The PAU Survey: The quasar Ly<i>α</i> and UV luminosity functions at 2.7 &lt; <i>z</i> &lt; 5.3

We present the Lyman- α (Ly α ) and ultraviolet (UV) luminosity function (LF) in bins of redshift for quasars selected in the Physics of the Accelerating Universe Survey (PAUS). A sample of 915 objects was selected at 2.7 &lt; z &lt; 5.3 within an effective area of ∼36 deg 2 observed in 40 narrow-band (NB) filters (FWHM ∼ 120 Å). We cover the intermediate–bright luminosity regime of the LF ($ 10^{43.5} &lt; (L_{\mathrm{Ly}\alpha}/\mathrm{erg\,s}^{-1}) &lt; 10^{45.5} $; −29 &lt; M UV &lt; −24). The continuous wavelength coverage of the PAUS NB set allows very efficient target identification and precise redshift measurements. We show that our method is able to retrieve a relatively complete ( C ∼ 85%) and pure ( P ∼ 90%) sample of Ly α -emitting quasars for L Ly α &gt; 10 44 erg s −1 . In order to obtain corrections for the LF estimation, and assess the accuracy of our selection method, we produced mock catalogs of 0 &lt; z &lt; 4.3 quasars and galaxies that mimic our target population and their main contaminants. Our results show a clear evolution of the Ly α and UV LFs, with a declining tendency in the number density of quasars toward increasing redshifts. In addition, the faint-end power-law slope of the Ly α LF becomes steeper with redshift, suggesting that the number density of Ly α -bright quasars declines faster than that of fainter emitters. By integrating the Ly α LF, we find that the total Ly α emitted by bright quasars per unit volume rapidly declines with increasing redshift, being subdominant to that of star-forming galaxies by several orders of magnitude by z ∼ 4. Finally, we stack the NB pseudo-spectra of a visually selected “golden sample” of 591 quasars to obtain photometric composite SEDs in bins of redshift, enabling us to measure the mean intergalactic medium absorption using the Lyman- α forest as a function of redshift, yielding results consistent with previous spectroscopic determinations.

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Publication Details

Journal
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Published
2024-09-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202451675
Citations
4
Primary Topic
Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.03

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article

The PAU Survey: The quasar Lyα and UV luminosity functions at 2.7 < z < 5.3

P. Tallada-Crespí, J. Carretero, J. García-Bellido, A. Fernández-Soto et al.
4 citations
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
2.03
article

The PAU Survey: The quasar Lyα and UV luminosity functions at 2.7 < z < 5.3

P. Tallada-Crespí, J. Carretero, J. García-Bellido, A. Fernández-Soto, Martin Eriksen, Siddhartha Gurung-López, H. Hildebrandt, Henk Hoekstra, Pablo Renard, D Navarro-Gironés, Eusebio Sanchez, J. De Vicente, ENRIQUE GAZTAÑAGA, Zheng Cai, P. Arnalte-Mur, Daniele Spinoso, Alberto Torralba, E. Fernández, J. Francisco Castander, Ramon Miquel
article en
4 citations

Abstract

We present the Lyman- α (Ly α ) and ultraviolet (UV) luminosity function (LF) in bins of redshift for quasars selected in the Physics of the Accelerating Universe Survey (PAUS). A sample of 915 objects was selected at 2.7 &lt; z &lt; 5.3 within an effective area of ∼36 deg 2 observed in 40 narrow-band (NB) filters (FWHM ∼ 120 Å). We cover the intermediate–bright luminosity regime of the LF ($ 10^{43.5} &lt; (L_{\mathrm{Ly}\alpha}/\mathrm{erg\,s}^{-1}) &lt; 10^{45.5} $; −29 &lt; M UV &lt; −24). The continuous wavelength coverage of the PAUS NB set allows very efficient target identification and precise redshift measurements. We show that our method is able to retrieve a relatively complete ( C ∼ 85%) and pure ( P ∼ 90%) sample of Ly α -emitting quasars for L Ly α &gt; 10 44 erg s −1 . In order to obtain corrections for the LF estimation, and assess the accuracy of our selection method, we produced mock catalogs of 0 &lt; z &lt; 4.3 quasars and galaxies that mimic our target population and their main contaminants. Our results show a clear evolution of the Ly α and UV LFs, with a declining tendency in the number density of quasars toward increasing redshifts. In addition, the faint-end power-law slope of the Ly α LF becomes steeper with redshift, suggesting that the number density of Ly α -bright quasars declines faster than that of fainter emitters. By integrating the Ly α LF, we find that the total Ly α emitted by bright quasars per unit volume rapidly declines with increasing redshift, being subdominant to that of star-forming galaxies by several orders of magnitude by z ∼ 4. Finally, we stack the NB pseudo-spectra of a visually selected “golden sample” of 591 quasars to obtain photometric composite SEDs in bins of redshift, enabling us to measure the mean intergalactic medium absorption using the Lyman- α forest as a function of redshift, yielding results consistent with previous spectroscopic determinations.

Astronomy and AstrophysicsVol. 690
Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ES), Leiden University (NL), Institute of Space Sciences (ES), Universitat de València (ES), Institute for High Energy Physics (ES), Parc Científic de la Universitat de València (ES), Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (ES), Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación (ES), Port d'Informació Científica (ES), Instituto de Física de Cantabria (ES), Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (ES), University of Portsmouth (GB), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (ES), Ruhr University Bochum (DE), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (ES), Tsinghua University (CN)
National Science Foundation, Centres de Recerca de Catalunya, University College London, European Commission, Durham University, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Universiteit Leiden, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Generalitat de Catalunya, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Generalitat Valenciana, Tsinghua University, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Institut de Física d'Altes Energies, European Regional Development Fund, Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Integrated Electronics Engineering Center, Binghamton University
Openalex Percentile: Top 12%
Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
2.03
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