The FIRST Bright Quasar Survey. II. 60 Nights and 1200 Spectra Later

Simple item page
dc.creatorWhite, R. L.
dc.creatorBecker, R. H.
dc.creatorGregg, M. D.
dc.creatorLaurent-Muehleisen, S. A.
dc.creatorBrotherton, M. S.
dc.creatorImpey, C. D.
dc.creatorPetry, C. E.
dc.creatorFoltz, C. B.
dc.creatorChaffee, F. H.
dc.creatorRichards, G. T.
dc.creatorOegerle, W. R.
dc.creatorHelfand, D. J.
dc.creatorMcMahon, R. G.
dc.creatorCabanela, J. E.
dc.date1999-12-10
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T10:48:04Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T10:48:04Z
dc.descriptionWe have used the VLA FIRST survey and the APM catalog of the POSS-I plates as the basis for constructing a new radio-selected sample of optically bright quasars. This is the first radio-selected sample that is competitive in size with current optically selected quasar surveys. Using only two basic criteria, radio-optical positional coincidence and optical morphology, quasars and BL Lacs can be identified with 60% selection efficiency; the efficiency increases to 70% for objects fainter than magnitude 17. We show that a more sophisticated selection scheme can predict with better than 85% reliability which candidates will turn out to be quasars. This paper presents the second installment of the FIRST Bright Quasar Survey with a catalog of 636 quasars distributed over 2682 square degrees. The quasar sample is characterized and all spectra are displayed. The FBQS detects both radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars out to a redshift z>3. We find a large population of objects of intermediate radio-loudness; there is no evidence in our sample for a bimodal distribution of radio characteristics. The sample includes ~29 broad absorption line quasars, both high and low ionization, and a number of new objects with remarkable optical spectra.
dc.description41 pages plus 39 gifs which contain all quasar spectra. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9912215
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9912215
dc.identifierAstrophys.J.Suppl.126:133,2000
dc.identifierdoi:10.1086/313300
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/183752
dc.subjectAstrophysics
dc.titleThe FIRST Bright Quasar Survey. II. 60 Nights and 1200 Spectra Later
dc.typetext

Files

Collections

arXiv