arXiv subjects

Linhua Jiang

Publications and source records attributed to Linhua Jiang.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

The Faint End of the z=5 Quasar Luminosity Function from the CFHTLS

We presents results from a spectroscopic survey of $z\sim5$ quasars in the CFHT Legacy Survey (CFHTLS). Using both optical color selection and a likelihood method we select 97 candidates over an area of 105 deg$^2$ to a limit of $i_{\rm AB} < 23.2$, and 7 candidates in the range $23.2 < i_{\rm AB} < 23.7$ over an area of 18.5 deg$^2$. Spectroscopic observations for 43 candidates were obtained with Gemini, MMT, and LBT, of which 37 are $z>4$ quasars. This sample extends measurements of the quasar luminosity function $\sim$1.5 mag fainter than our previous work in SDSS Stripe 82. The resulting luminosity function is in good agreement with our previous results, and suggests that the faint end slope is not steep. We perform a detailed examination of our survey completeness, particularly the impact of the Ly$α$ emission assumed in our quasar spectral models, and find hints that the observed Ly$α$ emission from faint $z\sim5$ quasars is weaker than for $z\sim3$ quasars at a similar luminosity. Our results strongly disfavor a significant contribution of faint quasars to the hydrogen-ionizing background at $z=5$.

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arXiv2017

SCUBA-2 Ultra Deep Imaging EAO Survey (STUDIES): Faint-End Counts at 450 um

The SCUBA-2 Ultra Deep Imaging EAO Survey (STUDIES) is a three-year JCMT Large Program aiming at reaching the 450 $μ$m confusion limit in the COSMOS-CANDELS region, to study a representative sample of the high-redshift far-infrared galaxy population that gives rise to the bulk of the far-infrared background. We present the first-year data from STUDIES. We have reached a 450 $μ$m noise level of 0.91~mJy for point sources at the map center, covered an area of 151 arcmin$^2$, and detected 98 and 141 sources at 4.0 and 3.5 $σ$, respectively. Our derived counts are best constrained in the 3.5-25 mJy regime using directly detected sources. Below the detection limits, our fluctuation analysis further constrains the slope of the counts down to 1 mJy. The resulting counts at 1-25 mJy are consistent with a power law having a slope of $-2.59$ ($\pm0.10$ for 3.5-25 mJy, and $^{+0.4}_{-0.7}$ for 1-3.5 mJy). There is no evidence of a faint-end termination or turn-over of the counts in this flux density range. Our counts are also consistent with previous SCUBA-2 blank-field and lensing cluster surveys. The integrated surface brightness from our counts down to 1 mJy is $90.0\pm17.2$ Jy deg$^{-2}$, which can account for up to $83^{+15}_{-16}\%$ of the COBE 450 $μ$m background. We show that Herschel counts at 350 and 500 $μ$m are significantly higher than our 450 $μ$m counts, likely caused by its large beam and source clustering. High-angular resolution instruments like SCUBA-2 at 450 $μ$m are therefore highly beneficial for measuring the luminosity and spatial density of high-redshift dusty galaxies.

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arXiv2017

A Magellan M2FS Spectroscopic Survey of Galaxies at 5.5<z<6.8: Program Overview and a Sample of the Brightest Lyman-alpha Emitters

