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In our current galaxy formation paradigm, high-redshift galaxies are predominantly fueled by accretion of cool, metal-poor gas from the intergalactic medium. Hydrodynamical simulations predict that this material should be observable in absorption against background sightlines within a galaxy's virial radius, as optically thick Lyman limit systems (LLSs) with low metallicities. Here we report the discovery of exactly such a strong metal-poor absorber at an impact parameter R_⊥ = 58 kpc from a star-forming galaxy at z = 2.44. Besides strong neutral hydrogen ($N_{\mathrm{H}^0}=10^{19.50\pm 0.16}\, \rm cm^{-2}$) we detect neutral deuterium and oxygen, allowing a precise measurement of the metallicity: log₁₀(Z/Z_☉) = −2.0 ± 0.17, or (7–15) × 10⁻³ solar. Furthermore, the narrow deuterium linewidth requires a cool temperature <20,000 K. Given the striking similarities between this system and the predictions of simulations, we argue that it represents the direct detection of a high-redshift cold-accretion stream. The low-metallicity gas cloud is a single component of an absorption system exhibiting a complex velocity, ionization, and enrichment structure. Two other components have metallicities >0.1 solar, 10 times larger than the metal-poor component. We conclude that the photoionized circumgalactic medium (CGM) of this galaxy is highly inhomogeneous: the majority of the gas is in a cool, metal-poor and predominantly neutral phase, but the majority of the metals are in a highly ionized phase exhibiting weak neutral hydrogen absorption but strong metal absorption. If such inhomogeneity is common, then high-resolution spectra and detailed ionization modeling are critical to accurately appraise the distribution of metals in the high-redshift CGM.

We have combined optical and near-infrared data of known RR Lyrae (RRL) stars in the bulge in order to study the spatial distribution of its metal-poor component by measuring precise reddening values and distances of 7663 fundamental-mode RRL stars with high-quality photometry. We obtain a distance to the Galactic center of R₀ = 8.33 ± 0.05 ± 0.14 kpc. We find that the spatial distribution of the RRL stars differs from the structures traced by the predominantly metal-rich red clump (RC) stars. Unlike the RC stars, the RRL stars do not trace a strong bar, but have a more spheroidal, centrally concentrated distribution, showing only a slight elongation in its very center. We find a hint of bimodality in the density distribution at high southern latitudes (b < −5°), which needs to be confirmed by extending the areal coverage of the current census. The different spatial distributions of the metal-rich and metal-poor stellar populations suggest that the Milky Way has a composite bulge.

We report photometric observations for comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) obtained during the time period immediately after discovery (r = 6.28 AU) until it moved into solar conjunction in mid-2013 June using the UH2.2 m, and Gemini North 8 m telescopes on Mauna Kea, the Lowell 1.8 m in Flagstaff, the Calar Alto 1.2 m telescope in Spain, the VYSOS-5 telescopes on Mauna Loa Hawaii and data from the CARA network. Additional pre-discovery data from the Pan STARRS1 survey extends the light curve back to 2011 September 30 (r = 9.4 AU). The images showed a similar tail morphology due to small micron sized particles throughout 2013. Observations at submillimeter wavelengths using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope on 15 nights between 2013 March 9 (r = 4.52 AU) and June 16 (r = 3.35 AU) were used to search for CO and HCN rotation lines. No gas was detected, with upper limits for CO ranging between 3.5–4.5 × 10²⁷ molecules s⁻¹. Combined with published water production rate estimates we have generated ice sublimation models consistent with the photometric light curve. The inbound light curve is likely controlled by sublimation of CO₂. At these distances water is not a strong contributor to the outgassing. We also infer that there was a long slow outburst of activity beginning in late 2011 peaking in mid-2013 January (r ∼ 5 AU) at which point the activity decreased again through 2013 June. We suggest that this outburst was driven by CO injecting large water ice grains into the coma. Observations as the comet came out of solar conjunction seem to confirm our models.

Radio monitoring of the broad absorption line quasar (BALQSO) Mrk 231 from 13.9 GHz to 17.6 GHz detected a strong flat spectrum flare. Even though BALQSOs are typically weak radio sources, the 17.6 GHz flux density doubled in ≈150 days, from ≈135 mJy to ≈270 mJy. It is demonstrated that the elapsed rise time in the quasar rest frame and the relative magnitude of the flare is typical of some of the stronger flares in blazars that are usually associated with the ejection of discrete components on parsec scales. The decay of a similar flare was found in a previous monitoring campaign at 22 GHz. We conclude that these flares are not rare. The implication is that Mrk 231 seems to be a quasar in which the physical mechanism that produces the broad absorption line wind is in tension with the emergence of a fledgling blazar.

