Context. The 4-Dimensional Eigenvector 1 empirical formalism (4DE1) and its Main Sequence (MS) for quasars emerged as a powerful tool to organise the quasar diversity since several key observational measures and physical parameters are systematically changing along it. Aims. The trends of the 4DE1 are very well established to explain all the diversity seen in low-redshift quasar samples. Nevertheless, the situation is by far less clear when dealing with high-luminosity and high-redshift sources. We aim to evaluate the behaviour of our 22 high-redshift (2.2 ≤ z ≤ 3.7) and high-luminosity (47.39 ≤ L bol ≤ 48.36) quasars in the context of the 4DE1. Methods. Our approach involves studying quasar physics through spectroscopic exploration of UV and optical emission line diagnostics. We are using new observations from the ISAAC instrument at ESO-VLT and mainly from the SDSS to cover the optical and the UV rest-frames, respectively. Emission lines are characterised both through a quantitative parametrisation of the line profiles, and by decomposing the emission line profiles using multicomponent fitting routines. Results. We provide spectrophotometric properties and line profile measurements for Hβ+[O iii]λλ4959,5007, as well as for Si ivλ1397+O iv]λ1402, C ivλ1549+He iiλ1640, 1900 Å blend (including Al iiiλ1860, Si iii]λ1892, and C iii]λ1909). Six out of the 22 objects present a significant blueshifted component on the Hβ profile, and in 14/22 cases an Hβ outflowing component associated to [O iii] is detected. The majority of [O iii]λλ4959,5007 emission line profiles show blueshifted velocities larger than 250 km s −1 . We reveal extremely broad [O iii]λλ4959,5007 emission that is comparable to the width of Hβ broad profile in some highly accreting quasars. [O iii]λλ4959,5007 and C ivλ1549 blueshifts show very high amplitudes and a high degree of correlation. Line width and shift are correlated for both [O iii]λλ4959,5007 and C ivλ1549, suggesting that emission from outflowing gas is providing a substantial broadening to both lines. Otherwise, the links between C ivλ1549 centroid velocity at half intensity (c(1/2)), Eddington ratio (L/L Edd ), and bolometric luminosity are found to be in agreement with previous studies of high-luminosity quasars. Conclusions. Our analysis suggests that the behaviour of quasars of very high luminosity all along the main sequence is strongly affected by powerful outflows involving a broad range of spatial scales. The main sequence correlations remain valid at high redshift and high luminosity even if a systematic increase in line width is observed. Scaling laws based on UV Al iiiλ1860 and Hβ emission lines are equally reliable estimators of M BH .
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.