The Reddest Quasars

Example red quasar spectra identified in our 2MASS/FIRST sample. One surprise is that a number of objects with narrow emission lines in the optical have quasar-like broad Paschen lines in the IR (e.g., F2M0825+4716 in the plot above), evidence for well-buried AGN activity. In addition, Keck optical spectroscopy shows that many of these objects have abundant absorption lines, narrow and broad, probably at a higher rate than blue quasars. We have begun a systematic deep IR imaging survey using the Near IR Camera (NIRC) at Keck Observatory to test whether red quasars occur preferentially in mergers or tidally disturbed galaxies.

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UCD Physics Dept.
Cosmology Research Group
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

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Modified February, 2003
Please report any problems or comments to:

albrecht@physics.ucdavis.edu