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DOE OSTI2022

X-ray emission of the radio-loud quasar SDSS J121426.52+140258.9: independent variations between optical/UV and X-ray emission

To understand the X-ray emission of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), we explored the optical-to-X-ray variation correlation of a radio-loud quasar (RLQ) SDSS J121426.52+140258.9 (hereafter J1214+1402) with multi-epoch observations by the Swift and XMM–Newton telescopes. With the historical multiband data, we found that the infrared-to-X-ray flux of RLQ J1214+1402 should not be dominated by the beamed-jet emission. The Swift optical/UV and X-ray light curves showed that J1214+1402 has two optical states, with low flux before 2014 April 8 and high flux after 2014 June 11, but has no significant X-ray variations during the time range between 2007 March 9 and 2014 August 4. This result was supported by the XMM–Newton observations in the time overlapping with Swift. Interestingly, the early XMM–Newton data prior to the Swift time present two unusual emission epochs when J1214+1402 has relatively low optical fluxes but has the brightest X-ray fluxes. The overall independence of optical-to-X-ray variation seems hard to describe by the disc–corona model. With the X-ray spectral fitting, we find that the soft X-ray excess in J1214+1402 appears only during the high optical state when the X-ray emission is at a low state. The soft X-ray excess in J1214+1402 is difficult to explain by an ionized accretion disc; instead, it may be related to the warm corona.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Do reverberation-measured H β quasars provide a useful test of cosmology?

We use 118 Hβ quasar (QSO) observations in the redshift range 0.0023 ≤ z ≤ 0.89 to simultaneously constrain cosmological model parameters and QSO 2-parameter radius-luminosity (R–L) relation parameters in six different cosmological models. We find that the R–L relation parameters for these QSOs are independent of the assumed cosmology so these QSOs seem to be standardizable through the R–L relation (although there is a complication that might render this untrue). Cosmological constraints obtained using these QSOs are weak, more favour currently decelerated cosmological expansion, and typically are in ~2σ tension with those obtained from a joint analysis of baryon acoustic oscillation and Hubble parameter measurements. Extending the R–L relation to a 3-parameter one to try to correct for the accretion rate effect does not result in a reduction of the cosmological constraints discrepancy nor does it result in the hoped-for significant reduction of the intrinsic scatter of the R–L relation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

JWST lensed quasar dark matter survey – II. Strongest gravitational lensing limit on the dark matter free streaming length to date

This is the second in a series of papers in which we use JWST Mid Infrared Instrument multiband imaging to measure the warm dust emission in a sample of 31 multiply imaged quasars, to be used as a probe of the particle nature of dark matter. We present measurements of the relative magnifications of the strongly lensed warm dust emission in a sample of nine systems. The warm dust region is compact and sensitive to perturbations by populations of haloes down to masses $\sim 10^6$ M$_{\odot }$. Using these warm dust flux-ratio measurements in combination with five previous narrow-line flux-ratio measurements, we constrain the halo mass function. In our model, we allow for complex deflector macromodels with flexible third- and fourth-order multipole deviations from ellipticity, and we introduce an improved model of the tidal evolution of subhaloes. We constrain a WDM model and find an upper limit on the half-mode mass of $10^{7.6}\, {\rm M}_\odot$ at posterior odds of 10:1. This corresponds to a lower limit on a thermally produced dark matter particle mass of 6.1 keV. This is the strongest gravitational lensing constraint to date, and comparable to those from independent probes such as the Ly $\alpha$ forest and Milky Way satellite galaxies.

dark matter↗
DOE OSTI2022

Quasar Identification Using Multivariate Probability Density Estimated from Nonparametric Conditional Probabilities

Nonparametric estimation for a probability density function that describes multivariate data has typically been addressed by kernel density estimation (KDE). A novel density estimator recently developed by Farmer and Jacobs offers an alternative high-throughput automated approach to univariate nonparametric density estimation based on maximum entropy and order statistics, improving accuracy over univariate KDE. This article presents an extension of the single variable case to multiple variables. The univariate estimator is used to recursively calculate a product array of one-dimensional conditional probabilities. In combination with interpolation methods, a complete joint probability density estimate is generated for multiple variables. Good accuracy and speed performance in synthetic data are demonstrated by a numerical study using known distributions over a range of sample sizes from 100 to 10 6 for two to six variables. Performance in terms of speed and accuracy is compared to KDE. The multivariate density estimate developed here tends to perform better as the number of samples and/or variables increases. As an example application, measurements are analyzed over five filters of photometric data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 17. The multivariate estimation is used to form the basis for a binary classifier that distinguishes quasars from galaxies and stars with up to 94% accuracy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Optical Variability of ICRF3 Quasars in the Pan-STARRS 3Pi Survey with Functional Principal Component Analysis

