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Title: DES J0454-4448: discovery of the first luminous z ≥ 6 quasar from the Dark Energy Survey

Journal Article · · Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
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We present the first results of a survey for high-redshift, z ≥ 6, quasars using izY multicolour photometric observations from the Dark Energy Survey (DES). Here we report the discovery and spectroscopic confirmation of the zAB, YAB = 20.2, 20.2 (M1450 = -26.5) quasar DES J0454-4448 with a redshift of z = 6.09±0.02 based on the onset of the Ly α forest and an H I near zone size of 4.1+1.1-1.2 proper Mpc. The quasar was selected as an i-band drop out with i-z = 2.46 and zAB < 21.5 from an area of ~300 deg2. It is the brightest of our 43 candidates and was identified for spectroscopic follow-up solely based on the DES i-z and z-Y colours. The quasar is detected by WISE and has W1AB = 19.68. The discovery of one spectroscopically confirmed quasar with 5.7 < z < 6.5 and zAB ≤ 20.2 is consistent with recent determinations of the luminosity function at z ~ 6. DES when completed will have imaged ~5000 deg2 to YAB = 23.0 (5σ point source) and we expect to discover 50–100 new quasars with z > 6 including 3–10 with z > 7 dramatically increasing the numbers of quasars currently known that are suitable for detailed studies.

Research Organization:
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-76SF00515
OSTI ID:
1263427
Report Number(s):
SLAC-PUB-16611; arXiv:1504.03264
Journal Information:
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 454, Issue 4; ISSN 0035-8711
Publisher:
Royal Astronomical Society
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (26)

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VEXAS: VISTA EXtension to Auxiliary Surveys: Data Release 1. The southern Galactic hemisphere journal October 2019
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The concerted impact of galaxies and QSOs on the ionization and thermal state of the intergalactic medium journal March 2017
The role of galaxies and AGNs in reionizing the IGM – II. Metal-tracing the faint sources of reionization at 5 ≲ z ≲ 6 journal November 2018
Two more, bright, z > 6 quasars from VST ATLAS and WISE journal March 2018
New constraints on quasar evolution: broad-line velocity shifts over 1.5 ≲ z ≲ 7.5 journal June 2019
Brown dwarf census with the Dark Energy Survey year 3 data and the thin disc scale height of early L types journal September 2019
A new bright z  = 6.82 quasar discovered with VISTA: VHS J0411–0907 journal January 2019
THE PAN-STARRS1 DISTANT z > 5.6 QUASAR SURVEY: MORE THAN 100 QUASARS WITHIN THE FIRST GYR OF THE UNIVERSE journal November 2016
Exploring Reionization-era Quasars. IV. Discovery of Six New z ≳ 6.5 Quasars with DES, VHS, and unWISE Photometry journal May 2019
THE FINAL SDSS HIGH-REDSHIFT QUASAR SAMPLE OF 52 QUASARS AT z > 5.7 journal December 2016
A New Method to Measure the Post-reionization Ionizing Background from the Joint Distribution of Ly α and Ly β Forest Transmission journal March 2018
No Evidence for Millimeter Continuum Source Overdensities in the Environments of z ≳ 6 Quasars journal November 2018
Filling in the Quasar Redshift Gap at z ∼ 5.5. II. A Complete Survey of Luminous Quasars in the Post-reionization Universe journal January 2019
Subaru High- z Exploration of Low-luminosity Quasars (SHELLQs). VI. Black Hole Mass Measurements of Six Quasars at 6.1 ≤ z ≤ 6.7 journal July 2019
Heavy Element Absorption Systems at 5.0 < z < 6.8: Metal-poor Neutral Gas and a Diminishing Signature of Highly Ionized Circumgalactic Matter journal September 2019
The DES Bright Arcs Survey: Hundreds of Candidate Strongly Lensed Galaxy Systems from the Dark Energy Survey Science Verification and Year 1 Observations journal September 2017
The Dark Energy Survey: Data Release 1 journal November 2018
The Dark Energy Survey: Data Release 1 text January 2018
A new bright z = 6.82 quasar discovered with VISTA: VHS J0411-0907 text January 2019
The Dark Energy Survey: more than dark energy - an overview text January 2016
Two more, bright, z > 6 quasars from VST ATLAS and WISE text January 2018
No Evidence for Millimeter Continuum Source Overdensities in the Environments of $z\gtrsim6$ Quasars text January 2018
Exploring Reionization-Era Quasars IV: Discovery of Six New $z \gtrsim 6.5$ Quasars with DES, VHS and unWISE Photometry text January 2018
A new bright z=6.82 quasar discovered with VISTA: VHS J0411-0907 text January 2018

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79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
Astrophysics
ASTRO