类星体色指数随红移的变化

本文讨论了类星体各光谱特征对其色指数的影响以及色指数随红移的变化，随着红移的增加，位于Ｌｙａ发射线短波方向的各种吸收特征进入了可见光区，内禀的禀的幂律谱和发射线强度的分布对类星体色指数及其弥散的影响将是次要的，各种吸收系统的作用将改变类星体色指数随红移变化的趋势，其中，Ｌｙｍａｎ系限吸收系统的影响最大，利用ＩＵＥ观测的类星体光谱求得色指数随红移的变化，对上述结果进行了验证。     

跟类星体红移宇宙学解释相符合的证据

分析类星体吸收线红移和发射线红移的特征。我们从Hewitt和Burbidge（1993）的星表中选择了吸收线红称和发射线红移都同时提供的类星体，得到了包含401个对象的样本。这是至今对类星体红移研究的最大样本。我们从吸收线红移和发射线红移之间的关系图发现绝大多数（93．6％）对象的吸收线红移都小于相应的发射线红移。这个结论人们在20世纪70年代已经从很小的类星体样本（样本大小50左右）中得到。本文进一步支持了这个结论。它表明类星体红移确实是距离的指示器。这跟宇宙学对类星体红移的解释是一致的。     

跟类星体红移宇宙学解释相符合的证据

分析类星体吸收线红移和发射线红移的特征。我们从Hewitt和Burbidge ( 1 993 )的星表中选择了吸收线红移和发射线红移都同时提供的类星体 ,得到了包含 4 0 1个对象的样本。这是至今对类星体红移研究的最大样本。我们从吸收线红移和发射线红移之间的关系图发现绝大多数 ( 93 .6% )对象的吸收线红移都小于相应的发射线红移。这个结论人们在 2 0世纪 70年代已经从很小的类星体样本 (样本大小 50左右 )中得到。本文进一步支持了这个结论。它表明类星体红移确实是距离的指示器。这跟宇宙学对类星体红移的解释是一致的     

高红移类星体吸收线光谱的研究

作者用英-澳四米望远镜的RGo卡焦摄谱仪及其附属的IPCS系统获得了分辨率为2的四个高红移类星体的光谱,并利用这些光谱讨论了:(Ⅰ)由PKS0805 046和PKS1442 101的L_α/L_β对及L_α/L_γ对的强相关证实了,大量存在于高红移类星体L_α发射短波区的吸收线是氢云吸收的结果;(Ⅱ)吸收线分布和L_α/L_β对相关函数的分析反映了PKS0528-250可能是一个例外,需要进一步的观测来证实这种特殊性;(Ⅲ)由类星体抛射出来的物质的吸收,或与类星体成协的星系团或插入星系的吸收都可造成含有金属线的吸收线红移系统;(Ⅳ)由L_α/L_β对的生长曲线定出的柱密度和弥散速度的随机性,支持了纯Lα的吸收来自大爆炸宇宙早期原始氢云的假说;(Ⅴ)单位红移的氢云密度随红移的分布取决于Z>3的类星体的吸收线资料。     

类星体Lyα吸收线密度与其发射线红移的关系

本文利用７２个具有中等分辨率的类星体Ｌｙα线资料，研究了Ｌｙα吸收线数密度Ｎ（Ｚａｂｓ）与类星体发射红移Ｚｅｍ的变化关系，结果表明：对于Ｚｅｍ越大的类星体其全部Ｌｙα吸收线的平均数密度Ｎ（Ｚａｂｓ）也越大，但对于相同的吸收红移值而言，Ｎ（Ｚａｂｓ）在统计意义上与Ｚｅｍ并无关系。本文还将所得结果与其他的有关工作作了比较及讨论。     

九个类星体的氢L_α吸收线的统计研究

本文研究了九个类星体,即B2 1225+31.7,PKS 2126—158,Q 0002—422,Q 0453—423,PHL 957,PKS 0528—250,PKS 0805+046,PKS 1448—232和PKS 1442+101的高分辨率光谱中L_a吸收线的性质.发射线红移的范围是2.20≤Z_(em)≤3.54;L_a吸收线的红移范围是1.70≤Z_(abs)<3.54,总数为350条. 统计分析的结果支持了如下结论:(1)L_a吸收线的数密度在不同类星体之间没有显著差异;(2)L_a吸收线的数密度随红移没有显著变化;(3)L_a吸收线的静止等值宽度谱随红移没有显著变化;(4)L_a吸收线的性质在L_a发射线翼同连续区没有差别;(5)L_a吸收线的两点相关函数在分辨率极限内是平坦的,与星系相关函数的行为不同. 这些结果表明,高红移类星体中的L_a吸收线,很可能是均匀分布于宇宙空间的星系际氢云产生的.     

