z=6 quasars to probe the reionization of the universe
PI:
Chris Willott
Co-I(s):
David Crampton, John Hutchings, David Schade, Luc Simard, Thierry Forveille, Xavier Delfosse, Jacqueline Bergeron, Alain Omont
Abstract
Redshift z=6 marks the end of cosmological reionization
due to the formation of the first substantial population of star
forming galaxies and accreting black holes. Reionization is a highly
inhomogeneous process, and therefore many sightlines are needed to get
an accurate picture of the ionization state of the high redshift IGM.
We are carrying out a wide-field optical imaging survey with MegaCam
at the CFHT of 900 sq deg with the goals of finding z~6 quasars and
ultracool brown dwarfs. We now have 500 sq deg of imaging and ongoing
near-infrared follow-up. We have so far discovered 4 z>6 quasars
and expect many more within this 500 sq deg. We request time with
GMOS-North to obtain optical spectroscopy of quasars
from our survey to confirm their quasar identity and determine redshifts.
Publications using this program's data
[data][ADS] Six More Quasars at Redshift 6 Discovered by the Canada-France High-z Quasar Survey