Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Signal from Quasar Hosts: Implications for Detection of Quasar Feedback

Abstract

Several analytic and numerical studies have indicated that the interstellar medium of a quasar host galaxy heated by feedback can contribute to a substantial secondary signal in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) through the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect. Recently, many groups have tried to detect this signal by cross-correlating CMB maps with quasar catalogs. Using a self-similar model for the gas in the intra-cluster medium and a realistic halo occupation distribution (HOD) prescription for quasars we estimate the level of SZ signal from gravitational heating of quasar hosts. The bias in the host halo signal estimation due to unconstrained high mass HOD tail and yet unknown redshift dependence of the quasar HOD restricts us from drawing any robust conclusions at low redshift (z<1.5) from our analysis. However, at higher redshifts (z>2.5), we find an excess signal in recent observations than what is predicted from our model. The excess signal could be potentially generated from additional heating due to quasar feedback.

6 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

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Cited by in corpus (8)

• Revolutionizing Our Understanding of AGN Feedback and its Importance to Galaxy Evolution in the Era of the Next Generation Very Large Array
• The SZ flux-mass ($Y$-$M$) relation at low halo masses: improvements with symbolic regression and strong constraints on baryonic feedback
• Direct Detection of Quasar Feedback Via the Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect
• Broadband spectral energy distributions of SDSS-selected quasars and of their host galaxies: intense activity at the onset of AGN feedback
• The Halo Occupation Distribution of Obscured Quasars: Revisiting the Unification Model
• X-ray Surface Brightness Profiles of Optically Selected Active Galactic Nuclei: Comparison with X-ray AGN
• Revealing the Warm and Hot Halo Baryons via Thomson Scattering of Quasar Light
• Mean Occupation Function of High Redshift Quasars from the Planck Cluster Catalog