Quasar Elemental Abundances and Host Galaxy Evolution

Abstract

High redshift quasars mark the locations where massive galaxies are rapidly being assembled and forming stars. There is growing evidence that quasar environments are metal-rich out to redshifts of at least five. The gas-phase metallicities are typically solar to several times solar, based on independent analyses of quasar broad emission lines and intrinsic narrow absorption lines. These results suggest that massive galaxies (e.g., galactic nuclei) experience substantial star formation before the central quasar becomes observable. The extent and epoch of this star formation (nominally at redshifts z > 2, but sometimes at z > 5) are consistent with observations of old metal-rich stars in present-day galactic nuclei/spheroids, and with standard models of galactic chemical evolution. There is further tantalizing (but very tentative) evidence, based on FeII/MgII broad emission line ratios, that the star formation usually begins >0.3 Gyr before the onset of visible quasar activity. For the highest redshift quasars, at z ~ 4.5 to ~6, this result suggests that the first major star formation began at redshifts >6 to >10, respectively.