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  1. null (Ed.)
    ABSTRACT X-ray observations provide a unique probe of the accretion disc corona of supermassive black holes (SMBHs). In this paper, we present a uniform Chandra X-ray data analysis of a sample of 152 z ≥ 4.5 quasars. We firmly detect 46 quasars of this sample in 0.5–2 keV above 3σ and calculate the upper limits of the X-ray flux of the remaining. We also estimate the power-law photon index of the X-ray spectrum of 31 quasars. 24 of our sample quasars are detected in the FIRST or NVSS radio surveys; all of them are radio-loud. We statistically compare the X-ray properties of our z ≥ 4.5 quasars to other X-ray samples of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at different redshifts. The relation between the rest-frame X-ray luminosity and other quasar parameters, such as the bolometric luminosity, UV luminosity, or SMBH mass, shows large scatters. These large scatters can be attributed to the narrow luminosity range at the highest redshift, the large measurement error based on relatively poor X-ray data, and the inclusion of radio-loud quasars in the sample. The LX–LUV relationship is significantly sublinear. We do not find a significant redshift evolution of the LX–LUV relation, expressed either in the slope of this relation, or the departure of individual AGNs from the best-fitting αOX–LUV relation (ΔαOX). The median value of the X-ray photon index is Γ ≈ 1.79, which does not show redshift evolution from z = 0 to z ∼ 7. The X-ray and UV properties of the most distant quasars could potentially be used as a standard candle to constrain cosmological models. The large scatter of our sample on the Hubble diagram highlights the importance of future large unbiased deep X-ray and radio surveys in using quasars in cosmological studies. 
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  2. null (Ed.)
    ABSTRACT Outflows from supermassive black holes (SMBHs) play an important role in the co-evolution of themselves, their host galaxies, and the larger scale environments. Such outflows are often characterized by emission and absorption lines in various bands and in a wide velocity range blueshifted from the systematic redshift of the host quasar. In this paper, we report a strong broad line region (BLR) outflow from the z ≈ 4.7 quasar BR 1202-0725 based on the high-resolution optical spectrum taken with the Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle (MIKE) spectrograph installed on the 6.5 m Magellan/Clay telescope, obtained from the ‘Probing the He ii re-Ionization ERa via Absorbing C iv Historical Yield’ (HIERACHY) project. This rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) spectrum is characterized by a few significantly blueshifted broad emission lines from high ions; the most significant one is the C iv line at a velocity of $\sim -6500$ km s−1 relative to the H α emission line, which is among the highest velocity BLR outflows in observed quasars at z > 4. The measured properties of UV emission lines from different ions, except for O i and Ly α, also follow a clear trend that higher ions tend to be broader and outflow at higher average velocities. There are multiple C iv and Si iv absorbing components identified on the blue wings of the corresponding emission lines, which may be produced by either the outflow or the intervening absorbers. 
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  3. null (Ed.)