Pith. sign in

REVIEW 7 cited by

A Survey of z>5.8 Quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey I: Discovery of Three New Quasars and the Spatial Density of Luminous Quasars at z~6

Not yet reviewed by Pith; the record is open.

This paper has not been read by Pith yet. Machine review is queued; the pith claim, tier, and objections will appear here once it completes.

SPECIMEN: schema-true, not a live event

T0 review · schema-true

One-sentence machine reading of the paper's core claim.

pith:XXXXXXXX · record.json · timestamp

arxiv astro-ph/0108063 v2 pith:TTVPXXNF submitted 2001-08-03 astro-ph

classification astro-ph
keywords quasarsquasarluminoussurveyalphadensityobjectsstrong
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal

Signed reviews

No signed human review yet.

0 comments
abstract

We present the results from a survey of i-dropout objects selected from ~1550 deg^2 of multicolor imaging data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, to search for luminous quasars at z>5.8. Objects with i*-z*>2.2 and z*<20.2 are selected, and follow-up J band photometry is used to separate L and T type cool dwarfs from high-redshift quasars. We describe the discovery of three new quasars, at z=5.82, 5.99 and 6.28, respectively. Their spectra show strong and broad Ly alpha+NV emission lines, and very strong Ly alpha absorption, with a mean continuum decrement D_A > 0.90. The ARC 3.5m spectrum of the z=6.28 quasar shows that over a range of 300 A immediately blueward of the Ly alpha emission, the average transmitted flux is only 0.003 +/-0.020 times that of the continuum level, consistent with zero flux, and suggesting a tentative detection of the complete Gunn-Peterson trough. The existence of strong metal lines suggests early chemical enrichment in the quasar enviornment. The three new objects, together with the previously published z=5.8 quasar form a complete color-selected flux-limited sample at z>5.8. We estimate that at $z=6$, the comoving density of luminous quasars at M_1450 < -26.89 (h=0.5, Omega=1)is 1.1x10^-9 Mpc^-3. This is a factor of ~2 lower than that at z~5, and is consistent with an extrapolation of the observed quasar evolution at low-z. We discuss the contribution of quasars to the ionizing background at z~6. The luminous quasars discussed in the paper have central black hole masses of several times 10^9 M_sun by the Eddington argument. Their observed space density provides a sensitive test of models of quasar and galaxy formation at high redshift. (Abridged)

Discussion (0). Continue with ORCID to comment.

Forward citations

Cited by 7 Pith papers

Reviewed papers in the Pith corpus that reference this work. Sorted by Pith novelty score. Full citation record

  1. From Primordial Black Holes Abundance to Primordial Curvature Power Spectrum (and back)

    astro-ph.CO 2019-08 conditional novelty 7.0 of 10

    Using numerical relativity thresholds, cosmological perturbation theory, and peak theory, the authors derive updated upper limits on the small-scale primordial curvature power spectrum from primordial black hole abund...

  2. Outflows in super-Eddington quasars drive clumpy circumgalactic medium and extended H$\alpha$ nebulae at $z \gtrsim 6$

    astro-ph.GA 2026-07 conditional novelty 6.0 of 10

    In z≈6 quasar simulations, super-Eddington black-hole growth clears escape channels, ejects cold clumps that raise neutral-hydrogen covering, and powers extended Hα nebulae that shrink when the quasar is obscured.

  3. Dark Matter Energy Deposition and Production from the Table-Top to the Cosmos

    hep-ph 2019-07 unverdicted novelty 5.0 of 10

    The thesis presents a new 3-to-2 freezeout mechanism, bound-state effects on searches, a new axion interferometric search, reionization assessments, 21-cm constraints, and the DarkHistory code for ionization and therm...

  4. Constraints on unimodular diffusion models with latest observables

    physics.gen-ph 2026-07 conditional novelty 4.0 of 10

    Unimodular diffusion models with latest DESI/DESY5/Planck data show intermediate-time transitions and only mild, non-decisive preference over ΛCDM without resolving H0.

  5. Constraining supermassive primordial black hole clustering with the angular auto-correlation of $z\simeq 6$ quasars

    astro-ph.CO 2026-06 unverdicted novelty 4.0 of 10

    MCMC comparison of projected PBH correlation functions with z≈6 quasar angular auto-correlation data yields posterior constraints f_PBH∼10^{-3}, m_PBH∼10^{12}M_⊙ for Poisson models and ξ_eff≃2.1, r_cl≃76 Mpc for clust...

  6. The Road to Identifying the Earliest Radio-Powerful AGN with the SKA

    astro-ph.GA 2026-07 unverdicted novelty 3.0 of 10

    Synthesizes simulation predictions and pathfinder data to outline a broadband radio SED and spectral curvature strategy for identifying the earliest radio AGN with the SKA.

  7. Unveil the nature of JWST-AGN and Little Red Dots with SKAO continuum surveys

    astro-ph.GA 2026-06 unverdicted novelty 3.0 of 10

    SKAO continuum surveys will detect radio emission from JWST AGN and LRDs and distinguish between Compton-thick absorption, intrinsically weak accretion, and dense gas cocoon scenarios.

Pith tools