TY - JOUR
T1 - The ultraviolet-to-mid-infrared spectral energy distribution of weak emission line quasars
AU - Lane, Ryan A.
AU - Shemmer, Ohad
AU - Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar M.
AU - Fan, Xiaohui
AU - Anderson, Scott F.
AU - Brandt, W. N.
AU - Plotkin, Richard M.
AU - Richards, Gordon T.
AU - Schneider, Donald P.
AU - Strauss, Michael A.
PY - 2011/12/20
Y1 - 2011/12/20
N2 - We present Spitzer Space Telescope photometry of 18 Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasars at 2.7 ≤ z ≤ 5.9 which have weak or undetectable high-ionization emission lines in their rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) spectra (hereafter weak-lined quasars, or WLQs). The Spitzer data are combined with SDSS spectra and ground-based, near-infrared (IR) photometry of these sources to produce a large inventory of spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of WLQs across the rest-frame 0.1-5 μm spectral band. The SEDs of our sources are inconsistent with those of BL Lacertae objects which are dominated by synchrotron emission due to a jetaligned close to our line of sight, but are consistent with the SED of ordinary quasars with similar luminosities and redshifts that exhibit a near-to-mid-IR "bump," characteristic of hot dust emission. This indicates that broad emission lines in WLQs are intrinsically weak, rather than suffering continuum dilution from a jet, and that such sources cannot be selected efficiently from traditional photometric surveys.
AB - We present Spitzer Space Telescope photometry of 18 Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasars at 2.7 ≤ z ≤ 5.9 which have weak or undetectable high-ionization emission lines in their rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) spectra (hereafter weak-lined quasars, or WLQs). The Spitzer data are combined with SDSS spectra and ground-based, near-infrared (IR) photometry of these sources to produce a large inventory of spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of WLQs across the rest-frame 0.1-5 μm spectral band. The SEDs of our sources are inconsistent with those of BL Lacertae objects which are dominated by synchrotron emission due to a jetaligned close to our line of sight, but are consistent with the SED of ordinary quasars with similar luminosities and redshifts that exhibit a near-to-mid-IR "bump," characteristic of hot dust emission. This indicates that broad emission lines in WLQs are intrinsically weak, rather than suffering continuum dilution from a jet, and that such sources cannot be selected efficiently from traditional photometric surveys.
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U2 - 10.1088/0004-637X/743/2/163
DO - 10.1088/0004-637X/743/2/163
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:83455181497
SN - 0004-637X
VL - 743
JO - Astrophysical Journal
JF - Astrophysical Journal
IS - 2
M1 - 163
ER -