High-redshift obscured quasars: radio emission at sub-kiloparsec scales

TL;DR

This study investigates the radio emission properties of high-redshift obscured quasars at sub-kiloparsec scales, revealing active galactic nuclei features and jet structures, and comparing their properties to other AGN populations.

Contribution

First detailed VLBI study of radio properties of z>2 obscured quasars, showing AGN-originated radio emission and jet components, challenging traditional obscuration models.

Findings

Most sources show unresolved radio emission from AGN cores.

Presence of jets and beamed emission suggests host galaxy dust obscuration.

Radio properties resemble high-luminosity low-redshift radio-quiet quasars.

Abstract

The radio properties of 11 obscured `radio-intermediate' quasars at redshifts z>~2 have been investigated using the European Very-Long-Baseline-Interferometry Network (EVN) at 1.66 GHz. A sensitivity of ~25 micro Jy per 14x17 mas2 beam was achieved, and in 7 out of 11 sources unresolved radio emission was securely detected. The detected radio emission of each source accounts for ~30-100 % of the total source flux density. The physical extent of this emission is ~<150 pc, and the derived properties indicate that this emission originates from an active galactic nucleus (AGN). The missing flux density is difficult to account for by star-formation alone, so radio components associated with jets of physical size >~150 pc, and ~< 40 kpc are likely to be present in most of the sources. Amongst the observed sample steep, flat, gigahertz-peaked and compact-steep spectrum sources are all present. Hence, as well as extended and compact jets, examples of beamed jets are also inferred, suggesting that in these sources, the obscuration must be due to dust in the host galaxy, rather than the torus invoked by the unified schemes. Comparing the total to core (~< 150 pc) radio luminosities of this sample with different types of AGN suggests that this sample of z >~2 radio-intermediate obscured quasars shows radio properties that are more similar to those of the high-radio-luminosity end of the low-redshift radio-quiet quasar population than those of FR I radio galaxies. This conclusion may reflect intrinsic differences, but could be strongly influenced by the increasing effect of inverse-Compton cooling of extended radio jets at high redshift.