The Clustering of High Redshift Quasars on Large and Small Scales

这项研究将使用来自斯隆数字巡天的出色的光度和光谱数据来研究活动星系核在中高红移的群集。这种高度偏倚的群体的聚类测量了它们宿主暗物质晕的典型质量。这将导致首次对红移超过3的大规模类星体群集的确定测量，作为它们的光度和黑洞质量的函数。对高红移的近距离类星体对的调查将确定这些天体是否在罕见的高密度峰中形成，而目标深度成像将测试这些罕见峰的频率，以及预测的宿主星系团的存在。此外，本研究将首次确定高光度遮挡类星体的比例，并确定高光度天体的普查是否接近完成。该研究支持全日制研究生，继续保持本科生和研究生培训的良好记录。作为天体物理学长期定量入门课程的一部分，该项目的首席研究员一直在分发文章，描述该领域最近令人兴奋的发展。本文将继续从内部人士的角度描述科学是如何完成的，以及天文学家如何使用数据和定量推理来得出他们的结论。这些文章将通过一个正在开发的网站被更广泛地获取，利用公众对这一快速发展领域的自然兴奋和好奇心。

AST-0707266StraussThis research will use the superb photometric and spectroscopic data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to study the clustering of Active Galactic Nuclei at intermediate and high redshifts. The clustering of such highly biased populations measures the typical mass of their host dark matter halos. This will result in the first definitive measurement of the large-scale clustering of quasars at redshifts beyond three, as a function of their luminosity and black hole mass. A survey of close quasar pairs at high redshift should determine whether these objects form in rare, high-density peaks, while targeted deep imaging will test for the frequency of such rare peaks, as well as for the existence of the predicted host clusters of galaxies. In addition, this study will make the first determination of the fraction of obscured quasars at high luminosities, and determine whether the census of high luminosity objects is close to complete.The research supports a full-time graduate student, continuing a strong record of undergraduate and graduate training. As part of a long-running quantitative introductory course in astrophysics, the principal investigator for this project has been distributing essays describing recent exciting developments in the field. This will continue, describing from an insider's perspective how science is done, and how astronomers use data and quantitative reasoning to reach their conclusions. These essays will become more widely available through a web site under development, taking advantage of the natural excitement and curiosity that the public feels for this fast-moving field.