Faint Optically Selected AGN at z = 3

Citation

Hunt, Matthew Philip (2004) Faint Optically Selected AGN at z = 3. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/J5MJ-AP67. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechETD:etd-05122004-113008

Abstract

We present the results of two surveys for z ≈ 3 AGN, the Lyman break galaxy (LBG) survey and a new survey based on the same techniques, but over a wider area. These surveys, spanning more than 2 deg², yield 24 new QSOs, and 17 new narrow-lined AGN. The combined data from these surveys span a range of luminosity that is unprecedented at high redshift, covering 6.5 mag of the faint end of the QSO luminosity function. We find a substantially flatter faint-end slope at high redshift than in the local universe, β_l=1.20, which has important implications for the study of supermassive black hole (SMBH) accretion and galaxy formation, as well as the state of the IGM at z ≈ 3. We also present estimates of the QSO lifetime (~ 10⁷ yr) and compare our AGN sample with those obtained by deep X-ray imaging. We also present a guide to the reduction of imaging data from the Large Format Camera (LFC) on the Hale Telescope.

Thesis Files