Bibcode
Jarvis, Matt; Andreani, Paola; Baes, Maarten; Borys, Colin; Clements, Dave; Dunlop, James; Edge, Alastair; Farrah, Duncan; Gonzalez-Solares, Eduardo; Hatziminaoglou, Evanthia; Ivison, Rob; Lacy, Mark; Maiolino, Roberto; Martinez-Sansigre, Alejo; McLure, Ross; McMahon, Richard; O'Brien, Paul; Omont, Alain; Page, Mat; Perez Fournon, Ismael; Priddey, Robert; Rawlings, Steve; Richards, Gordon; Rigopoulou, Dimitra; Robson, Ian; Schinnerer, Eva; Schulz, Bernhard; Serjeant, Stephen; Simpson, Chris; Spinoglio, Luigi; Stevens, Jason; Stickel, Manfred; Vassilis, Charmandaris; Verma, Aprajita; Waddington, Ian; Waskett, Tim; Willott, Chris; de Zotti, Gianfranco; Ven der Werf, Paul
Referencia bibliográfica
Spitzer Proposal ID #30344
Fecha de publicación:
5
2006
Número de citas
0
Número de citas referidas
0
Descripción
With this proposal we will decouple luminosity effects from evolutionary
effects in matched samples of radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars, and
determine the amount of radiation that is absorbed and reprocessed by
the torus, and how this depends on luminosity and orientation. We have
constructed a well-defined sample of radio-quiet quasars from the SDSS,
spanning two decades in optical luminosity at a single cosmic epoch, to
constrain luminosity dependent effects on the hot dust emission from the
obscuring torus, without caveats of luminosity - redshift degeneracies,
a fundamental problem in flux-density limited sample. Crucially, we have
also defined a sample of radio-loud quasars selected in exactly the same
way as the radio-quiet quasars, allowing us to address what effect radio
emission may have on the dust properties of quasars. Finally, by
selecting a sample of radio galaxies matched to have the same
distribution in radio luminosity as the radio-loud quasars we will
determine how orientation influences the near- and mid-IR SEDs, and in
particular obtain a firm hold on the geometry of the obscuring torus.
Thus, this data will allow us to directly address all facets of AGN
unification. Our sample will also be proposed for Herschel as an Open
Time Key Project. Crucially, combining the data from Spitzer with
far-infrared data from Herschel and SCUBA2 will allow us, for the first
time, to measure the complete dust-sensitive SED for a statistically
complete sample of AGN at a single cosmic epoch. Obtaining Spitzer
observations of this sample is vital if we are to continue using large
area surveys in a variety of wavebands to study AGN over the history of
the Universe. It is both timely, and only recently possible to undertake
this investigation. Thus, this proposal is the crucial first step in
obtaining a benchmark sample with which to use in analysing future
survey data across the wavebands to constrain the evolution in accretion
and star-formation activity over the history of the Universe.