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O. Guyon, D. Sanders, C. Roddier, F. Roddier, W. Brandner, P. Baudoz, D. Potter (IfA)
The University of Hawaii Adaptive Optics system, Hokupa'a, now operating on the Gemini North telescope, offers unique possibilities of high resolution and high dynamical range imaging of quasar hosts. This is the only Adaptative Optics system able to guide on faint targets (up to V magn = 17 to 18) on a 8-m class telescope, delivering images with FWHM from 0.1 to 0.2 arcsec in K and H bands for magnitude 16 sources.
With careful PSF substraction, we find that we can detect point sources with a 7 magnitudes difference at 0.6 arcsec and 6 magnitudes difference at 0.25 arcsec. We are currently carrying out a deep, high dynamical range, volume-limited imaging survey of QSO hosts. We give hosts magnitude detection limits for various QSO V magnitudes and show how this work can answer some questions about the formation of quasars.
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The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: guyon@ifa.hawaii.edu