We make use of individual (epoch) detection data from the Pan-STARRS “3π” survey for 2863 optical ICRF3 counterparts in the five wavelength bands g, r, i, z, and y, published as part of the Data Release 2. A dedicated method based on the Functional Principal Component Analysis is developed for these sparse and irregularly sampled data. With certain regularization and normalization constraints, it allows us to obtain uniform and compatible estimates of the variability amplitudes and average magnitudes between the passbands and objects. We find that the starting assumption of affinity of the light curves for a given object at different wavelengths is violated for several percent of the sample. The distributions of rms variability amplitudes are strongly skewed toward small values, peaking at ∼0.1 mag with tails stretching to 2 mag. Statistically, the lowest variability is found for the r band and the largest for the reddest y band. A small “brighter-redder” effect is present, with amplitudes in y greater than amplitudes in g in 57% of the sample. The variability versus redshift dependence shows a strong decline with z toward redshift 3, which we interpret as the time dilation of the dominant time frequencies. The colors of radio-loud ICRF3 quasars are correlated with redshift in a complicated, wavy pattern governed by the emergence of brightest emission lines within the five passbands.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Variability and Spectral Characteristics of Three Flaring Gamma-Ray Quasars Observed by VERITAS and Fermi-LAT

Flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) are the most luminous blazars at GeV energies but only rarely emit detectable fluxes of TeV gamma rays, typically during bright GeV flares. We explore the gamma-ray variability and spectral characteristics of three FSRQs that have been observed at GeV and TeV energies by Fermi-LAT and VERITAS, making use of almost 100 hr of VERITAS observations spread over 10 yr: 3C 279, PKS 1222+216, and Ton 599. We explain the GeV flux distributions of the sources in terms of a model derived from a stochastic differential equation describing fluctuations in the magnetic field in the accretion disk and estimate the timescales of magnetic flux accumulation and stochastic instabilities in their accretion disks. We identify distinct flares using a procedure based on Bayesian blocks and analyze their daily and subdaily variability and gamma-ray energy spectra. Using observations from VERITAS, as well as Fermi, Swift, and the Steward Observatory, we model the broadband spectral energy distributions of PKS 1222+216 and Ton 599 during very high energy (VHE)–detected flares in 2014 and 2017, respectively, strongly constraining the jet Doppler factors and gamma-ray emission region locations during these events. Finally, we place theoretical constraints on the potential production of PeV-scale neutrinos during these VHE flares.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Does Feedback from Supermassive Black Holes Coevolve with the Host in Type 2 Quasars?

The feedback from the accretion of central supermassive black holes (SMBHs) is a hot topic in the coevolution of SMBHs and their host galaxies. By tracing the large-scale outflow using the line profile and bulk velocity shift of [O III ]λ5007, the evolutionary role of outflow is studied here on a large sample of 221 type 2 quasars (QSO2s) extracted from Reyes et al. By following our previous study on local Seyfert 2 galaxies, the current spectral analysis on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectroscopic database enables us to arrive at the following results: (1) by using the Lick indices, we confirm that QSO2s are, on average, more frequently associated with younger stellar populations than Seyfert galaxies; (2) QSO2s with a stronger outflow tend to be associated with a younger stellar population, which implies a coevolution between the feedback from SMBHs and the host in QSO2s; (3) although occupied at the high L bol /L Edd end, the QSO2s follow the L bol /L Edd -D n (4000) sequence established from local, less-luminous Seyfert galaxies, which suggests a decrease of the accretion activity of SMBHs and also of feedback as the circumnuclear stellar population continuously ages.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1995

HST Observations of the Luminous IRAS Source FSC10214+4724: A gravitationally Lensed Infrared Quasar

Observations of a distant object in space with the data being taken by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Planetary Camera. Scientific examination and hypothesis related to this object which appears to be either an extremely luminous dust embedded quasar, or a representative of a new class of astronomical objects (a primeval galaxy).

