[en] We present ALMA detections of the [C ii] 158 μm emission line and the underlying far-infrared (FIR) continuum of three quasars at 6.6 < z < 6.9 selected from the VIKING survey. The [C ii] line fluxes range between 1.6 and 3.4 Jy km s⁻¹ ([C ii] luminosities ∼(1.9–3.9) × 10⁹ L_⊙). We measure continuum flux densities of 0.56–3.29 mJy around 158 μm (rest frame), with implied FIR luminosities of (0.6–7.5) × 10¹² L_⊙ and dust masses M_d = (0.7–24) × 10⁸ M_⊙. In one quasar we derive a dust temperature of ${30}_{-<!--\; ???\; -->9}^{+12}$ K from the continuum slope, below the canonical value of 47 K. Assuming that the [C ii] and continuum emission are powered by star formation, we find star formation rates from 100 to 1600 M_⊙ yr⁻¹ based on local scaling relations. The L_{[C ii]}/L_FIR ratios in the quasar hosts span a wide range from (0.3–4.6) × 10⁻³, including one quasar with a ratio that is consistent with local star-forming galaxies. We find that the strength of the L_{[C ii]} and 158 μm continuum emission in z ≳ 6 quasar hosts correlates with the quasar’s bolometric luminosity. In one quasar, the [C ii] line is significantly redshifted by ∼1700 km s⁻¹ with respect to the Mg ii broad emission line. Comparing to values in the literature, we find that, on average, the Mg ii is blueshifted by 480 km s⁻¹ (with a standard deviation of 630 km s⁻¹) with respect to the host galaxy redshift, i.e., one of our quasars is an extreme outlier. Through modeling we can rule out a flat rotation curve for our brightest [C ii] emitter. Finally, we find that the ratio of black hole mass to host galaxy (dynamical) mass is higher by a factor of 3–4 (with significant scatter) than local relations.

[en] We present the discovery of the first high-redshift (z > 5.7) quasar from the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System 1 (Pan-STARRS1 or PS1). This quasar was initially detected as an i_P1 dropout in PS1, confirmed photometrically with the SAO Wide-field InfraRed Camera at Arizona's Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) and the Gamma-Ray Burst Optical/Near-Infrared Detector at the MPG 2.2 m telescope in La Silla. The quasar was verified spectroscopically with the MMT Spectrograph, Red Channel and the Cassegrain Twin Spectrograph at the Calar Alto 3.5 m telescope. Its near-infrared spectrum was taken at the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory (LBT) with the LBT Near-Infrared Spectroscopic Utility with Camera and Integral Field Unit for Extragalactic Research. It has a redshift of 5.73, an AB z_P1 magnitude of 19.4, a luminosity of 3.8 × 10⁴⁷ erg s^–1, and a black hole mass of 6.9 × 10⁹ M_☉. It is a broad absorption line quasar with a prominent Lyβ peak and a very blue continuum spectrum. This quasar is the first result from the PS1 high-redshift quasar search that is projected to discover more than 100 i_P1 dropout quasars and could potentially find more than 10 z_P1 dropout (z > 6.8) quasars.

[en] We present the analysis of optical and near-infrared spectra of the only four z > 6.5 quasars known to date, discovered in the UKIDSS-LAS and VISTA-VIKING surveys. Our data set consists of new Very Large Telescope/X-Shooter and Magellan/FIRE observations. These are the best optical/NIR spectroscopic data that are likely to be obtained for the z > 6.5 sample using current 6-10 m facilities. We estimate the black hole (BH) mass, the Eddington ratio, and the Si IV/C IV, C III]/C IV, and Fe II/Mg II emission-line flux ratios. We perform spectral modeling using a procedure that allows us to derive a probability distribution for the continuum components and to obtain the quasar properties weighted upon the underlying distribution of continuum models. The z > 6.5 quasars show the same emission properties as their counterparts at lower redshifts. The z > 6.5 quasars host BHs with masses of ∼10⁹ M_☉ that are accreting close to the Eddington luminosity ((log(L_Bol/L_Edd)) = –0.4 ± 0.2), in agreement with what has been observed for a sample of 4.0 < z < 6.5 quasars. By comparing the Si IV/C IV and C III]/C IV flux ratios with the results obtained from luminosity-matched samples at z ∼ 6 and 2 ≤ z ≤ 4.5, we find no evidence of evolution of the line ratios with cosmic time. We compare the measured Fe II/Mg II flux ratios with those obtained for a sample of 4.0 < z < 6.4 sources. The two samples are analyzed using a consistent procedure. There is no evidence that the Fe II/Mg II flux ratio evolves between z = 7 and z = 4. Under the assumption that the Fe II/Mg II traces the Fe/Mg abundance ratio, this implies the presence of major episodes of chemical enrichment in the quasar hosts in the first ∼0.8 Gyr after the Big Bang.

[en] We present an updated and revised analysis of the relationship between the Hβ broad-line region (BLR) radius and the luminosity of the active galactic nucleus (AGN). Specifically, we have carried out two-dimensional surface brightness decompositions of the host galaxies of nine new AGNs imaged with the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3. The surface brightness decompositions allow us to create ''AGN-free'' images of the galaxies, from which we measure the starlight contribution to the optical luminosity measured through the ground-based spectroscopic aperture. We also incorporate 20 new reverberation-mapping measurements of the Hβ time lag, which is assumed to yield the average Hβ BLR radius. The final sample includes 41 AGNs covering four orders of magnitude in luminosity. The additions and updates incorporated here primarily affect the low-luminosity end of the R_BLR-L relationship. The best fit to the relationship using a Bayesian analysis finds a slope of α= 0.533^+0.035_-0.033, consistent with previous work and with simple photoionization arguments. Only two AGNs appear to be outliers from the relationship, but both of them have monitoring light curves that raise doubt regarding the accuracy of their reported time lags. The scatter around the relationship is found to be 0.19 ± 0.02 dex, but would be decreased to 0.13 dex by the removal of these two suspect measurements. A large fraction of the remaining scatter in the relationship is likely due to the inaccurate distances to the AGN host galaxies. Our results help support the possibility that the R_BLR-L relationship could potentially be used to turn the BLRs of AGNs into standardizable candles. This would allow the cosmological expansion of the universe to be probed by a separate population of objects, and over a larger range of redshifts.