Three new VHS–DES quasars at 6.7 < z < 6.9 and emission line properties at z > 
6.5

Reed, S. L.; Banerji, M.; Becker, G. D.; Hewett, P. C.; Martini, P.; McMahon, R. G.; Pons, E.; Rauch, M.; Abbott, T. M. C.; Allam, S.; Annis, J.; Avila, S.; Bertin, E.; Brooks, D.; Buckley-Geer, E.; Carnero Rosell, A.; Carrasco Kind, M.; Carretero, J.; Castander, F. J.; Cunha, C. E.; D’Andrea, C. B.; da Costa, L. N.; Vicente, J. De; Desai, S.; Diehl, H. T.; Doel, P.; Evrard, A. E.; Flaugher, B.; Frieman, J.; García-Bellido, J.; Gaztanaga, E.; Gruen, D.; Gschwend, J.; Gutierrez, G.; Hollowood, D. L.; Honscheid, K.; Hoyle, B.; James, D. J.; Kuehn, K.; Lahav, O.; Lima, M.; Maia, M. A. G.; Marshall, J. L.; Miquel, R.; Ogando, R. L. C.; Plazas, A. A.; Roodman, A.; Sanchez, E.; Scarpine, V.; Schubnell, M.; Serrano, S.; Sevilla-Noarbe, I.; Smith, M.; Smith, R. C.; Sobreira, F.; Suchyta, E.; Swanson, M. E. C.; Tarle, G.; Thomas, D.; Tucker, D. L.; Vikram, V.

doi:10.1093/mnras/stz1341

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Three new VHS–DES quasars at 6.7 < z < 6.9 and emission line properties at z > 6.5

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Hoyle, B.
Optical and Interpretative Astronomy, MPI for Extraterrestrial Physics, Max Planck Society;

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Citation

Reed, S. L., Banerji, M., Becker, G. D., Hewett, P. C., Martini, P., McMahon, R. G., et al. (2019). Three new VHS–DES quasars at 6.7 < z < 6.9 and emission line properties at z > 6.5. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 487(2), 1874-1885. doi:10.1093/mnras/stz1341.

Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0004-E48F-A

Abstract

We report the results from a search for z > 6.5 quasars using the Dark Energy Survey (DES) Year 3 data set combined with the VISTA Hemisphere Survey (VHS) and WISE All-Sky Survey. Our photometric selection method is shown to be highly efficient in identifying clean samples of high-redshift quasars, leading to spectroscopic confirmation of three new quasars – VDES J0244−5008 (z = 6.724), VDES J0020−3653 (z = 6.834), and VDES J0246−5219 (z = 6.90) – which were selected as the highest priority candidates in the survey data without any need for additional follow-up observations. We have obtained spectroscopic observations in the near-infrared for VDES J0244−5008 and VDES J0020−3653 as well as our previously identified quasar, VDES J0224−4711 at z = 6.50 from Reed et al. We use the near-infrared spectra to derive virial black hole masses from the full width at half-maximum of the Mg ii line. These black hole masses are ≃1–2 × 10⁹ M⊙. Combined with the bolometric luminosities of these quasars of L_bol ≃ 1–3 × 10⁴⁷, these imply that the Eddington ratios are high, ≃0.6–1.1. We consider the C iv emission line properties of the sample and demonstrate that our high-redshift quasars do not have unusual C iv line properties when compared to carefully matched low-redshift samples. Our new DES + VHS z > 6.5 quasars now add to the growing census of luminous, rapidly accreting supermassive black holes seen well into the epoch of reionization.