Host Galaxies of Luminous Type 2 Quasars at z ~ 0.5

Understand

We present deep Gemini GMOS optical spectroscopy of nine luminous quasars at redshifts z ~ 0.5, drawn from the SDSS type 2 quasar sample.

• Our targets were selected to have high intrinsic luminosities (M_V < -26 mag) as indicated by the [O III] 5007 A emission-line luminosity (L_[O III]).
• Our sample has a median black hole mass of ~ 10^8.8 M_sun inferred assuming the local M_BH-sigma_* relation and a median Eddington ratio of ~ 0.7, using stellar velocity dispersions sigma_* measured from the G band.
• We estimate the contamination of the stellar continuum from scattered quasar light based on the strength of broad H-beta, and provide an empirical calibration of the contamination as a function of L_[O III]; the scattered light fraction is ~ 30% of L_5100 for objects with L_[O III] = 10^9.5 L_sun.