Abstract
The extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV/eBOSS) has an extensive quasar program that combines several selection methods. Among these, the photometric variability technique provides highly uniform samples, which are unaffected by the redshift bias of traditional optical-color selections, when z = 2.7-3.5 quasars cross the stellar locus or when host galaxy light affects quasar colors at z< 0.9. We present the variability selection of quasars in eBOSS, focusing on a specific program that led to a sample of 13 876 quasars to gdered = 22.5 over a 94.5 deg2 region in Stripe 82, which has an areal density 1.5 times higher than over the rest of the eBOSS footprint. We use these variability-selected data to provide a new measurement of the quasar luminosity function (QLF) in the redshift range of 0.68 <z< 4.0. Our sample is denser and reaches more deeply than those used in previous studies of the QLF, and it is among the largest ones. At the faint end, our QLF extends to Mg(z = 2) =-21.80 at low redshift and to Mg(z = 2) =-26.20 at z ~ 4. We fit the QLF using two independent double-power-law models with ten free parameters each. The first model is a pure luminosity-function evolution (PLE) with bright-end and faint-end slopes allowed to be different on either side of z = 2.2. The other is a simple PLE at z< 2.2, combined with a model that comprises both luminosity and density evolution (LEDE) at z> 2.2. Both models are constrained to be continuous at z = 2.2. They present a flattening of the bright-end slope at high redshift. The LEDE model indicates a reduction of the break density with increasing redshift, but the evolution of the break magnitude depends on the parameterization. The models are in excellent accord, predicting quasar counts that agree within 0.3% (resp., 1.1%) to g< 22.5 (resp., g< 23). The models are also in good agreement over the entire redshift range with models from previous studies.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | A41 |
| Journal | Astronomy and Astrophysics |
| Volume | 587 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 1 2016 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Space and Planetary Science
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The extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey : Variability selection and quasar luminosity function. / Palanque-Delabrouille, N.; Magneville, Ch; Yeche, Ch; Pâris, I.; Petitjean, P.; Burtin, E.; Dawson, K.; McGreer, I.; Myers, A. D.; Rossi, G.; Schlegel, D.; Schneider, Donald P.; Streblyanska, A.; Tinker, J.
In: Astronomy and Astrophysics, Vol. 587, A41, 01.03.2016.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - The extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey
T2 - Variability selection and quasar luminosity function
AU - Palanque-Delabrouille, N.
AU - Magneville, Ch
AU - Yeche, Ch
AU - Pâris, I.
AU - Petitjean, P.
AU - Burtin, E.
AU - Dawson, K.
AU - McGreer, I.
AU - Myers, A. D.
AU - Rossi, G.
AU - Schlegel, D.
AU - Schneider, Donald P.
AU - Streblyanska, A.
AU - Tinker, J.
PY - 2016/3/1
Y1 - 2016/3/1
N2 - The extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV/eBOSS) has an extensive quasar program that combines several selection methods. Among these, the photometric variability technique provides highly uniform samples, which are unaffected by the redshift bias of traditional optical-color selections, when z = 2.7-3.5 quasars cross the stellar locus or when host galaxy light affects quasar colors at z< 0.9. We present the variability selection of quasars in eBOSS, focusing on a specific program that led to a sample of 13 876 quasars to gdered = 22.5 over a 94.5 deg2 region in Stripe 82, which has an areal density 1.5 times higher than over the rest of the eBOSS footprint. We use these variability-selected data to provide a new measurement of the quasar luminosity function (QLF) in the redshift range of 0.68 g(z = 2) =-21.80 at low redshift and to Mg(z = 2) =-26.20 at z ~ 4. We fit the QLF using two independent double-power-law models with ten free parameters each. The first model is a pure luminosity-function evolution (PLE) with bright-end and faint-end slopes allowed to be different on either side of z = 2.2. The other is a simple PLE at z< 2.2, combined with a model that comprises both luminosity and density evolution (LEDE) at z> 2.2. Both models are constrained to be continuous at z = 2.2. They present a flattening of the bright-end slope at high redshift. The LEDE model indicates a reduction of the break density with increasing redshift, but the evolution of the break magnitude depends on the parameterization. The models are in excellent accord, predicting quasar counts that agree within 0.3% (resp., 1.1%) to g< 22.5 (resp., g< 23). The models are also in good agreement over the entire redshift range with models from previous studies.
AB - The extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV/eBOSS) has an extensive quasar program that combines several selection methods. Among these, the photometric variability technique provides highly uniform samples, which are unaffected by the redshift bias of traditional optical-color selections, when z = 2.7-3.5 quasars cross the stellar locus or when host galaxy light affects quasar colors at z< 0.9. We present the variability selection of quasars in eBOSS, focusing on a specific program that led to a sample of 13 876 quasars to gdered = 22.5 over a 94.5 deg2 region in Stripe 82, which has an areal density 1.5 times higher than over the rest of the eBOSS footprint. We use these variability-selected data to provide a new measurement of the quasar luminosity function (QLF) in the redshift range of 0.68 g(z = 2) =-21.80 at low redshift and to Mg(z = 2) =-26.20 at z ~ 4. We fit the QLF using two independent double-power-law models with ten free parameters each. The first model is a pure luminosity-function evolution (PLE) with bright-end and faint-end slopes allowed to be different on either side of z = 2.2. The other is a simple PLE at z< 2.2, combined with a model that comprises both luminosity and density evolution (LEDE) at z> 2.2. Both models are constrained to be continuous at z = 2.2. They present a flattening of the bright-end slope at high redshift. The LEDE model indicates a reduction of the break density with increasing redshift, but the evolution of the break magnitude depends on the parameterization. The models are in excellent accord, predicting quasar counts that agree within 0.3% (resp., 1.1%) to g< 22.5 (resp., g< 23). The models are also in good agreement over the entire redshift range with models from previous studies.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84958986996&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84958986996&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1051/0004-6361/201527392
DO - 10.1051/0004-6361/201527392
M3 - Article
VL - 587
JO - Astronomy and Astrophysics
JF - Astronomy and Astrophysics
SN - 0004-6361
M1 - A41
ER -