Detecting the First Quasars with ALMA

We show that ALMA is the first telescope that can probe the dust-obscured central region of quasars at z > 5 with a maximum resolution of ~ 30 pc employing the 18 km baseline.

We explore the possibility of detecting the first quasars with ALMA (Schleicher, Spaans, & Klessen 2009). For this purpose, we adopt the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068 as a reference system and calculate the expected fluxes if this galaxy were placed at high redshift. This choice is motivated by the detailed observations available for this system and the absence of any indication for an evolution in metallicity in high-redshift quasars. It is a conservative choice due to the moderate column densities in NGC 1068, leading to moderate fluxes.