Space distribution of faint quasars from the CFHT survey

Journal Article · Sun Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1987 · Astrophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/165045· OSTI ID:6325185

Crampton, D; Cowley, A P; Hartwick, F D.A.

Basic data are presented for 163 QSOs brighter than B = 20.5 selected from 1000 A/mm CFHT blue grens observations. The data are used to investigate the form of the evolution of QSOs in order to obtain their luminosity functions, and to predict their magnitude and density distributions to allow comparison with the results of other surveys. Less than 5 percent of the QSOs have z greater than 2.5 despite the ease of detecting them up to z = 3.4, so high-redshift QSOs are rare. The surface density of QSOs brighter than m = 20.5 is 30/sq deg. While the luminosity-dependent density evolution models of Schmidt and Green (1983) are found to fit the data well, a smooth cutoff to the evolution at high redshifts is proposed which implies a density maximum at z of roughly 1.7. The clustering properties of the sample QSOs are discussed and it is shown, in agreement with previous studies, that while clustering is not a general phenomenon among QSOs, significant density enhancements apparently do exist. 26 references.

• Research Organization: Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, Victoria, Canada; Arizona State Univ., Tempe; Victoria Univ., Canada
• OSTI ID: 6325185
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J.; (United States), Journal Name: Astrophys. J.; (United States) Vol. 314; ISSN ASJOA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640102* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
DENSITY
DISTRIBUTION
LUMINOSITY
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
QUASARS
RED SHIFT
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION