Bibcode
Heintz, K. E.; Fynbo, J. P. U.; Høg, E.; Møller, P.; Krogager, J.-K.; Geier, S.; Jakobsson, P.; Christensen, L.
Referencia bibliográfica
Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 615, id.L8, 9 pp.
Fecha de publicación:
7
2018
Revista
Número de citas
21
Número de citas referidas
17
Descripción
Here we apply a technique selecting quasar candidates purely as sources
with zero proper motions in the Gaia data release 2 (DR2). We
demonstrate that this approach is highly efficient toward high Galactic
latitudes with ≲25% contamination from stellar sources. Such a
selection technique offers very pure sample completeness, since all
cosmological point sources are selected regardless of their intrinsic
spectral properties within the limiting magnitude of Gaia. We carry out
a pilot-study, defining a sample compiled by including all Gaia-DR2
sources within one degree of the north Galactic pole (NGP) selected to
have proper motions consistent with zero within 2σ uncertainty. By
cross-matching the sample to the optical Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)
and the mid-infrared (MIR) AllWISE photometric catalogues, we
investigate the colours of each of our sources. We determine the
efficiency of our selection by comparison with previously
spectroscopically confirmed quasars. The majority of the
zero-proper-motion sources selected here have optical to MIR colours
consistent with known quasars. The remaining population may be
contaminating stellar sources, but some may also be quasars with colours
similar to stars. Spectroscopic follow-up of the zero-proper-motion
sources is needed to unveil such a hitherto hidden quasar population.
This approach has the potential to allow substantial progress on many
important questions concerning quasars, such as determining the fraction
of dust-obscured quasars, the fraction of broad absorption line (BAL)
quasars, and the metallicity distribution of damped Lyman-α
absorbers. The technique could also potentially reveal new types of
quasars or even new classes of cosmological point sources.
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