We present a spectroscopic survey of high-redshift, luminous galaxies over four square degrees on the sky, aiming to build a large and homogeneous sample of Ly$α$ emitters (LAEs) at $z\approx5.7$ and 6.5, and Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs) at $5.5<z<6.8$. The fields that we choose to observe are well-studied, such as SXDS and COSMOS. They have deep optical imaging data in a series of broad and narrow bands, allowing efficient selection of galaxy candidates. Spectroscopic observations are being carried out using the multi-object spectrograph M2FS on the Magellan Clay telescope. M2FS is efficient to identify high-redshift galaxies, owing to its 256 optical fibers deployed over a circular field-of-view 30 arcmin in diameter. We have observed $\sim2.5$ square degrees. When the program is completed, we expect to identify more than 400 bright LAEs at $z\approx5.7$ and 6.5, and a substantial number of LBGs at $z\ge6$. This unique sample will be used to study a variety of galaxy properties and to search for large protoclusters. Furthermore, the statistical properties of these galaxies will be used to probe cosmic reionization. We describe the motivation, program design, target selection, and M2FS observations. We also outline our science goals, and present a sample of the brightest LAEs at $z\approx5.7$ and 6.5. This sample contains 32 LAEs with Ly$α$ luminosities higher than 10$^{43}$ erg s$^{-1}$. A few of them reach $\ge3\times10^{43}$ erg s$^{-1}$, comparable to the two most luminous LAEs known at $z\ge6$, `CR7' and `COLA1'. These LAEs provide ideal targets to study extreme galaxies in the distant universe.

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arXiv2017

First Spectroscopic Confirmations of z ~ 7.0 Lya Emitting Galaxies in the LAGER Survey

Narrowband imaging is a highly successful approach for finding large numbers of high redshift Lya emitting galaxies (LAEs) up to z~6.6. However, at z>~7 there are as yet only 3 narrowband selected LAEs with spectroscopic confirmations (two at z~6.9-7.0, one at z~7.3), which hinders extensive studies on cosmic reionization and galaxy evolution at this key epoch. We have selected 23 candidate z~6.9 LAEs in COSMOS field with the large area narrowband survey LAGER (Lyman-Alpha Galaxies at the End of Reionization). In this work we present spectroscopic followup observations of 12 candidates using IMACS on Magellan. For 9 of these, the observations are sufficiently deep to detect the expected lines. Lya emission lines are identified in six sources (yielding a success rate of 2/3), including 3 luminous LAEs with Lya luminosities of L(Lya) ~ 10^{43.5} erg/s, the highest among known spectroscopically confirmed galaxies at >~7.0. This triples the sample size of spectroscopically confirmed narrowband selected LAEs at z>~7, and confirms the bright end bump in the Lya luminosity function we previously derived based on the photometric sample, supporting a patchy reionization scenario. Two luminous LAEs appear physically linked with projected distance of 1.1 pMpc and velocity difference of ~ 170 km/s. They likely sit in a common ionized bubble produced by themselves or with close neighbors, which reduces the IGM attenuation of Lya. A tentative narrow NV$λ$1240 line is seen in one source, hinting at activity of a central massive black hole with metal rich line emitting gas.

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arXiv2017

Gas dynamics of a luminous $z$ = 6.13 quasar ULAS J1319$+$0950 revealed by ALMA high resolution observations

We present new Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of the dust continuum and [C II] 158 $μ$m fine structure line emission towards a far-infrared-luminous quasar, ULAS J131911.29$+$095051.4 at $z=6.13$, and combine the new Cycle 1 data with ALMA Cycle 0 data. The combined data have an angular resolution $\sim$ $0.3$, and resolve both the dust continuum and the [C II] line emission on few kpc scales. The [C II] line emission is more irregular than the dust continuum emission which suggests different distributions between the dust and [C II]-emitting gas. The combined data confirm the [C II] velocity gradient that we previously detected in lower resolution ALMA image from Cycle 0 data alone. We apply a tilted ring model to the [C II] velocity map to obtain a rotation curve, and constrain the circular velocity to be 427 $\pm$ 55 km s$^{-1}$ at a radius of 3.2 kpc with an inclination angle of 34$^\circ$. We measure the dynamical mass within the 3.2 kpc region to be 13.4$_{-5.3}^{+7.8}$ $\times 10^{10}\,M_{\odot}$. This yields a black hole and host galaxy mass ratio of 0.020$_{-0.007}^{+0.013}$, which is about 4$_{-2}^{+3}$ times higher than the present-day $M_{\rm BH}$/$M_{\rm bulge}$ ratio. This suggests that the supermassive black hole grows the bulk of its mass before the formation of the most of stellar mass in this quasar host galaxy in the early universe.

