Overview

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping project (SDSS-RM) is a dedicated multi-object RM experiment that spectroscopically monitored a sample of 849 broad-line quasars in a single pointing of a 7 deg2 field with the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) spectrograph. The RM quasar sample is flux-limited to ipsf = 21.7, and covers a redshift range of 0.1 < z < 4.5 without any other cuts on quasar properties. Optical spectroscopy was carried out during 2014 Jan–Jul dark/grey time, with an average cadence of ~ 4 days, totaling more than 30 epochs. Supporting photometric monitoring in the g and i bands was conducted at multiple facilities including the CFHT and the Steward Observatory Bok telescope during 2014, with a cadence of ~ 2 days and covering all lunar phases. 

Science Objectives

SDSS-RM is the first major multi-object RM program to explore systematically the potential of RM for broad-line quasars at z > 0.3, and will investigate the prospects of RM with all major broad lines covered in optical spectroscopy. SDSS-RM will provide guidance on future multi-object RM campaigns on larger scales, and is aiming to deliver a large number of BLR lag detections for a homogeneous sample of quasars.

This baseline 6-month program aims to detect time lags between the quasar continuum and broad line region (BLR) variabilities on timescales of tens of days (in the observed frame), and to anchor the time baseline for continued monitoring in the future to detect lags on longer timescales and at higher redshift. 

Team

PI: Yue Shen (UIUC)

Spectroscopy PIs

Niel Brandt (PSU), Yue Shen (UIUC)

Photometry PIs

Pat Hall (York), Ian McGreer (U of Arizona), Yue Shen (UIUC)

Photometry Scientist

Karen Kinemuchi (APO)

Full Team