类星体吸收线红移的研究

在此工作中,分析了一个类星体样本的吸收线红移和发射线红移之间的关系。结果表明这两类红移之间存在显著的相关。主要结论:a)反常吸收线红移的主要部分是宇宙学红移;b)吸收体相对于类星体的运动是弱的;c)结果表明产生这些反常吸收线红移的吸收体位于类星体寄主星系或者类星体内部并且朝着类星体运动。     

类星体SDSS J0916+2921的类银河系2175 ?尘埃消光特征

光谱观测显示类星体SDSS J091613.60+292106.1 (简称J0916+2921,系统红移zem=1.1418±0.0018)中有特殊的2175?尘埃消光特征,其强度显著大于银河系平均强度.光谱同时探测到与尘埃成协的丰富气体吸收线,确定吸收线系统红移为zabs=1.1413±0.0002,和类星体红移一致.气态金属离子柱密度相对太阳丰度的比例为[Al/Zn]=-1.68±0.10,[Cr/Zn]=-0.49±0.10,[Fe/Zn]=-0.81±0.18.尘埃耗散作用显著,说明该系统中尘埃十分丰富,与观测的强尘埃消光特征吻合.类银河系的2175?尘埃消光特征在类星体光谱中多见于中间插入吸收线系统,至今未明确认证内禀吸收线系统出现该特征,类星体SDSS J0916+2921是目前仅有的数个候选者之一.该类星体X射线辐射相较一般类星体更强,后续可用作研究2175?尘埃在强高能射线照射条件下的形成与离解平衡,以揭示2175?尘埃的化学成分、物理性质和起源.     

SDSS J101108+553407吸收线红移大于发射线红移的Lyα吸收系统

对于具有吸收线红移大于发射线红移的吸收体,如果吸收体具有比较大的多普勒速度,吸收体有可能是正在向类星体中心移动.在SDSS J101108 +553407的光谱中认证了3个Lyα吸收体,其吸收线红移均大于发射线红移,吸收线红移分别是:3.3442、3.3496和3.3553,对应的多普勒速度分别是401 km/s、773 km/s和1166 km/s.这3个吸收体的运动情况和起源均不相同:具有最大多普勒红移的一个吸收体,可能起源于类星体物质外流的回落,而另外两个吸收体很可能起源于绕天体中心转动的云团,并且这些云团位于寄主星系中.     

赖曼α线丛的演化

本文利用类星体的高分辨率光谱资料研究赖曼α线丛的演化，结果表明，演化是明显的，演化指数近似为２，且与等值宽度没有明显的关系，另外，演化指数可能随红移而变化。     

Variation of QSO color indices with redshift

In this paper we discuss the effect of features in the spectrum of QSOs on their color indices and the consequent variation of the latter with the redshift. As the redshift increases, the various absorption features shortwards of the Ly emission line enter into the visible region and alter the way in which the color indices vary with the redshift, while the effects of the intrinsic power-law spectrum and emission lines on the color indices become secondary. The largest effect is due to the Lyman limit absorption system. These results are checked using the color indices calculated from IUE spectra.     

类星体Lα森林吸收线密度与发射红移相关性的再考察

继文[1]之后,本文利用15个中—高红移类星体的Lα森林构成统计样本,再度考察了Lα森林吸收线密度N(Z_(abs))与发射红移Z_(em)的相关性。本文的统计样本包含的红移范围比文[1]更大:类星体的发射红移值从1.715到3.750,Lα森林吸收线红移范围从1.501到3.780;统计方法亦与文[1]略有差异。统计结果再度表明,Lα森林吸收线密度N(Z_(abs))明显依赖于类星体自身的发射红移Z_(em),这不仅在于Z_(em)越大的类星体其全部吸收线的平均数密度N(Z_(abs))也越大,更重要的是,对于相同的吸收红移值Z_(abs)而言,N(Z_(abs))在统计意义上明显地随Z_(em)的增大而增大。文末对所得的结果作了讨论。     