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arXiv2017

Constraining C iii] Emission in a Sample of Five Luminous z = 5.7 Galaxies

Recent observations have suggested that the CIII]$\lambda1907/1909$ emission lines could be alternative diagnostic lines for galaxies in the reionization epoch. We use the F128N narrowband filter on the Hubble Space Telescope's ($\it{HST}$) Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) to search for CIII] emission in a sample of five galaxies at z = 5.7 in the Subaru Deep Field and the Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Field. Using the F128N narrowband imaging, together with the broadband imaging, we do not detect CIII] emission for the five galaxies with $J_{\rm{AB}}$ ranging from 24.10 -- 27.00 in our sample. For the brightest galaxy J132416.13+274411.6 in our sample (z = 5.70, $J_{\rm{AB}} = 24.10$), which has a significantly higher signal to noise, we report a CIII] flux of $3.34\pm1.81 \times 10^{-18}$ $\mathrm{erg\ s^{-1}\ cm^{-2}}$, which places a stringent 3-$\rmσ$ upper limit of $5.43\times 10^{-18}$ $\mathrm{erg\ s^{-1}\ cm^{-2}}$ on CIII] flux and 6.57 Å on the CIII] equivalent width. Using the stacked image, we put a 3-$\rmσ$ upper limit on the mean CIII] flux of $\mathrm{2.55\times10^{-18}\ erg\ s^{-1}\ cm^{-2}}$, and a 3-$\rmσ$ upper limit on the mean CIII] equivalent width of 4.20 Å for this sample of galaxies at z = 5.70. Combined with strong CIII] detection reported among high-z galaxies in the literature, our observations suggest that the equivalent widths of CIII] from galaxies at z $>$ 5.70 exhibit a wide range of distribution. Our strong limits on CIII] emission could be used as a guide for future observations in the reionization epoch.

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arXiv2017

First Results from the Lyman Alpha Galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization (LAGER) Survey: Cosmological Reionization at z ~ 7

We present the first results from the ongoing LAGER project (Lyman Alpha Galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization), which is the largest narrowband survey for $z \sim$ 7 galaxies to date. Using a specially built narrowband filter NB964 for the superb large-area Dark-Energy Camera (DECam) on the NOAO/CTIO 4m Blanco telescope, LAGER has collected 34 hours NB964 narrowband imaging data in the 3 deg$^2$ COSMOS field. We have identified 23 Lyman Alpha Emitter (LAE) candidates at $z$ = 6.9 in the central 2-deg$^2$ region, where DECam and public COSMOS multi-band images exist. The resulting luminosity function can be described as a Schechter function modified by a significant excess at the bright end (4 galaxies with $L_{Lyα} \sim $ 10$^{43.4\pm0.2}$ erg s$^{-1}$). The number density at $L_{Lyα}\sim$ 10$^{43.4\pm0.2}$ erg s$^{-1}$ is little changed from z= 6.6, while at fainter $L_{Lyα}$ it is substantially reduced. Overall, we see a fourfold reduction in Ly$α$ luminosity density from $z$ = 5.7 to 6.9. Combined with a more modest evolution of the continuum UV luminosity density, this suggests a factor of $\sim 3$ suppression of Ly$α$ by radiative transfer through the $z \sim$ 7 intergalactic medium (IGM). It indicates an IGM neutral fraction $x_{HI}$ $\sim$ 0.4--0.6 (assuming Ly$α$ velocity offsets of 100-200 km s$^{-1}$). The changing shape of the Ly$α$ luminosity function between $z\lesssim 6.6$ and $z=6.9$ supports the hypothesis of ionized bubbles in a patchy reionization at $z\sim$ 7.

