191 research outputs found
Low-Ionization Emission Regions in Quasars: Gas Properties Probed with Broad O I and Ca II Lines
We have compiled the emission-line fluxes of O I 8446, O I 11287, and the
near-IR Ca II triplet (8579) observed in 11 quasars. These lines are considered
to emerge from the same gas as do the Fe II lines in the low-ionized portion of
the broad emission line region (BELR). The compiled quasars are distributed
over wide ranges of redshift (0.06 < z < 1.08) and of luminosity (-29.8 < M_B <
-22.1), thus representing a useful sample to investigate the line-emitting gas
properties in various quasar environments. The measured line strengths and
velocities, as functions of the quasar properties, are analyzed using
photoionization model calculations. We found that the flux ratio between Ca II
and O I 8446 is hardly dependent on the redshift or luminosity, indicating
similar gas density in the emission region from quasar to quasar. On the other
hand, a scatter of the O I 11287/8446 ratios appears to imply the diversity of
the ionization parameter. These facts invoke a picture of the line-emitting
gases in quasars that have similar densities and are located at regions exposed
to various ionizing radiation fluxes. The observed O I line widths are found to
be remarkably similar over more than 3 orders of magnitude in luminosity, which
indicates a kinematically determined location of the emission region and is in
clear contrast to the well-studied case of H I lines. We also argue about the
dust presence in the emission region since the region is suggested to be
located near the dust sublimation point at the outer edge of the BELR.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ; minor rewordings mad
Optical to Near-IR Spectrum of a Massive Evolved Galaxy at z = 1.26
We present the optical to near-infrared (IR) spectrum of the galaxy TSPS
J1329-0957, a red and bright member of the class of extremely red objects
(EROs) at z = 1.26. This galaxy was found in the course of the Tokyo-Stromlo
Photometry Survey (TSPS) which we are conducting in the southern sky. The
spectroscopic observations were carried out with the Gemini Multi-Object
Spectrograph (GMOS) and the Gemini Near Infra-Red Spectrograph (GNIRS) mounted
on the Gemini-South telescope. The wide wavelength coverage of 0.6 - 2.3 um
provides useful clues as to the nature of EROs while most published spectra are
limited to a narrower spectral range which is dictated by the need for
efficient redshift determination in a large survey. We compare our spectrum
with several optical composite spectra obtained in recent large surveys, and
with stellar population synthesis models. The effectiveness of using near-IR
broad-band data, instead of the spectral data, in deriving the galaxy
properties are also investigated. We find that TSPS J1329-0957 formed when the
universe was 2 - 3 Gyr old, and subsequently evolved passively to become one of
the most massive galaxies found in the z = 1 - 2 universe. Its early type and
estimated stellar mass of M* = 10^{11.5} Msun clearly point to this galaxy
being a direct ancestor of the brightest elliptical and spheroidal galaxies in
the local universe.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
The detection and photometric redshift determination of distant galaxies using SIRTF's Infrared Array Camera
We investigate the ability of the Space Infrared Telescope Facility's
Infrared Array Camera to detect distant (z ~ 3)galaxies and measure their
photometric redshifts. Our analysis shows that changing the original long
wavelength filter specifications provides significant improvements in
performance in this and other areas.Comment: 28 pages incl 12 figures; to appear in June 1999 PASP. Fig.12
replaced with corrected versio
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