类星体L_α森林吸收线密度与发射红移的相关性

本文对16个高红移类星体的L_α森林吸收线密度N(z_(abs))统计分析的结果,表明它明显地依赖于类星体自身的发射红移z_(em)。这不仅表现在z(em)越大的类星体其全部L_α吸收线的平均数密度N(z_(abs))也越大;更重要的是,对于相同的吸收红移值z_(abs),而言,N(z_(abs))在统计意义上明显地随着类星体z_(em)的增大而增大。另一方面,本文也在“吸收体源自类星体抛射”的框架下作了统计,结果仍表明z_(em)对L_α森林吸收线密度有显著影响,但抛射速度却对被抛射体的数目无显著影响。最后,对所得的结果以及可能影响N(z_(abs))的若干因素作了讨论。     

The proximity effect in a close group of QSOs

We present an analysis of the proximity effect in a sample of 10 2-Å-resolution QSO spectra of the Ly α forest at     . Rather than investigating variations in the number density of individual absorption lines, we employ a novel technique that is based on the statistics of the transmitted flux itself. We confirm the existence of the proximity effect at the > 99 per cent confidence level. We derive a value for the mean intensity of the extragalactic background radiation at the Lyman limit of     . This value assumes that QSO redshifts measured from high-ionization lines differ from the true systemic redshifts by     . We find evidence at a level of 2.6 σ that the significance of the proximity effect is correlated with QSO Lyman limit luminosity. Allowing for known QSO variability, the significance of the correlation reduces to 2.1 σ .
The QSOs form a close group on the sky and the sample is thus well suited for an investigation of the foreground proximity effect, where the Ly α forest of a background QSO is influenced by the UV radiation from a nearby foreground QSO. From the complete sample we find no evidence for the existence of this effect, implying either that     or that QSOs emit at least a factor of 1.4 less ionizing radiation in the plane of the sky than along the line of sight to Earth. We do, however, find one counter-example. Our sample includes the fortunate constellation of a foreground QSO surrounded by four nearby background QSOs. These four spectra all show underdense absorption within ±3000 km s⁻¹ of the redshift of the foreground QSO.     

Are QSOs local objects?

The similarities of the spectra of QSOs with those of Wolf-Rayet stars are pointed out. The emission spectrum of the earliest discovered QSO, 3C 273, in the ultraviolet and visible regions is interpreted as that of an object deficient in hydrogen like Wolf-Rayet stars but havingno redshift. The visible emission spectra of two other QSOs, 3C 48 and 3C 280.1, are also similarly interpreted. It is further assumed that the absorption lines of QSOs are produced in an expanding atmosphere so that they are violet shifted as in Wolf-Rayet stars. Fifty-four out of 55 narrow absorption lines of the QSO Q 1246-057 are interpreted on the assumption that the average velocity of the absorbing ions is 500 km s^–1, although the redshift theory can explain only 23 lines by invoking six different redshifts: Four of the five emission lines of the same object can be identified assuming no shift. Since the QSOs are here assumed to be comparatively local objects, the problems of energy supply, superluminal velocities, etc., raised by the conventional explanation do not arise in this case.Presently at the Institut für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Universität Erlangen, F.R.G.     

Illuminating protogalaxies? The discovery of extended Lyman-α emission around a QSO at z=4.5

We have discovered extended Lyman-α emission around a z=4.5 QSO in a deep long-slit spectrum with Keck/LRIS at moderate spectral resolution (R≈ 1000). The line emission extends 5 arcsec beyond the continuum of the QSO and is spatially asymmetric. This extended line emission has a spectral extent of 1000km/s, much narrower in velocity spread than the broad Lyman-α from the QSO itself and slightly offset in redshift. No evidence of continuum is seen for the extended emission line region, suggesting that this recombination line is powered by reprocessed QSO Lyman continuum flux rather than by local star formation. This phenomenon is rare in QSOs which are not radio loud, and this is the first time it has been observed at z>4. It seems likely that the QSO is illuminating the surrounding cold gas of the host galaxy, with the ionizing photons producing Lyman-α fluorescence. As suggested by Haiman and Rees (2001), this `fuzz' around a distant quasar may place strong constraints on galaxy formation and the extended distribution of cold, neutral gas. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A Monte Carlo simulation of the intergalactic absorption and the detectability of the Lyman continuum from distant galaxies

