Near-IR spectroscopy of luminous LoBAL quasars at 1<z<2.5

Abstract

We present near-IR spectroscopy of 22 luminous low-ionization broad absorption line quasars (LoBAL QSOs) at redshift 1.3<z<2.5, with 12 objects at z~1.5 and 10 at z~2.3. The spectra cover the rest-frame H$\alpha$ and H$\beta$ line regions, allowing us to obtain robust black hole mass estimates based on the broad H$\alpha$ line. We use these data, augmented by a lower-redshift sample from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, to test the proposed youth scenario for LoBALs, which suggests that LoBALs constitute an early short-lived evolutionary stage of quasar activity, by probing for any difference in their masses, Eddington ratios, or rest-frame optical spectroscopic properties compared to normal quasars. In addition, we construct the UV to mid-IR spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for the LoBAL sample and a matched non-BAL quasar sample. We do not find any statistically significant difference between LoBAL QSOs and non-BAL QSOs in their black hole mass or Eddington ratio distributions. The mean UV to mid-IR SED of the LoBAL QSOs is consistent with non-BAL QSOs, apart from their stronger reddening. At z>1 there is no clear difference in their optical emission line properties. We do not see particularly weak [OIII] or strong FeII emission. The LoBAL QSOs do not show a stronger prevalence of ionized gas outflows as traced by the [OIII] line, compared to normal QSOs of similar luminosity. We conclude that the optical-MIR properties of LoBAL QSOs are consistent with the general quasar population and do not support them to constitute a special phase of active galactic nucleus evolution.

arXiv comment13 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

References in corpus (84)

• Maps of Dust IR Emission for Use in Estimation of Reddening and CMBR Foregrounds
• The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE): Mission Description and Initial On-orbit Performance
• Coevolution (Or Not) of Supermassive Black Holes and Host Galaxies
• Energy input from quasars regulates the growth and activity of black holes and their host galaxies
• Observational Evidence of AGN Feedback
• The Galaxy Evolution Explorer: A Space Ultraviolet Survey Mission
• The Eleventh and Twelfth Data Releases of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Final Data from SDSS-III
• A Catalog of Quasar Properties from SDSS DR7
• Determining Central Black Hole Masses in Distant Active Galaxies and Quasars. II. Improved Optical and UV Scaling Relationships
• Spectral Energy Distributions and Multiwavelength Selection of Type 1 Quasars
• The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Catalog V. Seventh Data Release
• Dynamics of line-driven disk winds in Active Galactic Nuclei
• Estimating Black Hole Masses in Active Galaxies Using the Halpha Emission Line
• Mid-Infrared Selection of AGN with the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer. I. Characterizing WISE-Selected AGN in COSMOS
• AGN wind scaling relations and the co-evolution of black holes and galaxies
• The cosmological evolution of quasar black-hole masses
• Dynamics of Line-Driven Disk Winds in Active Galactic Nuclei II: Effects of Disk Radiation
• Kiloparsec-scale outflows are prevalent among luminous AGN: outflows and feedback in the context of the overall AGN population
• Black Hole Mass and Eddington Ratio as Drivers for the Observable Properties of Radio-Loud and Radio-Quiet QSOs
• The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Catalog IV. Fifth Data Release
• A Catalog of Broad Absorption Line Quasars in Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5
• Unusual Broad Absorption Line Quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• The Frequency and Radio Properties of Broad Absorption Line Quasars
• Comparing Single-Epoch Virial Black Hole Mass Estimators for Luminous Quasars
• Improved redshifts for SDSS quasar spectra
• Properties of Radio-Selected Broad Absorption-Line Quasars from the FIRST Survey
• Continuum and Emission-Line Properties of Broad Absorption Line Quasars
• Ionised outflows in z $\sim$ 2.4 quasar host galaxies
• Black Hole Growth to z = 2 - I: Improved Virial Methods for Measuring M_BH and L/L_Edd
• A strong redshift dependence of the broad absorption line quasar fraction
• Composite Spectra from the FIRST Bright Quasar Survey
• WISE photometry for 400 million SDSS sources
• The WISSH Quasars Project I. Powerful ionised outflows in hyper-luminous quasars
• Correcting CIV-Based Virial Black Hole Masses
• X-shooter reveals powerful outflows in z~1.5 X-ray selected obscured quasi stellar objects
• Comparing and calibrating black hole mass estimators for distant active galactic nuclei
• Black Hole Mass Estimates Based on CIV are Consistent with Those Based on the Balmer Lines
• The FIRST-2MASS Red Quasar Survey II: An anomalously high fraction of LoBALs in searches for dust-reddened quasars
• Active galactic nuclei at z~1.5: II. Black Hole Mass estimation by means of broad emission lines
• Near Infrared Spectroscopy of High Redshift Active Galactic Nuclei. II. Disappearing Narrow Line Regions and the Role of Accretion
• Broad Absorption Line Disappearance on Multi-Year Timescales in a Large Quasar Sample
• Polarization of Broad Absorption Line QSOs I. A Spectropolarimetric Atlas
• The FIRST Radio-Loud Broad Absorption Line QSO and Evidence for a Hidden Population of Quasars
• Type 1 low z AGN. I. Emission properties
• A Physical Model of FeLoBALs: Implications for Quasar Feedback
• SDSS quasars in the WISE preliminary data release and quasar candidate selection with optical/infrared colors
• Direct Evidence for Termination of Obscured Star Formation by Radiatively Driven Outflows in Reddened QSOs
• Implications of Dramatic Broad Absorption Line Variability in the Quasar FBQS J1408+3054
• Spitzer Observations of Young Red Quasars
• Rest-frame Optical Properties of Luminous 1.5<z<3.5 Quasars: the Hbeta-[OIII] Region
• Calibrating CIV-based black hole mass estimators
• Occurrence and Global Properties of Narrow CIV lambda 1549 Absorption Lines in Moderate-Redshift Quasars
• Rest-frame Optical Spectra and Black Hole Masses of 3<z<6 Quasars
• Low-z MgII Broad Absorption-Line Quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• Radio Through X-ray Spectral Energy Distributions of 38 Broad Absorption Line Quasars
• Evidence that FeLoBALs may signify the transition between an ultraluminous infrared galaxy and a quasar
• LBQS 0103-2753: A 0.3 Arcsec Binary Quasar
• Results of Monitoring the Dramatically Variable C IV Mini-BAL System in the Quasar HS 1603+3820
• Type 1 AGN at low z. III. The optical narrow line ratios
• The sub-millimeter properties of broad absorption line quasars
• The HST Quasar Absorption Line Key Project XII. The Unusual Absorption Line System in the Spectrum of PG 2302+029 ---Ejected or Intervening?
• The Dependence of C IV Broad Absorption Line Properties on Accompanying Si IV and Al III Absorption: Relating Quasar-Wind Ionization Levels, Kinematics, and Column Densities
• Broad absorption line disappearance and emergence using multiple-epoch spectroscopy from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• Improved Spectrophotometric Calibration of the SDSS-III BOSS Quasar Sample
• The Intrinsic Fractions and Radio Properties of Low Ionization Broad Absorption Line Quasars
• The Baldwin effect in the narrow emission lines of AGNs
• A Balmer-line Broad Absorption Line Quasar
• Simultaneous Ultraviolet and Optical Emission-line Profiles of Quasars: Implications for Black Hole Mass Determination
• Black Hole Mass Estimates and Rapid Growth of Supermassive Black Holes in Luminous $z\sim$ 3.5 Quasars
• Low redshift AGN in the Hamburg/ESO Survey: I. The local AGN luminosity function
• A comparative analysis of virial black-hole mass estimates of moderate-luminosity active galactic nuclei using Subaru/FMOS
• An FeLoBAL Binary Quasar
• Discovery of Extremely Broad Balmer Absorption Lines in SDSS J152350.42+391405.2
• The extraordinary mid-infrared spectral properties of FeLoBAL Quasars
• BAL QSOs and Extreme UFOs: the Eddington connection
• Discovery of H alpha absorption in the unusual broad absorption line quasar SDSS J083942.11+380526.3
• The Nature of LoBAL QSOs: I. SEDs and mid-infrared spectral properties
• Herschel-ATLAS: the far-infrared properties and star-formation rates of broad absorption line quasi-stellar objects
• Rest-frame optical properties of luminous, radio-selected, broad absorption line quasars
• Extreme Variability in a Broad Absorption Line Quasar
• Simultaneous detection and analysis of optical and ultraviolet broad emission lines in quasars at z~2.2
• Vanishing Absorption and Blueshifted Emission in FeLoBAL Quasars
• An Infrared Excess Identified in Radio-Loud Broad Absorption Line Quasars
• A SCUBA-2 survey of FeLoBAL QSOs: Are FeLoBALs in a `transition phase' between ULIRGs and QSOs?