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arXiv2017

First Discoveries of z>6 Quasars with the DECam Legacy Survey and UKIRT Hemisphere Survey

We present the first discoveries from a survey of $z\gtrsim6$ quasars using imaging data from the DECam Legacy Survey (DECaLS) in the optical, the UKIRT Deep Infrared Sky Survey (UKIDSS) and a preliminary version of the UKIRT Hemisphere Survey (UHS) in the near-IR, and ALLWISE in the mid-IR. DECaLS will image 9000 deg$^2$ of sky down to $z_{\rm AB}\sim23.0$, and UKIDSS and UHS, which will map the northern sky at $0 6.5$ to $J_{\rm VEGA}<19.5$.

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arXiv2017

Discovery of 16 New z ~ 5.5 Quasars : Filling in the Redshift Gap of Quasar Color Selection

We present initial results from the first systematic survey of luminous $z\sim 5.5$ quasars. Quasars at $z \sim$ 5.5, the post-reionization epoch, are crucial tools to explore the evolution of intergalactic medium, quasar evolution and the early super-massive black hole growth. However, it has been very challenging to select quasars at redshifts 5.3 $\le z \le$ 5.7 using conventional color selections, due to their similar optical colors to late-type stars, especially M dwarfs, resulting in a glaring redshift gap in quasar redshift distributions. We develop a new selection technique for $z \sim$ 5.5 quasars based on optical, near-IR and mid-IR photometric data from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), UKIRT InfraRed Deep Sky Surveys - Large Area Survey (ULAS), VISTA Hemisphere Survey (VHS) and Wide field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). From our pilot observations in SDSS-ULAS/VHS area, we have discovered 15 new quasars at 5.3 $\le z \le$ 5.7 and 6 new lower redshift quasars, with SDSS z band magnitude brighter than 20.5. Including other two $z \sim$ 5.5 quasars already published in our previous work, we now construct an uniform quasar sample at 5.3 $\le z \le$ 5.7 with 17 quasars in a $\sim$ 4800 square degree survey area. For further application in a larger survey area, we apply our selection pipeline to do a test selection by using the new wide field J band photometric data from a preliminary version of the UKIRT Hemisphere Survey (UHS). We successfully discover the first UHS selected $z \sim$ 5.5 quasar.

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arXiv2017

High Lyman Continuum Escape Fraction in a Lensed Young Compact Dwarf Galaxy at $z=2.5$

We present the HST WFC3/F275W UV imaging observations of A2218-Flanking, a lensed compact dwarf galaxy at redshift $z\approx2.5$. The stellar mass of A2218-Flanking is $\log(M/M_{\odot}=9.14$ and SFR is 12.5$M_\odot$yr$^{-1}$ after correcting the magnification. This galaxy has a young galaxy age of 127 Myr and a compact galaxy size of $r_{1/2}=2.4$kpc. The HST UV imaging observations cover the rest-frame Lyman continuum (LyC) emission ($\sim800$Å) from A2218-Flanking. We firmly detect ($14σ$) the LyC emission in A2218-Flanking in the F275W image. Together with the HST F606W images, we find that the absolute escape fraction of LyC is $f_{\rm abs,esc}>28-57\%$ based on the flux density ratio between 1700Å and 800Å ($f_{1700}/f_{800}$). The morphology of the LyC emission in the F275W images is extended and well follows the morphology of the UV continuum morphology in the F606W images, suggesting that the $f_{800}$ is not from foreground contaminants. We find that the region with a high star formation rate surface density has a lower $f_{1700}/f_{800}$ (higher $f_{800}/f_{1700}$) ratio than the diffused regions, suggesting that LyC photons are more likely to escape from the region with the intensive star-forming process. We compare the properties of galaxies with and without LyC detections and find that LyC photons are easier to escape in low mass galaxies.

