Collaborative Research: Placing High-Redshift Quasars in Perspective: a Gemini Near-Infrared Spectroscopic Survey

类星体比一万亿个太阳还要亮，是宇宙中最明亮的持久光源。当气体被注入星系中心的巨大黑洞时，这些宇宙能量源就形成了。由于类星体被认为塑造了星系的生长，更好地理解这些来源是现代天文学的主要目标之一。这一项目将在几年内进行新的望远镜观测，以改进对类星体最基本性质的估计，从而加强大范围的天文学研究。利用位于夏威夷的Gemini-North望远镜对400个遥远的类星体进行约350小时的红外观测，将产生同类中最好和最大的数据集。研究红外光将有助于更好地估计类星体黑洞的质量，它们的燃料供应率以及它们与地球的距离。这些结果将反过来有助于在更大的类星体群体中开发这些属性的改进方程。与邻近类星体的比较也将显示这些源如何随时间变化，从而表明类星体周围的星系也如何变化。这个项目代表了理解类星体的一个垫脚石，反过来，它将使现代天文学前沿的更深入的项目成为可能。它们的亮度远远超过它们所在星系中的所有恒星。它们由不断增长的黑洞组成，质量比太阳大数百万到数十亿倍。更好地理解这些最有活力的物体，它们的性质，它们对周围星系的影响，以及它们如何随着时间的推移而成长，是现代天文学中的重要问题。该项目将使用世界上最大的望远镜之一，以更好地了解一些最强大和最遥远的类星体，以帮助回答这些问题。现代天文学前沿的其他相关领域也将受益。该项目的主要目标是实质性地改进我们测量遥远类星体基本性质的方法。这些属性包括黑洞质量、燃料供给率和距离。另一个目标是看看这些属性是如何随着时间的推移而变化的。为了实现这些目标，天文学家将使用位于夏威夷的Gemini-North望远镜观测来自400多个遥远类星体的红外光，从而创建迄今为止最大和最好的此类数据集。这项工作将需要350小时的望远镜时间超过几年。根据这些来源对某些特征的分析将提供对关键类星体属性的最佳测量。该项目的结果产生了新的校准类星体一般，并使广泛的ofollow-up研究。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

Part 1Shining brighter than a trillion suns, quasars are the most luminous persistentsources in the universe. These cosmic powerhouses form when gas is funneledtoward giant black holes at the centers of galaxies. Since quasars are thoughtto shape the growth of their galaxies, better understanding these sources is oneof modern astronomy's major goals. This project makes new telescopicobservations over several years to improve estimates of the most basicproperties of quasars, enhancing a wide range of astronomical studies.Some 350 hours of infrared observations of 400 distant quasars with theGemini-North telescope in Hawaii will produce the best and largest data set ofits kind. Studying the infrared light will lead to better estimates of themasses of the quasars' black holes, their fueling rates, and their distancesfrom Earth. These results will, in turn, help to develop improved equations forthese properties in the larger quasar population. Comparison with nearby quasarswill also show how these sources change over time, indicating how the galaxiessurrounding such quasars change as well. This project represents a steppingstone in understanding quasars which, in turn, will enable more in-depth projectsat the forefront of modern astronomy.Part 2Quasars are the most powerful objects in the universe. They greatly outshine allthe stars in the galaxies in which they reside. They consist of growing blackholes, millions to billions of times more massive than the sun. Betterunderstanding these most energetic of objects, their properties, their effectson the galaxies that surround them, and how they grow over time are importantquestions in modern astronomy. This project will use one of the world's largesttelescopes to better understand some of the most powerful and distant quasars inorder to help answer these questions. Additional related areas at the forefrontof modern astronomy will benefit as well.The main goal of this project is to substantially improve how we measure thefundamental properties of distant quasars. These properties include the blackhole mass, fueling rate, and distance. Another goal is to see how theseproperties have changed over time. To achieve these goals, the investigatorswill use the Gemini-North telescope in Hawaii to observe the infrared light frommore than 400 distant quasars, thereby creating the largest and best such dataset to date. This effort will take 350 hours of telescope time over severalyears. Analysis of certain features in the light of these sources will providethe best measurements yet of key quasar properties. The results of this projectwill yield new calibrations for quasars in general, and enable a wide range offollow-up studies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.