Near-infrared Spectra and Intrinsic Luminosities of Candidate Type II Quasars at 2 < z < 3.4
Abstract
We present JHK near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy of 25 candidate Type II quasars selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), using Triplespec on the Apache Point Observatory 3.5 m telescope, the Folded-port InfraRed Echellette at the Magellan/Baade 6.5 m telescope, and the Gemini Near-Infrared Spectrograph on Gemini. At redshifts of 2 < z < 3.4, our NIR spectra probe the rest-frame optical region of these targets, which were initially selected to have strong lines of C IV and Ly α, with FWHM < 2000 km s-1 from the SDSS pipeline. We use the [O III] λ5007 line shape as a model for the narrow-line region emission and find that Hα consistently requires a broad component with FWHMs ranging from 1000 to 7500 km s-1. Interestingly, the C IV lines also require broad bases, but with considerably narrower widths of 1000-4500 km s-1. Estimating the extinction using the Balmer decrement and also the relationship in lower-z quasars between rest equivalent width and luminosity in the [O III] line, we find typical AV values of 0-2 mag, which naturally explains the attenuated C IV lines relative to Hα. We propose that our targets are moderately obscured quasars. We also describe one unusual object with three distinct velocity peaks in its [O III] spectrum.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- June 2014
- DOI:
- 10.1088/0004-637X/788/1/91
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1404.3760
- Bibcode:
- 2014ApJ...788...91G
- Keywords:
-
- quasars: emission lines;
- quasars: general;
- quasars: supermassive black holes;
- Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies;
- Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- Accepted for publication in ApJ, 18 pages, 14 figures