Extent and structure of intervening absorbers from absorption lines redshifted on quasar emission lines

We wish to study the extent and subparsec scale spatial structure of intervening quasar absorbers, mainly those involving neutral and molecular gas. We have selected quasar absorption systems with high spectral resolution and good S/N data, with some of their lines falling on quasar emission features. By investigating the consistency of absorption profiles seen for lines formed either against the quasar continuum source or on the much more extended emission line region (ELR), we can probe the extent and structure of the foreground absorber over the extent of the ELR (0.3-1 pc). The spatial covering analysis provides constraints on the transverse size of the absorber and thus is complementary to variability or photoionisation modelling studies. The methods we used to identify spatial covering or structure effects involve line profile fitting and curve of growth analysis.We have detected three absorbers with unambiguous non uniformity effects in neutral gas. For one extreme case, the FeI absorber at z_abs=0.45206 towards HE 0001-2340, we derive a coverage factor of the ELR of at most 0.10 and possibly very close to zero; this implies an absorber overall size no larger than 0.06 pc. For the z_abs=2.41837 CI absorber towards QSO J1439+1117, absorption is significantly stronger towards the ELR than towards the continuum source in several CI and CI* velocity components pointing to factors of about two spatial variations of their column densities and the presence of structures at the 100 au - 0.1 pc scale. The other systems with firm or possible effects can be described in terms of partial covering of the ELR, with coverage factors in the range 0.7 - 1. The overall results for cold, neutral absorbers imply a transverse extent of about five times or less the ELR size, which is consistent with other known constraints.Comment: Accepted in A&A, 17 pages, 14 figure

Star formation rate and dynamical mass of 10^8 solar mass black hole host galaxies at redshift 6

We present ALMA observations of two moderate luminosity quasars at redshift 6. These quasars from the Canada-France High-z Quasar Survey (CFHQS) have black hole masses of ~10^8 M_solar. Both quasars are detected in the [CII] line and dust continuum. Combining these data with our previous study of two similar CFHQS quasars we investigate the population properties. We show that z>6 quasars have a significantly lower far-infrared luminosity than bolometric-luminosity-matched samples at lower redshift, inferring a lower star formation rate, possibly correlated with the lower black hole masses at z=6. The ratios of [CII] to far-infrared luminosities in the CFHQS quasars are comparable with those of starbursts of similar star formation rate in the local universe. We determine values of velocity dispersion and dynamical mass for the quasar host galaxies based on the [CII] data. We find that there is no significant offset from the relations defined by nearby galaxies with similar black hole masses. There is however a marked increase in the scatter at z=6, beyond the large observational uncertainties.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

A wide dispersion in star formation rate and dynamical mass of 10^8 solar mass black hole host galaxies at redshift 6

ALMA [CII] line and continuum observations of five redshift z>6 quasars are presented. This sample was selected to probe lower black hole mass quasars than most previous studies. We find a wide dispersion in properties with CFHQS J0216-0455, a low-luminosity quasar with absolute magnitude M_1450=-22.2, remaining undetected implying a limit on the star formation rate in the host galaxy of <10 solar masses per year, whereas other host galaxies have star formation rates up to hundreds of solar masses per year. Two other quasars have particularly interesting properties. VIMOS2911 is one of the least luminous z>6 quasars known with M_1450=-23.1, yet its host galaxy is experiencing a very powerful starburst. PSO J167-13 has a broad and luminous [CII] line and a neighbouring galaxy a projected distance of 5kpc away that is also detected in the [CII] line and continuum. Combining with similar observations from the literature, we study the ratio of [CII] line to far-infrared luminosity finding this ratio increases at high-redshift at a fixed far-infrared luminosity, likely due to lower dust content, lower metallicity and/or higher gas masses. We compile a sample of 21 high-redshift quasars with dynamical masses and investigate the relationship between black hole mass and dynamical mass. The new observations presented here reveal dynamical masses consistent with the relationship defined by local galaxies. However, the full sample shows a very wide scatter across the black hole mass - dynamical mass plane, whereas both the local relationship and simulations of high-redshift quasars show a much lower dispersion in dynamical mass.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures, ApJ in pres

Redshift 6.4 host galaxies of 10^8 solar mass black holes: low star formation rate and dynamical mass