Hubble Space Telescope Quasar Space Object Astrono↗
DOE OSTI2025

Validating the galaxy and quasar catalog-level blinding scheme for the DESI 2024 analysis

In the era of precision cosmology, ensuring the integrity of data analysis through blinding techniques is paramount — a challenge particularly relevant for the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). DESI represents a monumental effort to map the cosmic web, with the goal to measure the redshifts of tens of millions of galaxies and quasars. Given the data volume and the impact of the findings, the potential for confirmation bias poses a significant challenge. To address this, we implement and validate a comprehensive blind analysis strategy for DESI Data Release 1 (DR1), tailored to the specific observables DESI is most sensitive to: Baryonic Acoustic Oscillations (BAO), Redshift-Space Distortion (RSD) and primordial non-Gaussianities (PNG). We carry out the blinding at the catalog level, implementing shifts in the redshifts of the observed galaxies to blind for BAO and RSD signals and weights to blind for PNG through a scale-dependent bias. We validate the blinding technique on mocks as well as on data by applying a second blinding layer to perform a series of sanity checks; the latter allows probing complexities in real data not captured in mocks. We find that the blinding strategy alters the data vector in a controlled way, and the BAO and RSD analysis choices are robust to blinding. The successful validation of the blinding strategy paves the way for the unblinded DESI DR1 analysis, alongside future blind analyses with DESI and other surveys.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

DESI 2024 V: Full-Shape galaxy clustering from galaxies and quasars

We present the measurements and cosmological implications of the galaxy two-point clustering using over 4.7 million unique galaxy and quasar redshifts in the range 0.1 < z < 2.1 divided into six redshift bins over a ∼ 7,500 square degree footprint, from the first year of observations with the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI Data Release 1). By fitting the full power spectrum, we extend previous DESI DR1 baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) measurements to include redshift-space distortions and signals from the matter-radiation equality scale. For the first time, this Full-Shape analysis is blinded at the catalogue-level to avoid confirmation bias and the systematic errors are accounted for at the two-point clustering level, which automatically propagates them into any cosmological parameter. When analyzing the data in terms of compressed model-agnostic variables, we obtain a combined precision of 4.7% on the amplitude of the redshift space distortion (RSD) signal reaching a similar precision with just one year of DESI data than with twenty years of observation from the previous generation survey. We also analyze the data to directly constrain the cosmological parameters within the ΛCDM model using perturbation theory and combine this information with the reconstructed DESI DR1 galaxy BAO. Using a Big Bang Nucleosynthesis Gaussian prior on the baryon density parameter, ω b , and a weak Gaussian prior on the spectral index, n s , we constrain the matter density is Ω m = 0.296±0.010 and the Hubble constant H 0 = (68.63 ± 0.79)[km s -1 Mpc -1 ]. Additionally, we measure the amplitude of clustering σ 8 = 0.841±0.034. The DESI DR1 galaxy clustering results are in agreement with the ΛCDM model based on general relativity with parameters consistent with those from Planck. The cosmological interpretation of these results in combination with DESI DR1 Ly-α forest data and external datasets are presented in the companion paper [1].

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Multiplicity functions of quasars: predictions from the MassiveBlackII simulation

ABSTRACT We examine multiple active galactic nucleus (AGN) systems (triples and quadruples, in particular) in the MassiveBlackII simulation over a redshift range of 0.06 ≲ z ≲ 4. We identify AGN systems (with bolometric luminosity $L_{\mathrm{bol}}\gt 10^{42}~\mathrm{erg\, s}^{-1}$) at different scales (defined by the maximum distance between member AGNs) to determine the AGN multiplicity functions. This is defined as the volume/surface density of AGN systems per unit richness R, the number of AGNs in a system. We find that gravitationally bound multiple AGN systems tend to populate scales of ${\lesssim}0.7~\mathrm{cMpc}\, h^{-1}$; this corresponds to angular separations of ≲100 arcsec and a line-of-sight velocity difference ${\lesssim}200~\mathrm{km\, s}^{-1}$. The simulation contains ∼10 and ∼100 triples/quadruples per deg2 up to depths of DESI (g ≲ 24) and LSST (g ≲ 26) imaging, respectively; at least $20{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of these should be detectable in spectroscopic surveys. The simulated quasar ($L_{\mathrm{bol}}\gt 10^{44}~\mathrm{erg\, s}^{-1}$) triples and quadruples predominantly exist at 1.5 ≲ z ≲ 3. Their members have black hole masses $10^{6.5}\lesssim M_{\mathrm{ bh}}\lesssim 10^{9}~\mathrm{M}_{\odot }\, h^{-1}$ and live in separate (one central and multiple satellite) galaxies with stellar masses $10^{10}\lesssim M_{*}\lesssim 10^{12}~\mathrm{M}_{\odot }\, h^{-1}$. They live in the most massive haloes (e.g. ${\sim}10^{13}~\mathrm{M}_{\odot }\, h^{-1}$ at z = 2.5; ${\sim}10^{14}~\mathrm{M}_{\odot }\, h^{-1}$ at z = 1) in the simulation. Their detections provide an exciting prospect for understanding massive black hole growth and their merger rates in galaxies in the era of multimessenger astronomy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Using quasar X-ray and UV flux measurements to constrain cosmological model parameters

