No Arabic abstract
We report the first unambiguous detection of the host galaxy of a normal radio-quiet QSO at high-redshift in K-band. The luminosity of the host comprises about 35% of the total K-band luminosity. Assuming the average colour of QSOs at z=2, the host would be about 5 to 6 mag brighter than an unevolved L* galaxy placed at z=2, and 3 to 4 mag brighter than a passively evolved L* galaxy at the same redshift. The luminosity of the host galaxy of the QSO would thus overlap with the highest found in radio-loud QSOs and radio-galaxies at the same redshift.
We present seeing-limited and adaptive optics (AO) images of the z = 1.786 radio galaxy 3C294 in the H and K infrared bands obtained at Keck Observatory. The infrared emission of 3C294 is dominated by two distinct components separated by ~1 (9 kpc). The eastern knot contains an unresolved core that contributes ~4% of the K-band light; we identify this core with the active nucleus. The western component is about 2.5 times brighter. The most plausible interpretation of the near-infrared morphology is an ongoing merger event, with the active nucleus located in the less massive of the two galaxies.
We report near-infrared (primarily H-band) adaptive optics (AO) imaging with the Gemini-N and Subaru Telescopes, of a representative sample of 32 nearby (z<0.3) QSOs selected from the Palomar-Green (PG) Bright Quasar Survey (BQS), in order to investigate the properties of the host galaxies. 2D modeling and visual inspection of the images shows that ~36% of the hosts are ellipticals, ~39% contain a prominent disk component, and ~25% are of undetermined type. 30% show obvious signs of disturbance. The mean M_H(host) = -24.82 (2.1L_H*), with a range -23.5 to -26.5 (~0.63 to 10 L_H*). At <L_H*, all hosts have a dominant disk component, while at >2 L_H* most are ellipticals. Disturbed hosts are found at all M_H(host), while strongly disturbed hosts appear to favor the more luminous hosts. Hosts with prominent disks have less luminous QSOs, while the most luminous QSOs are almost exclusively in ellipticals or in mergers (which presumably shortly will be ellipticals). At z<0.13, where our sample is complete at B-band, we find no clear correlation between M_B(QSO) and M_H(host). However, at z>0.15, the more luminous QSOs (M_B<-24.7), and 4/5 of the radio-loud QSOs, have the most luminous H-band hosts (>7L_H*), most of which are ellipticals. Finally, we find a strong correlation between the infrared-excess, L_IR/L_BB, of QSOs with host type and degree of disturbance. Disturbed and strongly disturbed hosts and hosts with dominant disks have L_IR/L_BB twice that of non-disturbed and elliptical hosts, respectively. QSOs with disturbed and strongly-disturbed hosts are also found to have morphologies and mid/far-infrared colors that are similar to what is found for warm ultraluminous infrared galaxies, providing further evidence for a possible evolutionary connection between both classes of objects.
We present results of a Gemini adaptive optics (AO) imaging program to investigate the host galaxies of typical QSOs at z~2. Our aim is to study the host galaxies of typical, L*_qso QSOs at the epoch of peak QSO and star formation activity. The large database of faint QSOs provided by the 2dF QSO Redshift Survey allows us to select a sample of QSOs at z=1.75-2.5 which have nearby (<12 arcsecond separation) bright stars suitable for use as AO guide stars. We have observed a sample of 9 QSOs. The images of these sources have AO corrected full-width at half-maximum of between 0.11 and 0.25 arcseconds. We use multiple observations of point spread function (PSF) calibration star pairs in order to quantify any uncertainty in the PSF. We then factored these uncertainties into our modelling of the QSO plus host galaxy. In only one case did we convincingly detect a host (2QZ J133311.4+001949, at z=1.93). This host galaxy has K=18.5+-0.2 mag with a half-light radius, r_e=0.55+-0.1, equivalent to ~3L*_gal assuming a simple passively evolving model. From detailed simulations of our host galaxy modelling process, we find that for four of our targets we should be sensitive to host galaxies that are equivalent to ~2L*_gal (passively evolved). Our non-detections therefore place tight constraints on the properties of L*_qso QSO host galaxies, which can be no brighter (after allowing for passive evolution) than the host galaxies of L*_qso AGN at low redshift, although the QSOs themselves are a factor of ~50 brighter. This implies that either the fueling efficiency is much greater at high redshift, or that more massive black holes are active at high redshift.
We present near-infrared H-band imaging of 15 intermediate redshift (0.5<z<1) radio quiet quasars (RQQ) in order to characterize the properties of their host galaxies. We are able to clearly detect the surrounding nebulosity in 12 objects, whereas the object remains unresolved in three cases. For all the resolved objects, we find that the host galaxy is well represented by a de Vaucouleurs r^{1/4} surface brightness law. This is the first reasonably sized sample of intermediate redshift RQQs studied in the near-infrared. The RQQ host galaxies are luminous (average M_H=-26.3+-0.6) and large giant elliptical galaxies (average bulge scale length R_e = 11.3pm5.8 kpc). RQQ hosts are about 1 mag brighter than the typical low redshift galaxy luminosity L^*, and their sizes are similar to those of galaxies hosting lower redshift RQQs, indicating that there is no significant evolution at least up to z=1 of the host galaxy structure. We also find that RQQ hosts are about 0.5-1 mag fainter than radio-loud quasars (RLQ) hosts at the similar redshift range. The comparison of the host luminosity of intermediate redshift RQQ hosts with that for lower z sources shows a trend that is consistent with that expected from the passive evolution of the stars in the host galaxies. The nuclear luminosity and the nucleus/host galaxy luminosity ratio of the objects in our sample are intermediate between those of lower redshift RQQs and those of higher redshift (z>1) RQQs.
Recent studies of the tight scaling relations between the masses of supermassive black holes and their host galaxies have suggested that in the past black holes constituted a larger fraction of their host galaxies mass. However, these arguments are limited by selection effects and difficulties in determining robust host galaxy masses at high redshifts. Here we report the first results of a new, complementary diagnostic route: we directly determine a dynamical host galaxy mass for the z=1.3 luminous quasar J090543.56+043347.3 through high-spatial-resolution (0.47, 4kpc FWHM) observations of the host galaxy gas kinematics over 30x40 kpc using ESO/VLT/SINFONI with LGS/AO. Combining our result of M_dyn = 2.05+1.68_0.74 x 10^11 M_sun (within a radius 5.25 +- 1.05 kpc) with M_BH,MgII = 9.02 pm 1.43 x 10^8 M_sun, M_BH,Halpha = 2.83 +1.93-1.13 x 10^8 M_sun, we find that the ratio of black hole mass to host galaxy dynamical mass for J090543.56+043347.3 matches the present-day relation for M_BH vs. M_Bulge,Dyn, well within the IR scatter, deviating at most a factor of two from the mean. J090543.56+043347.3 displays clear signs of an ongoing tidal interaction and of spatially extended star formation at a rate of 50-100 M_sun/yr, above the cosmic average for a galaxy of this mass and redshift. We argue that its subsequent evolution may move J090543.56+043347.3 even closer to the z=0 relation for M_BH vs. M_Bulge,Dyn. Our results support the picture where any substantive evolution in these relations must occur prior to z~1.3. Having demonstrated the power of this modelling approach we are currently analyzing similar data on seven further objects to better constrain such evolution.