PKS 0537−286
Quasar in the constellation Columba
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PKS 0537−286 (referred to as QSO 0537−286), also known as QSO B0537−286, is a quasar located in the constellation Columba. With a redshift of 3.104, the object is located 11.4 billion light years away[1] and belongs to the flat-spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ) blazar subclass.[2] It is one of the most luminous known high-redshift quasars.[3]
| PKS 0537−286 | |
|---|---|
PKS 0537−286 taken by DESI Legacy Surveys | |
| Observation data (J2000.0 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Columba |
| Right ascension | 05h 39m 54.281s |
| Declination | −28° 39′ 55.95″ |
| Redshift | 3.104000 |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 930,556 km/s |
| Distance | 11.4 Gly (light travel time distance) |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 0.54 |
| Apparent magnitude (B) | 0.43 |
| Surface brightness | 18.1 |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | FSQR;Blazar |
| Other designations | |
| PMN J0539−2839, BZQ J0539−2839, PGC 2824447, MRC 0537−286, NVSS J053954−283956, PKS B0537−286, OG −263, TXS 0537−286, 2FGL 0539.3−2841, IRCF J053954.2−283955, 2XMM J053954.2−283956, RX J0539.9−2839 | |
Observation history
First detected at radio frequencies in 1975, PKS 0537−286 was observed at X-rays by the Einstein observatory.[4] It was later studied by ASCA,[5] ROSAT,[6] XMM[7] and subsequently Swift.[8] These observations showed PKS 0537−286 as extremely luminous quasar ( Lx=1047 erg s−1 in the 0.1-2 keV range) with a particularly hard spectrum (r = 1 measured by Swift/BAT), which in the γ-ray band, it shows an energy flux of (1.44 ± 0.006) × 10−11 erg cm−2 s−1 in the fourth catalogue of Fermi-LAT active galactic nuclei.[9] A weak iron K emission line and reflection features is also found in PKS 0537−286. Moreover, Sowards-Emmerd et al. (2004)[10] identified the quasar as probable counterpart of the EGRET source 3EG J0531−2940.[11]
Characteristics
PKS 0537−286 is the brightest blazar beyond z = 3.0.[2] It shows characteristic properties of blazars, such as (rapid variability, strong polarization and high brightness) which are widely attributed to a powerful relativistic jet oriented close to the line of sight.[12]
Moreover, in several occasions, γ-ray flares were observed when the daily flux was above 10−6 photon cm−2 s−1. This makes PKS 0537−286 the most distant γ-ray flaring blazar.[13] The broad-band emission from PKS 0537−286 was successfully modelled within a one-zone synchrotron and external inverse Compton scenario where the excess in optical and ultraviolet bands was interpreted as emission from bright thermal accretion disc.[2] Moreover, PKS 0537−286 shows an emission redshift of 3.11, a prominent absorption system at a redshift of 2.976, and a strong discontinuity at the Lyman-continuum edge in the absorption system.[3]
Supermassive black hole
The central supermassive black hole in PKS 0537−286 is one of the largest and heaviest black holes known, with a high accretion rate.[14] Based on a study published in 2010, the black hole contains a 2 billion solar masses.[15]