NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2009B-0540
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2009B-0540 |
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PI: Mark Lacy, California Institute of Technology, mlacy@ipac.caltech.edu
Address: Spitzer Science Center, 1200 E. California Blvd. Mail Code 220-6, Pasadena, CA 91125
CoI: Susan Ridgway, CTIO/NOAO
CoI: Tanya Urrutia, California Institute of Technology
CoI: Craig Harrison, CTIO/NOAO
CoI: Andreea Petric, California Institute of Technology
Title: The evolution of luminous obscured quasars
Abstract: We are currently undertaking a spectroscopic survey of luminous AGN and quasars selected in the mid-infrared from \em Spitzer shallow surveys. Mid-infrared selection is much less biased with respect to obscuration than optical and X-ray techniques, and hence enables the discovery of obscured quasars as well as normal, unobscured ones. Our survey therefore provides an unique opportunity to construct luminosity functions for both obscured and unobscured quasars selected in the same way and covering similar redshifts and luminosities. Our spectroscopic observations have so far have yielded about 450 redshifts, but our luminosity functions are lacking high luminosity objects at low redshift. We used the Goodman Spectrograph at SOAR in 08B to target a sample of bright 24(micron) objects, and have found a number of high luminosity obscured AGN. We wish to continue this program to complete our sample of bright southern AGN and quasars this semester. Filling out this missing portion of the luminosity/redshift plane will allow us to disentangle any luminosity dependence of the obscured quasar fraction from its evolution with redshift and enable accurate tests of models of the obscured quasar population.
National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson, Arizona 85726, Phone: (520) 318-8000, Fax: (520) 318-8360
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2009B-0540 |
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