Previous
abstract 
Next
abstract
Session 11 - QSOs and Radio Galaxies.
Display session, Monday, June 08
Atlas Ballroom,
The VLA FIRST Survey, when combined with optical surveys, is a powerful tool for creating radio-selected quasar samples. This has already been demonstrated by the FIRST Bright Quasar Survey (FBQS) which has to date cataloged over 600 quasars brighter than 17.5 in R. We are now extending the FBQS to fainter magnitudes using the Keck Observatory and the MMT. The FIRST Faint Quasar Survey (FFQS) has a nominal magnitude limit of 19 in R. At the time of this abstract submission the FFQS has cataloged over 200 new quasars with an expectation of an additional 100 or more by the meeting date. The primary goal of both the FBQS and the FFQS is to determine to what extent recent optically selected quasar surveys have missed entire classes of AGN. We are also planning to search for even fainter samples of quasars as higher quality optical data becomes available. Using the Postman et al. I-band survey, we hope to develop a complete sample of radio-selected quasars down to a limiting magnitude of 22 in I. Weather permitting, preliminary results from this endeavor will be presented at the meeting as well. This research is supported by NSF, IGPP/LLNL, NASA, NRAO, National Geographic Society, and Sun Microsystems.
