Discovery of a Luminous Quasar in the Nearby Universe

Abstract

In the course of the Pico dos Dias survey (PDS), we identified the stellar like object PDS456 at coordinates alpha = 17h 28m 19.796s, delta = -14deg 15' 55.87'' (epoch 2000), with a relatively nearby (z = 0.184) and bright (B = 14.69) quasar. Its position at Galactic coordinates l_II = 10.4deg, b_II = +11.2deg, near the bulge of the Galaxy, may explain why it was not detected before. The optical spectrum of PDS456 is typical of a luminous quasar, showing a broad (FWHM ~ 4000 km/s) H_βline, very intense FeII lines and a weak [OIII]\lambda5007 line. PDS456 is associated to the infrared source IRAS 17254-1413 with a 60 \mum infrared luminosity L_{60} = 3.8 x 10^{45} erg/s. The relatively flat slopes in the infrared (α(25,60) = -0.33 and α(12,25) = -0.78) and a flat power index in the optical (F_ν \propto ν^{-0.72}) may indicate a low dust content. A good match between the position of PDS456 and the position of the X-ray source RXS J172819.3-141600 implies an X-ray luminosity L_x = 2.8 x 10^{44} erg/s. The good correlation between the strength of the emission lines in the optical and the X-ray luminosity, as well as the steep optical to X-ray index estimated (α_{ox} = -1.64) suggest that PDS456 is radio quiet. A radio survey previously performed in this region yields an upper limit for radio power at ~ 5 GHz of ~ 2.6 x 10^{30} erg/s/Hz. We estimate the Galactic reddening in this line-of-sight to be A_B \simeq 2.0, implying an absolute magnitude M_B = -26.7 (using H_0 = 75 km s^{-1} Mpc^{-1} and q_0 = 0). In the optical, PDS456 is therefore 1.3 times more luminous than 3C 273 and the most luminous quasar in the nearby (z \leq 0.3) Universe.

12 pages, LaTeX (aasms4.sty) + 3 figures; accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters

Cited by in corpus (35)

• A Massive X-Ray Outflow from the Quasar PDS 456
• Black hole feedback in the luminous quasar PDS 456
• A Compton-thick Wind in the High Luminosity Quasar, PDS 456
• The gentle monster PDS 456: the kpc scale molecular outflow and its implications for QSO feedback
• Evidence for a radiatively driven disc-wind in PDS 456?
• Does the X-ray outflow quasar PDS 456 have a UV outflow at 0.3c?
• Short term X-ray spectral variability of the quasar PDS 456 observed in a low flux state
• A new relativistic component of the accretion disk wind in PDS 456
• A new cosmological distance measure using AGN X-ray variability
• Resolving the soft X-ray ultra fast outflow in PDS 456
• Variability of Active Galactic Nuclei from the Optical to X-ray Regions
• Structured ionized winds shooting out from a quasar at relativistic speeds
• The Connection between Ultraviolet and X-ray Outflows in AGN: the case of PDS 456
• Discovery of Broad Soft X-ray Absorption Lines from the Quasar Wind in PDS 456
• PDS 456: an Extreme Accretion Rate Quasar?
• Optical and infrared observations of the luminous quasar PDS 456: a radio-quiet analogue of 3C 273?
• Extreme X-ray variability in the luminous quasar PDS 456
• A momentum conserving accretion disk wind in the narrow line Seyfert 1, I Zwicky 1
• Variability of the High Velocity Outflow in the Quasar PDS 456
• Multi-wavelength Observations of the Gas-rich Host Galaxy of PDS 456: a New Challenge for the ULIRG-to-QSO Transition Scenario
• Relativistic components of the Ultra-Fast Outflow in the Quasar PDS 456 from Chandra/HETGS, NuSTAR and XMM-Newton observations
• Remarkable Spectral Variability of PDS 456
• Revisiting the extremely fast disc wind in a gravitationally lensed quasar APM 08279+5255
• The flaring X-ray corona in the quasar PDS 456
• Intermittent AGN episodes drive outflows with a large spread of observable loading factors
• X-ray flaring in PDS 456 observed in a high-flux state
• The nearby extreme accretion and feedback system PDS 456: finding a complex radio-emitting nucleus
• Resolving the X-ray obscuration in a low flux observation of the quasar PDS 456
• Estimating Masses of Supermassive Black Holes in Active Galactic Nuclei from the Halpha Emission Line
• MUSE view of PDS 456: kpc-scale wind, extended ionized gas and close environment
• Unraveling the structure of the stratified ultra-fast outflows in PDS 456 with XRISM
• A radio structure resolved at the deca-parsec scale in radio-quiet quasar PDS 456 with an extremely powerful X-ray outflow
• X-ray Lags in PDS 456 Revealed by Suzaku Observations
• Modelling X-ray RMS spectra II: the ultra-fast outflow of PDS 456
• Broadband short term variability of the quasar PDS 456