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Paper: Submillimetre observations of a sample of high redshift quasars
Volume: 290, Active Galactic Nuclei: from Central Engine to Host Galaxy
Page: 617
Authors: Robson, I.; Priddey, R.; Pearson, T. J.; Fox, M. C.; Isaak, K.; McMahon, R.; Ivison, R.
Abstract: As part of an extensive programme to determine the submillimetre emission from quasars over a wide range of redshift, we have used SCUBA on the JCMT to investigate some of the highest redshift quasars yet identified. We have now observed almost all the currently known z > 5 quasars at ∼1.5mJy RMS or better, which comprise 12 objects in total. Four of these objects have been detected: two of them (SDSS0756+4104, z = 5.1 and SDSS0338+0021, z = 5.0) are relatively bright objects with an S(850 microns > 10mJy; the other two are amongst the highest redshift objects known (SDSS1044+0125, z = 5.7; SDSS1306+0536, z = 6.0). The submillimetre emission is due to cold dust in the parent galaxy and most is currently assumed to be due to star formation rather than AGN heating. In either case, at z = 6, the age of the Universe is only about 1Gyr in current favourite Lambda cosmology, which is starting to become a tight constraint on the formation of a SMBH and the generation of dust. Current follow-up observations involve SCUBA imaging of the environments of these quasars because if we are detecting the rare peaks in overdensity, we might expect to find evidence of biased galaxy formation in the vicinity, as has been hinted at from other SCUBA imaging.
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