Cited by in corpus (20)

• No signs of star formation being regulated in the most luminous quasars at z~2 with ALMA
• The z=0.54 LoBAL Quasar SDSS J085053.12+445122.5: I. Spectral Synthesis Analysis Reveals a Massive Outflow
• The Physical Properties of Low Redshift FeLoBAL Quasars. I. Spectral Synthesis Analysis of the BAL Outflows using $SimBAL$
• An FMOS Survey of moderate-luminosity broad-line AGN in COSMOS, SXDS and E-CDF-S
• Variability of Low-ionization Broad Absorption Line Quasars Based on Multi-epoch Spectra from The Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• Connecting radio emission to AGN wind properties with Broad Absorption Line Quasars
• Discovery of strong Balmer line absorption in two luminous LoBAL quasars at z~1.5
• The Physical Properties of Low-Redshift FeLoBAL Quasars: II. The Rest-Frame Optical Emission Line Properties
• GA-NIFS: A galaxy-wide outflow in a Compton-thick mini-BAL quasar at z = 3.5 probed in emission and absorption
• The spatial clustering of ROSAT all-sky survey Active Galactic Nuclei: V. The evolution of broad-line AGN clustering properties in the last 6 Gyr
• [OIII] emission in z=2 quasars with and without Broad Absorption Lines
• Spectroscopy of broad absorption line quasars at $3\lesssim z\lesssim 5$ -- I: evidence for quasar winds shaping broad/narrow emission line regions
• Star Formation in Luminous LoBAL Quasars at 2.0<z<2.5
• A Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Study of Four FeLoBAL Quasar Host Galaxies
• Optical Spectroscopy of Dual Quasar Candidates from the Subaru HSC-SSP program
• A Targeted Search for Variable Gravitationally Lensed Quasars
• The Nature of LoBAL QSOs: II. HST/WFC3 Observations Reveal Host Galaxies Dominated by Mergers
• Near-infrared spectroscopy of extreme BAL QSOs from the QUBRICS bright quasar survey
• Evidence for the connection between star formation rate and evolutionary phases of quasars
• Spectroscopic confirmation of dual and offset quasars from the Subaru HSC-SSP program