Protostellar jets appear at all stages of star formation when the accretion process is still at work. Jets travel at velocities of hundreds of km s⁻¹, creating strong shocks when interacting with the interstellar medium. Several cases of jets have been detected in X-rays, typically showing soft emission. For the first time, we report evidence of hard X-ray emission possibly related to non-thermal processes not explained by previous models of the post-shock emission predicted in the jet/ambient interaction scenario. HH 80 is located at the south head of the jet associated with the massive protostar IRAS 18162-2048. It shows soft and hard X-ray emission in regions that are spatially separated, with the soft X-ray emission region situated behind the region of hard X-ray emission. We propose a scenario for HH 80 where soft X-ray emission is associated with thermal processes from the interaction of the jet with denser ambient matter and hard X-ray emission is produced by synchrotron radiation at the front shock.

Recent studies have demonstrated that in fully developed turbulence, the effective magnetic pressure of a large-scale field (non-turbulent plus turbulent contributions) can become negative. In the presence of strongly stratified turbulence, this was shown to lead to a large-scale instability that produces spontaneous magnetic flux concentrations. Furthermore, using a horizontal magnetic field, elongated flux concentrations with a strength of a few percent of the equipartition value were found. Here we show that a uniform vertical magnetic field leads to circular magnetic spots of equipartition field strengths. This could represent a minimalistic model of sunspot formation and highlights the importance of two critical ingredients: turbulence and strong stratification. Radiation, ionization, and supergranulation may be important for realistic simulations, but are not critical at the level of a minimalistic model of magnetic spot formation.

We present deep IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer observations, searching for CO-emission toward two massive, non-lensed Lyman break galaxies at z = 3.216 and 4.058. With one low significance CO detection (3.5σ) and one sensitive upper limit, we find that the CO lines are ≳3–4 times weaker than expected based on the relation between IR and CO luminosities followed by similarly massive galaxies at z = 0–2.5. This is consistent with a scenario in which these galaxies have low metallicity, causing an increased CO-to-H₂ conversion factor, i.e., weaker CO-emission for a given molecular (H₂) mass. The required metallicities at z > 3 are lower than predicted by the fundamental metallicity relation at these redshifts, consistent with independent evidence. Unless our galaxies are atypical in this respect, detecting molecular gas in normal galaxies at z > 3 may thus remain challenging even with ALMA.

We present new visible and infrared observations of the hot Jupiter Kepler-7b to determine its atmospheric properties. Our analysis allows us to (1) refine Kepler-7b's relatively large geometric albedo of Ag = 0.35 ± 0.02, (2) place upper limits on Kepler-7b thermal emission that remains undetected in both Spitzer bandpasses and (3) report a westward shift in the Kepler optical phase curve. We argue that Kepler-7b's visible flux cannot be due to thermal emission or Rayleigh scattering from H₂ molecules. We therefore conclude that high altitude, optically reflective clouds located west from the substellar point are present in its atmosphere. We find that a silicate-based cloud composition is a possible candidate. Kepler-7b exhibits several properties that may make it particularly amenable to cloud formation in its upper atmosphere. These include a hot deep atmosphere that avoids a cloud cold trap, very low surface gravity to suppress cloud sedimentation, and a planetary equilibrium temperature in a range that allows for silicate clouds to potentially form in the visible atmosphere probed by Kepler. Our analysis does not only present evidence of optically thick clouds on Kepler-7b but also yields the first map of clouds in an exoplanet atmosphere.

Several independent lines of evidence suggest that the stellar initial mass function (IMF) in early-type galaxies becomes increasingly "bottom-heavy" with increasing galaxy mass and/or velocity dispersion, σ. Here we consider evidence for IMF variation in a sample of relatively compact early-type galaxies drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. These galaxies are of sufficiently high stellar density that a dark halo likely makes a minor contribution to the total dynamical mass, M_dyn, within one effective radius. We fit our detailed stellar population synthesis models to the stacked absorption line spectra of these galaxies in bins of σ and find evidence from IMF-sensitive spectral features for a bottom-heavy IMF at high σ. We also apply simple "mass-follows-light" dynamical models to the same data and find that M_dyn is significantly higher than what would be expected if these galaxies were stellar dominated and had a universal Milky Way IMF. Adopting M_dyn ≈ M_* therefore implies that the IMF is "heavier" at high σ. Most importantly, the quantitative amount of inferred IMF variation is very similar between the two techniques, agreeing to within ≲ 0.1 dex in mass. The agreement between two independent techniques, when applied to the same data, provides compelling evidence for systematic variation in the IMF as a function of early-type galaxy velocity dispersion. Any alternative explanations must reproduce both the results from dynamical and stellar population-based techniques.

