Discovery of three UV-bright z>2 quasars.

Abstract

We report the discovery within the Hamburg quasar surveys and subsequent UV observations with IUE of 10 bright, high-redshift quasars. While 3 objects appear completely absorbed below 3200A, HS 1103+6416 (z=2.19), HS 1307+4716 (z=2.13), HE 1122-1649 (z=2.40), HE 1230-2347 (z=1.85), and HE 1211-1322 (z=1.12) have been detected with the IUE short wavelength camera. The first three are even brighter than HS 1700+6416, which is so far the only z>2 QSO observed successfully with HST in the far UV at a resolution and S/N useful for detailed absorption line spectroscopy (Reimers et al. 1992). We briefly discuss the observed frequency of UV-bright high-redshift QSOs in comparison with model predictions as well as prospects of future spectroscopy of the unabsorbed QSOs with HST and FUSE at EUV rest wavelengths.