We have made a Monte Carlo simulation of the intergalactic absorption in order to model the Lyman continuum absorption, which is required to estimate the escape fraction of the Lyman continuum from distant galaxies. To input into the simulation, we derive an empirical distribution function of the intergalactic absorbers which reproduces recent observational statistics of the Lyman α forest, Lyman limit systems (LLSs) and damped Lyman α systems (DLAs) simultaneously. In particular, we assume a common functional form of the number evolution along the redshift for all types of absorbers. The Lyman series transmissions in our simulation reproduce the observed redshift evolution of the transmissions excellently, and the Lyman continuum transmission also agrees with an observed estimation which is still quite rare in the literature. The probability distribution of the Lyman α opacity in our simulation is lognormal with a tail towards a large opacity. This tail is produced by DLAs. The probability distribution of the Lyman continuum opacity in our simulation also shows a broad tail towards a large opacity. This tail is produced by LLSs. Because of the rarity of LLSs, we have a chance to have a clean line of sight in the Lyman continuum even for   z ∼ 4  with a probability of about 20 per cent. Our simulation expects a good correlation between the Lyman continuum opacity and the Lyman α opacity, which may be useful to estimate the former from the latter for an individual line of sight.     

Growth of Black Holes and Their Host Spheroids in (Sub)mm-loud High-Redshift QSOs

We study the growth of black holes and stellar population in spheroids at high redshift using several (sub)mm-loud QSO samples. Applying the same criteria established in an earlier work, we find that, similar to IR QSOs at low redshift, the far-infrared emission of these (sub)mm-loud QSOs mainly originates from dust heated by starbursts. By combining low-z IR QSOs and high-z (sub)mm-loud QSOs, we find a trend that the star formation rate (M) increases with the accretion rate (Macc). We compare the values of M/Macc for submm emitting galaxies (SMGs), far-infrared ultraluminous/hyperluminous QSOs and typical QSOs, and construct a likely evolution scenario for these objects. The (sub)mm-loud QSO transition phase has both high Macc and M and hence is important for establishing the correlation between the masses of black holes and spheroids.     

An excess of damped Lyman α galaxies near quasi-stellar objects

We present a sample of 33 damped Lyman α systems (DLAs) discovered in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) whose absorption redshifts ( z _abs) are within 6000 km s⁻¹ of the quasi-stellar object's (QSO) systemic redshift ( z _sys). Our sample is based on  731 2.5 < z _sys < 4.5  non-broad absorption line (non-BAL) QSOs from Data Release 3 (DR3) of the SDSS. We estimate that our search is ≈100 per cent complete for absorbers with N (H  i )  ≥ 2 × 10²⁰ cm⁻²  . The derived number density of DLAs per unit redshift, n ( z ), within  Δ v < 6000 km s⁻¹  is higher (3.5σ significance) by almost a factor of 2 than that of intervening absorbers observed in the SDSS DR3, i.e. there is evidence for an overdensity of galaxies near the QSOs. This provides a physical motivation for excluding DLAs at small velocity separations in surveys of intervening 'field' DLAs. In addition, we find that the overdensity of proximate DLAs is independent of the radio-loudness of the QSO, consistent with the environments of radio-loud and radio-quiet QSOs being similar.     

Variability of extragalactic objects in relation to redshift, color, radio spectral index and absorption lines

Optical variability of extragalactic objects, viz., QSOs, BL Lacs and Seyfert galaxies has been monitored systematically over an appreciable period of time and a large amount of data have accumulated. The present work reports results of investigations involving statistical analysis of updated data on relationships between variability and various observed properties of the objects, viz., redshift, color indices, radio spectral index and absorption lines. It is found that at high frequencies (rest frame) radio spectral index does not change significantly with the degree of variability. However, the degree of variability depends on redshifts. On the other hand, presence or absence of absorption lines is significantly associated with variability for QSOs with larger redshifts (z > 1.0), while no such relationship exists for QSOs at smaller redshifts (z < 1.0) or other objects. Correlation between color indices and redshifts depends on the degree of variability and the sample chosen for the color index.