The discovery of a luminous z = 5.80 quasar from the sloan digital sky survey

We present observations of SDSSp J104433.04-012502.2, a luminous quasar at z = 5.80 discovered from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) multicolor imaging data. This object was selected as an i′-band dropout object, with i* = 21.8 ± 0.2 and z* = 19.2 ± 0.1. It has an absolute magnitude M₁₄₅₀ = -27.2 (H₀ = 50 km s^-1 Mpc^-1, q₀ = 0.5). The spectrum shows a strong and broad Lyα emission line, strong Lyα forest absorption lines with a mean continuum decrement D_A = 0.91 and a Lyman limit system at z = 5.72. The spectrum also shows strong O I and Si IV emission lines similar to those of quasars at z ≲ 5, suggesting that these metals were produced at a redshift beyond 6. The lack of a Gunn-Peterson trough in the spectrum indicates that the universe is already highly ionized at z ∼ 5.8. Using a high-resolution spectrum in the Lyα forest region, we place a conservative upper limit on the optical depth because of the Gunn-Peterson effect of τ < < 0.5 in regions of minimum absorption. The Lyα forest absorption in this object is much stronger than that in quasars at z ≲ 5. The object is unresolved in a deep image with excellent seeing, implying that it is unlensed. The black hole mass of this quasar is ∼3 × 10⁹ M_⊙ if we assume no lensing amplification and that it is radiating at the Eddington luminosity, implying that it resides in a very massive dark matter halo. The discovery of one quasar at M₁₄₅₀ < -27 in a survey area of 600 deg² is consistent with an extrapolation of the observed luminosity function at lower redshifts. The abundance and evolution of such quasars can provide sensitive tests for models of quasar and galaxy formation.