ABSTRACT Risaliti and Lusso have compiled X-ray and UV flux measurements of 1598 quasars (QSOs) in the redshift range 0.036 ≤ z ≤ 5.1003, part of which, z ∼ 2.4 − 5.1, is largely cosmologically unprobed. In this paper we use these QSO measurements, alone and in conjunction with baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) and Hubble parameter [H(z)] measurements, to constrain cosmological parameters in six different cosmological models, each with two different Hubble constant priors. In most of these models, given the larger uncertainties, the QSO cosmological parameter constraints are mostly consistent with those from the BAO + H(z) data. A somewhat significant exception is the non-relativistic matter density parameter Ωm0 where QSO data favour Ωm0 ∼ 0.5 − 0.6 in most models. As a result, in joint analyses of QSO data with H(z) + BAO data the 1D Ωm0 distributions shift slightly towards larger values. A joint analysis of the QSO + BAO + H(z) data is consistent with the current standard model, spatially-flat ΛCDM, but mildly favours closed spatial hypersurfaces and dynamical dark energy. Since the higher Ωm0 values favoured by QSO data appear to be associated with the z ∼ 2 − 5 part of these data, and conflict somewhat with strong indications for Ωm0 ∼ 0.3 from most z < 2.5 data as well as from the cosmic microwave background anisotropy data at z ∼ 1100, in most models, the larger QSO data Ωm0 is possibly more indicative of an issue with the z ∼ 2 − 5 QSO data than of an inadequacy of the standard flat ΛCDM model.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

The completed SDSS-IV extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: N -body mock challenge for the quasar sample

ABSTRACT The growth rate and expansion history of the Universe can be measured from large galaxy redshift surveys using the Alcock–Paczynski effect. We validate the Redshift Space Distortion models used in the final analysis of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) Data Release 16 quasar clustering sample, in configuration and Fourier space, using a series of halo occupation distribution mock catalogues generated using the OuterRim N-body simulation. We test three models on a series of non-blind mocks, in the OuterRim cosmology, and blind mocks, which have been rescaled to new cosmologies, and investigate the effects of redshift smearing and catastrophic redshifts. We find that for the non-blind mocks, the models are able to recover fσ8 to within 3 per cent and α∥ and α⊥ to within 1 per cent. The scatter in the measurements is larger for the blind mocks, due to the assumption of an incorrect fiducial cosmology. From this mock challenge, we find that all three models perform well, with similar systematic errors on fσ8, α∥, and α⊥ at the level of $\sigma _{f\sigma _8}=0.013$, $\sigma _{\alpha _\parallel }=0.012$, and $\sigma _{\alpha _\bot }=0.008$. The systematic error on the combined consensus is $\sigma _{f\sigma _8}=0.011$, $\sigma _{\alpha _\parallel }=0.008$, and $\sigma _{\alpha _\bot }=0.005$, which is used in the final DR16 analysis. For baryon acoustic oscillation fits in configuration and Fourier space, we take conservative systematic errors of $\sigma _{\alpha _\parallel }=0.010$ and $\sigma _{\alpha _\bot }=0.007$.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Testing general relativity on cosmological scales at redshift z ∼ 1.5 with quasar and CMB lensing

ABSTRACT We test general relativity (GR) at the effective redshift $\bar{z} \sim 1.5$ by estimating the statistic EG, a probe of gravity, on cosmological scales $19 - 190\, h^{-1}{\rm Mpc}$. This is the highest redshift and largest scale estimation of EG so far. We use the quasar sample with redshifts 0.8 < z < 2.2 from Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey Data Release 16 as the large-scale structure (LSS) tracer, for which the angular power spectrum $C_\ell ^{qq}$ and the redshift-space distortion parameter β are estimated. By cross-correlating with the Planck 2018 cosmic microwave background (CMB) lensing map, we detect the angular cross-power spectrum $C_\ell ^{\kappa q}$ signal at $12\, \sigma$ significance. Both jackknife resampling and simulations are used to estimate the covariance matrix (CM) of EG at five bins covering different scales, with the later preferred for its better constraints on the covariances. We find EG estimates agree with the GR prediction at $1\, \sigma$ level over all these scales. With the CM estimated with 300 simulations, we report a best-fitting scale-averaged estimate of $E_G(\bar{z})=0.30\pm 0.05$, which is in line with the GR prediction $E_G^{\rm GR}(\bar{z})=0.33$ with Planck 2018 CMB + BAO matter density fraction Ωm = 0.31. The statistical errors of EG with future LSS surveys at similar redshifts will be reduced by an order of magnitude, which makes it possible to constrain modified gravity models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