Fitting Cold Quasar Spectra in Xspec

We are investigating the X-ray emission of a sample of 7 Cold Quasars from the Stripe 82 field. These sources are rare, unobscured blue active galactic nuclei found in dusty galaxies undergoing rapid star formation. This research aims to further probe the role these quasars may play in the evolution of their host galaxy by analyzing properties of the accreting black holes. By fitting the x-ray spectra, from XMM-Newton, with power law models in NASA’s spectral energy distribution fitter Xspec, we are able to measure the X-ray luminosity, obscuration, and photon index. We compare these properties with the accretion rates of the black holes, measured using the [OIII] emission in Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectra. We also look for correlation between black hole properties and the host galaxy, traced through the far-IR derived star formation rates and dust masses.