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arXiv2017

The physical constraints on a new LoBAL QSO at z=4.82

Very few low-ionization broad absorption line (LoBAL) QSOs have been found at high redshifts to date. One high-redshift LoBAL QSO, J0122+1216, was recently discovered at the Lijiang 2.4-m Telescope with an initial redshift determination of 4.76. Aiming to investigate its physical properties, we carried out follow-up observations in the optical and near-IR spectroscopy. Near-IR spectra from UKIRT and P200 confirms that it is a LoBAL, with a new redshift determination of $4.82\pm0.01$ based on the \mgii~ emission-line. The new \mgii~ redshift determination reveals strong blueshifts and asymmetry of the high-ionization emission lines. We estimated a black hole mass of $\sim 2.3\times 10^9 M_\odot$ and Eddington ratio of $\sim 1.0$ according to the empirical \mgii-based single-epoch relation and bolometric correction factor. It is possible that strong outflows are the result of an extreme quasar environment driven by the high Eddington ratio. A lower limit on the outflowing kinetic power ($>0.9\% L_{Edd}$) was derived from both emission and absorption lines, indicating these outflows play a significant role in the feedback process to regulate the growth of its black hole as well as host galaxy evolution.

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arXiv2017

Project Overview of the Beijing-Arizona Sky Survey

The Beijing-Arizona Sky Survey (BASS) is a wide-field two-band photometric survey of the Northern Galactic Cap using the 90Prime imager on the 2.3 m Bok telescope at Kitt Peak. It is a four-year collaboration between the National Astronomical Observatory of China and Steward Observatory, the University of Arizona, serving as one of the three imaging surveys to provide photometric input catalogs for target selection of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) project. BASS will take up to 240 dark/grey nights to cover an area of about 5400 deg$^2$ in the $g$ and $r$ bands. The 5$σ$ limiting AB magnitudes for point sources in the two bands, corrected for the Galactic extinction, are 24.0 and 23.4 mag, respectively. BASS, together with other DESI imaging surveys, will provide unique science opportunities that cover a wide range of topics in both Galactic and extragalactic astronomy.

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arXiv2017

Probing the interstellar medium and star formation of the Most Luminous Quasar at z=6.3

We report new IRAM/PdBI, JCMT/SCUBA-2, and VLA observations of the ultraluminous quasar SDSSJ010013.02+280225.8 (hereafter, J0100+2802) at z=6.3, which hosts the most massive supermassive black hole (SMBH) of 1.24x10^10 Msun known at z>6. We detect the [C II] 158 $μ$m fine structure line and molecular CO(6-5) line and continuum emission at 353 GHz, 260 GHz, and 3 GHz from this quasar. The CO(2-1) line and the underlying continuum at 32 GHz are also marginally detected. The [C II] and CO detections suggest active star formation and highly excited molecular gas in the quasar host galaxy. The redshift determined with the [C II] and CO lines shows a velocity offset of ~1000 km/s from that measured with the quasar Mg II line. The CO (2-1) line luminosity provides direct constraint on the molecular gas mass which is about (1.0+/-0.3)x10^10 Msun. We estimate the FIR luminosity to be (3.5+/-0.7)x10^12 Lsun, and the UV-to-FIR spectral energy distribution of J0100+2802 is consistent with the templates of the local optically luminous quasars. The derived [C II]-to-FIR luminosity ratio of J0100+2802 is 0.0010+/-0.0002, which is slightly higher than the values of the most FIR luminous quasars at z~6. We investigate the constraint on the host galaxy dynamical mass of J0100+2802 based on the [C II] line spectrum. It is likely that this ultraluminous quasar lies above the local SMBH-galaxy mass relationship, unless we are viewing the system at a small inclination angle.