We present the first robust measurement of the high redshift mass–metallicity (MZ) relation at 10⁸ ≲ M/M_☉ ≲ 10¹⁰, obtained by stacking spectra of 83 emission-line galaxies with secure redshifts between 1.3 ≲ z ≲ 2.3. For these redshifts, infrared grism spectroscopy with the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 is sensitive to the R₂₃ metallicity diagnostic: ([O ii] λλ3726, 3729 + [O iii] λλ4959, 5007)/Hβ. Using spectra stacked in four mass quartiles, we find a MZ relation that declines significantly with decreasing mass, extending from 12+log(O/H) = 8.8 at M = 10^9.8M_☉, to 12+log(O/H) = 8.2 at M = 10^8.2M_☉. After correcting for systematic offsets between metallicity indicators, we compare our MZ relation to measurements from the stacked spectra of galaxies with M ≳ 10^9.5M_☉ and z ∼ 2.3. Within the statistical uncertainties, our MZ relation agrees with the z ∼ 2.3 result, particularly since our somewhat higher metallicities (by around 0.1 dex) are qualitatively consistent with the lower mean redshift (z = 1.76) of our sample. For the masses probed by our data, the MZ relation shows a steep slope which is suggestive of feedback from energy-driven winds, and a cosmological downsizing evolution where high mass galaxies reach the local MZ relation at earlier times. In addition, we show that our sample falls on an extrapolation of the star-forming main sequence (the SFR–M_* relation) at this redshift. This result indicates that grism emission-line selected samples do not have preferentially high star formation rates (SFRs). Finally, we report no evidence for evolution of the mass-metallicity-SFR plane; our stack-averaged measurements show excellent agreement with the local relation.

T Tauri stars are low mass young stars that may serve as analogs to the early solar system. Observations of organic molecules in the protoplanetary disks surrounding T Tauri stars are important for characterizing the chemical and physical processes that lead to planet formation. Searches for undetected molecules, particularly in the inner, planet forming regions of these disks are important for testing protoplanetary disk chemical models and for understanding the evolution of volatiles through the star and planet formation process. We used NIRSPEC on Keck 2 to perform a high resolution (λ/Δλ ∼ 25,000) L-band survey of T Tauri star GV Tau N. This object is one of two in which the simple organic molecules HCN and C₂H₂ have been reported in absorption in the warm molecular layer of the protoplanetary disk. In this Letter, we report the first detection of methane, CH₄, in a protoplanetary disk. Specifically, we detected the ν₃ band in absorption. We determined a rotational temperature of 750 ± 50 K and column density of (2.8 ± 0.2) × 10¹⁷ cm⁻². Our results imply that CH₄ originates in the warm molecular layer of the inner protoplanetary disk.

We report C, Si, and S isotope measurements on 34 presolar silicon carbide grains of Type AB, characterized by ¹²C/¹³C < 10. Nitrogen, Mg–Al-, and Ca–Ti-isotopic compositions were measured on a subset of these grains. Three grains show large ³²S excesses, a signature that has been previously observed for grains from supernovae (SNe). Enrichments in ³²S may be due to contributions from the Si/S zone and the result of S molecule chemistry in still unmixed SN ejecta or due to incorporation of radioactive ³²Si from C-rich explosive He shell ejecta. However, a SN origin remains unlikely for the three AB grains considered here, because of missing evidence for ⁴⁴Ti, relatively low ²⁶Al/²⁷Al ratios (a few times 10⁻³), and radiogenic ³²S along with low ¹²C/¹³C ratios. Instead, we show that born-again asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars that have undergone a very-late thermal pulse (VLTP), known to have low ¹²C/¹³C ratios and enhanced abundances of the light s-process elements, can produce ³²Si, which makes such stars attractive sources for AB grains with ³²S excesses. This lends support to the proposal that at least some AB grains originate from born-again AGB stars, although uncertainties in the born-again AGB star models and possible variations of initial S-isotopic compositions in the parent stars of AB grains make it difficult to draw a definitive conclusion.

