their method is not independent of quasar lifetimes and thus that quasars do not necessarily have such high…
The QSO lifetime t_Q is one of the most fundamental quantities for understanding black hole and QSO evolution, yet it remains uncertain by several orders of magnitude. If t_Q is long, then only a small fraction of galaxies went through a…
The existence of billion-solar-mass black holes hosted in luminous quasars within the first gigayear of cosmic history poses a challenge to our understanding of supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth. The problem is further exacerbated by…
We propose a model of quasar lifetimes in which observational quasar lifetimes and an intrinsic lifetime of rapid accretion are strongly distinguished by the physics of obscuration by surrounding gas and dust. Quasars are powered by gas…
The lifetime of quasars can be estimated by means of their proximity zone sizes, which are regions of enhanced flux bluewards of the Lyman-$\alpha$ emission line observed in the rest-frame UV spectra of high-redshift quasars, because the…
We study the cross-correlation between quasars and galaxies by embedding models for the formation and evolution of the two populations in cosmological N-body simulations. We adopt the quasar evolution model of Kauffmann & Haehnelt (2000),…
The extents of proximity zones of high-redshift quasars enable constraints on the timescales of quasar activity, which are fundamental for understanding the growth of the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) that power the quasars' emission. In…
Recently, a very large clustering length has been measured for quasars at a redshift of z~4. In combination with the observed quasar luminosity function we assess the implications of this clustering for the relationship between quasar…
Understanding the growth of the supermassive black holes powering luminous quasars, their co-evolution with host galaxies, and impact on the surrounding intergalactic medium depends sensitively on the duration of quasar accretion episodes.…
Clustering measurements of obscured and unobscured quasars show that obscured quasars reside in more massive dark matter halos than their unobscured counterparts. These results are inconsistent with simple unified (torus) scenarios, but…
We investigate clustering properties of quasars using a new version of our semi-analytic model of galaxy and quasar formation with state-of-the-art cosmological N-body simulations. In this study, we assume that a major merger of galaxies…
The duration of quasar accretion episodes is a key quantity for distinguishing between models for the formation and growth of supermassive black holes, the evolution of quasars, and their potential feedback effects on their host galaxies.…
Observations from wide-field quasar surveys indicate that the quasar auto-correlation length increases dramatically from $z\approx2.5$ to $z\approx4$. This large clustering amplitude at $z\approx4$ has proven hard to interpret…
We present a simple model of how quasars occupy dark matter halos from z=0 to z=5 using the observed mBH-sigma relation and quasar luminosity functions. This provides a way for observers to statistically infer host halo masses for quasar…
We investigate the luminosity dependence of quasar clustering, inspired by numerical simulations of galaxy mergers that incorporate black hole growth. These simulations have motivated a new interpretation of the quasar luminosity function.…