GNIRS-DQS: A Gemini Near Infrared Spectrograph Distant Quasar Survey

GREEN, R. F. (Y 11 AUTORES MÁS); CELLONE, S.; ANDRUCHOW, I.; MATTHEWS, B.; FERRERO, G.; BOROSON, T. A.; SHEMMER, O.; GALLAGHER, S.; BRANDT, W. N.; BROTHERTON, M. S.

Denver

Congreso; American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #232; 2018

AAS

We describe an ongoing three-year Gemini survey, launched in 2017, thatwill obtain near-infrared spectroscopy of 416 Sloan Digital Sky Survey(SDSS) quasars between redshifts of 1.5 and 3.5 in the ~1.0-2.5 μmband. These spectra will cover critical diagnostic emission lines, suchas Mg II, Hβ, and [O III], in each source. This project will morethan double the existing inventory of near-infrared spectra of luminousquasars at these redshifts, including the era of fast quasar growth.Additional rest frame ultraviolet coverage of at least the C IV emissionline is provided by the SDSS spectrum of each source. We will utilizethe spectroscopic inventory to determine the most accurate and precisequasar black hole masses, accretion rates, and redshifts, and use theresults to derive improved prescriptions for UV-based proxies for theseparameters. The improved redshifts will establish velocities of quasaroutflows that interact with the host galaxies, and will help constrainhow imprecise distance estimates bias quasar clustering measurements.Furthermore, our measurements will facilitate a more completeunderstanding of how the rest-frame UV-optical spectral propertiesdepend on redshift and luminosity, and test whether the physicalproperties of the quasar central engine evolve over cosmic time. We willmake our data immediately available to the public, provide reducedspectra via a dedicated website, and produce a catalog of measurementsand fundamental quasar properties.