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arXiv2017

Milli-arcsecond imaging of the radio emission from the quasar with the most massive black hole at reionization

We report Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations of the 1.5 GHz radio continuum emission of the {\it z=6.326} quasar SDSS J010013.02+280225.8 (hereafter J0100+2802). J0100+2802 is, by far the most optically luminous, and radio-quiet quasar with the most massive black hole known at z>6. The VLBA observations have a synthesized beam size of 12.10 mas $\times$5.36 mas (FWHM), and detected the radio continuum emission from this object with a peak surface brightness of 64.6+/-9.0 micro-Jy/beam and a total flux density of 88+/-19 micro-Jy. The position of the radio peak is consistent with that from SDSS in the optical and Chandra in the X-ray. The radio source is marginally resolved by the VLBA observations. A 2-D Gaussian fit to the image constrains the source size to $\rm (7.1+/-3.5) mas x (3.1+/-1.7) mas. This corresponds to a physical scale of (40+/-20) pc x (18+/-10) pc. We estimate the intrinsic brightness temperature of the VLBA source to be T_{B}=(1.6 +/- 1.2) x 10^{7} K. This is significantly higher than the maximum value in normal star forming galaxies, indicating an AGN origin for the radio continuum emission. However, it is also significantly lower than the brightness temperatures found in highest redshift radio-loud quasars. J0100+2802 provides a unique example to study the radio activity in optically luminous and radio quiet active galactic nuclei in the early universe. Further observations at multiple radio frequencies will accurately measure the spectral index and address the dominant radiation mechanism of the radio emission.

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arXiv2016

Lick Indices and Spectral Energy Distribution Analysis based on an M31 Star Cluster Sample: Comparisons of Methods and Models

Application of fitting techniques to obtain physical parameters---such as ages, metallicities, and $α$-element to iron ratios---of stellar populations is an important approach to understand the nature of both galaxies and globular clusters (GCs). In fact, fitting methods based on different underlying models may yield different results, and with varying precision. In this paper, we have selected 22 confirmed M31 GCs for which we do not have access to previously known spectroscopic metallicities. Most are located at approximately one degree (in projection) from the galactic center. We performed spectroscopic observations with the 6.5 m MMT telescope, equipped with its Red Channel Spectrograph. Lick/IDS absorption-line indices, radial velocities, ages, and metallicities were derived based on the $\rm EZ\_Ages$ stellar population parameter calculator. We also applied full spectral fitting with the ULySS code to constrain the parameters of our sample star clusters. In addition, we performed $χ^2_{\rm min}$ fitting of the clusters' Lick/IDS indices with different models, including the Bruzual & Charlot models (adopting Chabrier or Salpeter stellar initial mass functions and 1994 or 2000 Padova stellar evolutionary tracks), the GALEV, and the Thomas et al. models. For comparison, we collected their $UVBRIJK$ photometry from the Revised Bologna Catalogue (v.5) to obtain and fit the GCs' spectral energy distributions (SEDs). Finally, we performed fits using a combination of Lick/IDS indices and SEDs. The latter results are more reliable and the associated error bars become significantly smaller than those resulting from either our Lick/IDS indices-only or our SED-only fits.

