X-ray Analysis of Four Low-Redshift QSOs, Poster 45

Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are created by the accretion of matter onto a supermassive black hole (SMBH). Quasi Stellar Objects (QSO) are the most luminous subset of AGN and consist of an extremely hot, dense accretion disk... [ view full abstract ]

Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are created by the accretion of matter onto a supermassive black hole (SMBH). Quasi Stellar Objects (QSO) are the most luminous subset of AGN and consist of an extremely hot, dense accretion disk surrounded by an optically thick torus and clouds from the host galaxy. We analyze four WISE selected, dust-reddened quasars with redshifts between 0.19 and 0.32, using 5-10ks observations from the ACIS-I chip of the Chandra
X-Ray Observatory. As a transitional “teenager” stage in the quasar growth process, dust-reddened quasars are uniquely integral to our ultimate understanding of SMBH growth. To measure the dustiness of a quasar, we compare parts of the electromagnetic spectrum which are created by the dust surrounding the quasar such as 2-10KeV X-rays to those parts of the spectrum which experience little attenuation including the 11.6um W3 band in
the mid-infrared (MIR) as well as [O III]5007 emission. We also calculate hardness ratios which probe dustiness because harder (higher energy) X-rays are able to penetrate through more dust. These metrics give us insight into how the dusty quasar population depends on redshift, luminosity, and radio-loudness. The expected results and the hardness ratio suggest we successfully select heavily obscured QSOs.