Dartmouth Events

Title: "Dust-Reddened Quasars as Probes of Feedback and Co-Evolution"

Abstract: The study of the evolution of quasars and their influence on their host galaxies provides unique insight into how supermassive black holes became ubiquitous feature of galaxies today. Dust-reddened quasars appear to represent a transitional phase in the merger-driven models of quasar/galaxy co-evolution. I will present results from several surveys to identify these transitional systems using infrared and radio selection.  The results of these surveys reveal that red quasars are the most luminous quasars in the universe, when corrected for extinction, and make up ~15%-20% of the overall quasar population. They reside in actively merging galaxies, and their spectra exhibit outflows in absorption and emission.  I will also present results of a Hubble Space Telescope imaging campaign of eleven red quasar host galaxies at z ~ 2, which show the presence of tidal features and other merger signatures.  I will discuss how reddened quasars fit into the larger picture of AGN evolution which includes both mergers and secular growth.