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arXiv2016

The Final SDSS High-Redshift Quasar Sample of 52 Quasars at z>5.7

We present the discovery of nine quasars at $z\sim6$ identified in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) imaging data. This completes our survey of $z\sim6$ quasars in the SDSS footprint. Our final sample consists of 52 quasars at $5.7<z\le6.4$, including 29 quasars with $z_{\rm AB}\le20$ mag selected from 11,240 deg$^2$ of the SDSS single-epoch imaging survey (the main survey), 10 quasars with $20\le z_{\rm AB}\le20.5$ selected from 4223 deg$^2$ of the SDSS overlap regions (regions with two or more imaging scans), and 13 quasars down to $z_{\rm AB}\approx22$ mag from the 277 deg$^2$ in Stripe 82. They span a wide luminosity range of $-29.0\le M_{1450}\le-24.5$. This well-defined sample is used to derive the quasar luminosity function (QLF) at $z\sim6$. After combining our SDSS sample with two faint ($M_{1450}\ge-23$ mag) quasars from the literature, we obtain the parameters for a double power-law fit to the QLF. The bright-end slope $β$ of the QLF is well constrained to be $β=-2.8\pm0.2$. Due to the small number of low-luminosity quasars, the faint-end slope $α$ and the characteristic magnitude $M_{1450}^{\ast}$ are less well constrained, with $α=-1.90_{-0.44}^{+0.58}$ and $M^{\ast}=-25.2_{-3.8}^{+1.2}$ mag. The spatial density of luminous quasars, parametrized as $ρ(M_{1450}<-26,z)=ρ(z=6)\,10^{k(z-6)}$, drops rapidly from $z\sim5$ to 6, with $k=-0.72\pm0.11$. Based on our fitted QLF and assuming an IGM clumping factor of $C=3$, we find that the observed quasar population cannot provide enough photons to ionize the $z\sim6$ IGM at $\sim90$\% confidence. Quasars may still provide a significant fraction of the required photons, although much larger samples of faint quasars are needed for more stringent constraints on the quasar contribution to reionization.

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arXiv2016

MApping the Most Massive Overdensities (MAMMOTH) II -- Discovery of an Extremely Massive Overdensity BOSS1441 at $z=2.32$

Cosmological simulations suggest a strong correlation between high optical-depth Ly$α$ absorbers, which arise from the intergalactic medium (IGM), and 3-D mass overdensities on scales of $10-30$ $h^{-1}$ comoving Mpc. By examining the absorption spectra of $\sim$ 80,000 QSO sight-lines over a volume of 0.1 Gpc$^3$ in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III), we have identified an extreme overdensity, BOSS1441, which contains a rare group of strong Ly$α$ absorbers at $z=2.32\pm 0.02$. This absorber group is associated with six QSOs at the same redshift on a 30 comoving Mpc scale. Using Mayall/MOSAIC narrowband and broadband imaging, we detect Ly$α$ emitters (LAEs) down to $0.7\times L_{\rm{Lyα}}^*$, and reveal a large-scale structure of Ly$α$ emitters (LAEs) in this field. Our follow-up Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) observations have spectroscopically confirmed 19 galaxies in the density peak. We show that BOSS1441 has an LAE overdensity of $10.8\pm 2.6$ on a 15 comoving Mpc scale which could collapse to a massive cluster with $M\gtrsim10^{15}$ M$_\odot$ at $z\sim0$. This overdensity is among the most massive large-scale structures at $z\sim2$ discovered to date.

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arXiv2016

A survey of luminous high-redshift quasars with SDSS and WISE II. the bright end of the quasar luminosity function at z ~ 5

This is the second paper in a series on a new luminous z ~ 5 quasar survey using optical and near-infrared colors. Here we present a new determination of the bright end of the quasar luminosity function (QLF) at z ~ 5. Combined our 45 new quasars with previously known quasars that satisfy our selections, we construct the largest uniform luminous z ~ 5 quasar sample to date, with 99 quasars in the range 4.7 <= z < 5.4 and -29 < M1450 <= -26.8, within the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) footprint. We use a modified 1/Va method including flux limit correction to derive a binned QLF, and we model the parametric QLF using maximum likelihood estimation. With the faint-end slope of the QLF fixed as alpha = -2.03 from previous deeper samples, the best fit of our QLF gives a flatter bright end slope beta = -3.58+/-0.24 and a fainter break magnitude M*1450 = -26.98+/-0.23 than previous studies at similar redshift. Combined with previous work at lower and higher redshifts, our result is consistent with a luminosity evolution and density evolution (LEDE) model. Using the best fit QLF, the contribution of quasars to the ionizing background at z ~ 5 is found to be 18% - 45% with a clumping factor C of 2 - 5. Our sample suggests an evolution of radio loud fraction with optical luminosity but no obvious evolution with redshift.

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