QSONG: Supermassive Black Holes in Quasars at World's End

Details QSONG: Supermassive Black Holes in Quasars at World's End QSONG: Supermassive Black Holes in Quasars at World's End

May 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010iaus..267...40i&link_type=abstract

Co-Evolution of Central Black Holes and Galaxies, Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, IAU Symposium, Volume 267

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Early Universe, Galaxies: Active, Galaxies: High Redshift, Quasars: Emission Lines

Scientific paper

We present the initial results of the AKARI mission program QSONG (Quasar Spectroscopic Observation with NIR Grism). QSONG utilizes the unique AKARI capability of performing spectroscopic observations at 2.5-5 μm, with the aim of understanding the mass evolution of ~200 quasars at 3.4 < z < 6.5 from their rest-frame optical spectra. The program also studies the rest-frame NIR spectra of 99 well-studied quasars at low redshift (z < 0.5) and 10 red quasars. With the high-redshift QSONG observations, we detect and resolve redshifted optical lines such as Hα for the first time at this redshift, allowing us to measure the supermassive black hole (SMBH) masses at high redshift using the well-calibrated optical mass estimators and provide an independent assessment of UV line-based mass measurements whose reliability has been controversial. Until the launch of JWST, AKARI will be the only facility in the world capable of studying the rest-frame optical spectra of high-redshift objects out to z ~ 6. Our initial QSONG result indicates a lack of very massive SMBHs at z > 5.5, suggesting that we are possibly witnessing the cosmic growth history of the most massive SMBHs (~ 1010 M&sun;) in the early universe. Ultimately, an extensive study of the rest-frame optical spectra of high-redshift QSOs will help us understand the evolution and the growth of SMBHs in the early universe.

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