Physical Evolution of Quasars

Details Physical Evolution of Quasars Physical Evolution of Quasars

Jan 1996

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1996phdt........11k&link_type=abstract

Thesis (PH.D.)--HARVARD UNIVERSITY, 1996.Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-06, Section: B, page: 3790.

Computer Science

3

Pure Luminosity Evolution

Scientific paper

The evolution of the quasar luminosity function is well described by pure luminosity evolution (PLE), in which the statistical luminosity, L^*(z), declines by a factor of ~100 from z = 3 to z sim 0.1 (Boyle et al. 1988a). If PLE is produced by the gradual dimming of a single generation of long-lived quasars, then the emitted continua of high redshift, younger, quasars are expected to differ from those of their low redshift, older, counterparts. This thesis aims to test this interpretation of PLE via a statistical comparison between the continua of sets of high and low redshift quasars which match in evolved luminosity, having similar L/L^ *(z).. Rest-frame ~ 1200A-5500A spectral energy distributions were constructed for 15 high redshift quasars and compared to those of 27 z sim 0.1 quasars (Elvis et al. 1994a). Optical/UV spectral indices, alpha (F_ nu ~nu^alpha), were determined by fitting single power laws through narrow (Deltalambda/lambda < 2%) continuum bands at 1285A, 1460A, 4200A, 4650A and 5100A. The mean spectral indices are -0.38 +/- 0.07 for the low and -0.32 +/- 0.07 for the high redshift samples. No significant evolution is found in the optical/UV continuum shapes. K-S tests give probabilities < 4% that the distributions of alpha for the high and low redshift samples differ. There is a significant range in continuum shapes within the low (alpha = -1.2 to +0.5) and high (alpha = { -}0.75 to +0.2) redshift samples. The spread is real, being about 20 times greater than the typical errors, sim 0.01 - 0.08. The distributions of spectral indices that result from fits using a power law plus SMC reddening model are not consistent with the hypothesis that the range is produced by intrinsic extinction. The predicted spectra from non-steady accretion disks, as would result from temperature redistribution due to irradiation or unstable mass accretion, can explain values of alpha from 1/3 down to at least - 1, and may account for the full range. The strengths of the FeII/Balmer continuum '3000A bump', as measured from the residuals from the power law fit at 2500A and 2660A, are weaker in the spectra of the high redshift quasars, with K-S probabilities greater than 99.5% that the distributions at high and low redshift differ.

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