We present ALMA observations of rest-frame far-infrared continuum and [CII] line emission in two z=6.4 quasars with black hole masses of ~10^8 M_sun. CFHQS J0210-0456 is detected in the continuum with a 1.2 mm flux of 120+/-35 microJy, whereas CFHQS J2329-0301 is undetected at a similar noise level. J2329-0301 has a star formation rate limit of <40 M_sun/yr, considerably below the typical value at all redshifts for this bolometric luminosity. By comparison with hydro simulations, we speculate that this quasar is observed at a relatively rare phase where quasar feedback has effectively shut down star formation in the host galaxy. [CII] emission is also detected only in J0210-0456. The ratio of [CII] to far-infrared luminosity is similar to that of low redshift galaxies of comparable luminosity, suggesting the previous finding of an offset in the relationships between this ratio and far-infrared luminosity at low- and high-redshift may be partially due to a selection effect from the limited sensitivity of previous observations. The [CII] line of J0210-0456 is relatively narrow (FWHM=189+/-18 km/s), indicating a dynamical mass substantially lower than expected from the local black hole - velocity dispersion correlation. The [CII] line is marginally resolved at 0.7" resolution with the blue and red wings spatially offset by 0.5" (3 kpc) and a smooth velocity gradient of 100 km/s across a scale of 6 kpc, possibly due to rotation of a galaxy-wide disk. These observations are consistent with the idea that stellar mass growth lags black hole accretion for quasars at this epoch with respect to more recent times.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, ApJ in press, replaced with final versio

Mid-Infrared Selected Quasars I: Virial Black Hole Mass and Eddington Ratios

We provide a catalog of 391 mid-infrared-selected (MIR, 24$\mu$m) broad-emission-line (BEL, type 1) quasars in the 22 deg$^2$ SWIRE Lockman Hole field. This quasar sample is selected in the MIR from Spitzer MIPS with $S_{\rm 24} > 400\mu$Jy, jointly with an optical magnitude limit of r (AB) $<$ 22.5 for broad line identification. The catalog is based on MMT and SDSS spectroscopy to select BEL quasars, extends the SDSS coverage to fainter magnitudes and lower redshifts, and recovers a more complete quasar population. The MIR-selected quasar sample peaks at $z\sim$1.4, and recovers a significant and constant (20\%) fraction of extended objects with SDSS photometry across magnitudes, which was not included in the SDSS quasar survey dominated by point sources. This sample also recovers a significant population of $z 19.1$. We then investigate the continuum luminosity and line profiles of these MIR quasars, and estimate their virial black hole masses and the Eddington ratios. The SMBH mass shows evidence of downsizing, though the Eddington ratios remain constant at $1 < z < 4$. Compared to point sources in the same redshift range, extended sources at $z < 1$ show systematically lower Eddington ratios. The catalog and spectra are publicly available online.Comment: 72 pages, 27 figures, 16 tables; ApJ accepte

The z=0.0912 and z=0.2212 Damped Lyman Alpha Galaxies Along the Sight-Line Toward the Quasar OI 363

New optical and infrared observations along the sight-line toward the quasar OI 363 (0738+313) are presented and discussed. Excluding systems which lack confirming UV spectroscopic observations of the actual Lyman alpha line, this sight-line presently contains the two lowest-redshift classical damped Lyman alpha (DLA) quasar absorption line systems known (i.e. with N(HI) \ge 2 x 10^{20} atoms cm^{-2}), one at z(abs)=0.0912 and the other at z(abs)=0.2212. The z=0.09 DLA galaxy appears to be an extended low surface brightness galaxy which is easily visible only in infrared images and shows rich morphological structure. Subtraction of the quasar nuclear and host light yields L_K \approx 0.08L_K* at z=0.09. The impact parameter between the galaxy and quasar sight-line is very small, b<3.6 kpc (<2 arcsec), which makes measurements difficult. The z=0.22 DLA galaxy is an early-type dwarf with a K-band luminosity of L_K \approx 0.1L_K* at impact parameter b=20 kpc. In general, these results serve to support mounting evidence that DLA galaxies are drawn from a wide variety of gas-rich galaxy types. (Abridged)Comment: 27 pages, 6 figures, 2 in color. Submitted to Ap