Data from the Herschel Space Observatory have revealed an unusual elliptical galaxy, NGC 4125, which has strong and extended submillimeter emission from cold dust but only very strict upper limits to its CO and H i emission. Depending on the dust emissivity, the total dust mass is 2–5 × 10⁶ M_☉. While the neutral gas-to-dust mass ratio is extremely low (<12–30), including the ionized gas traced by [C ii] emission raises this limit to <39–100. The dust emission follows a similar r^1/4 profile to the stellar light and the dust to stellar mass ratio is toward the high end of what is found in nearby elliptical galaxies. We suggest that NGC 4125 is currently in an unusual phase where evolved stars produced in a merger-triggered burst of star formation are pumping large amounts of gas and dust into the interstellar medium. In this scenario, the low neutral gas-to-dust mass ratio is explained by the gas being heated to temperatures ⩾10⁴ K faster than the dust is evaporated. If galaxies like NGC 4125, where the far-infrared emission does not trace neutral gas in the usual manner, are common at higher redshift, this could have significant implications for our understanding of high redshift galaxies and galaxy evolution.

X-ray photons, because of their long mean-free paths, can easily escape the galactic environments where they are produced, and interact at long distances with the intergalactic medium, potentially having a significant contribution to the heating and reionization of the early universe. The two most important sources of X-ray photons in the universe are active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and X-ray binaries (XRBs). In this Letter we use results from detailed, large scale population synthesis simulations to study the energy feedback of XRBs, from the first galaxies (z ∼ 20) until today. We estimate that X-ray emission from XRBs dominates over AGN at z ≳ 6–8. The shape of the spectral energy distribution of the emission from XRBs shows little change with redshift, in contrast to its normalization which evolves by ∼4 orders of magnitude, primarily due to the evolution of the cosmic star-formation rate. However, the metallicity and the mean stellar age of a given XRB population affect significantly its X-ray output. Specifically, the X-ray luminosity from high-mass XRBs per unit of star-formation rate varies an order of magnitude going from solar metallicity to less than 10% solar, and the X-ray luminosity from low-mass XRBs per unit of stellar mass peaks at an age of ∼300 Myr and then decreases gradually at later times, showing little variation for mean stellar ages ≳ 3 Gyr. Finally, we provide analytical and tabulated prescriptions for the energy output of XRBs, that can be directly incorporated in cosmological simulations.

We are able to show by comparing modeled energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) spectra to those measured by Interstellar Boundary Explorer(IBEX) that the models along the Voyager 1 (V1) trajectory that best agree with the low energy IBEX data include extra heating due to ram and magnetic energy in the quasi-stagnation region or a kappa ion distribution (with κ = 2.0) in the outer heliosheath. The model explored is the multi-ion, multi-fluid (MI–MF) which treats the pick-up ions and the thermal ion fluids with separate Maxwellian distributions. These effects are included ad hoc in the modeled ENA since they are not present in the model. These results indicate that the low energy spectra of ENAs as measured by IBEX is sensitive to the physical nature of the heliosheath and to effects not traditionally present in current global models. Therefore, by comparing the low energy ENA spectra to models, we can potentially probe the heliosheath in locations beyond those probed by V1 and Voyager 2 (V2).

With most planets and planetary candidates detected in the stellar habitable zone (HZ) being super-Earths and gas giants rather than Earth-like planets, we naturally wonder if their moons could be habitable. The first detection of such an exomoon has now become feasible, and due to observational biases it will be at least twice as massive as Mars. However, formation models predict that moons can hardly be as massive as Earth. Hence, a giant planet's magnetosphere could be the only possibility for such a moon to be shielded from cosmic and stellar high-energy radiation. Yet, the planetary radiation belt could also have detrimental effects on exomoon habitability. Here we synthesize models for the evolution of the magnetic environment of giant planets with thresholds from the runaway greenhouse (RG) effect to assess the habitability of exomoons. For modest eccentricities, we find that satellites around Neptune-sized planets in the center of the HZ around K dwarf stars will either be in an RG state and not be habitable, or they will be in wide orbits where they will not be affected by the planetary magnetosphere. Saturn-like planets have stronger fields, and Jupiter-like planets could coat close-in habitable moons soon after formation. Moons at distances between about 5 and 20 planetary radii from a giant planet can be habitable from an illumination and tidal heating point of view, but still the planetary magnetosphere would critically influence their habitability.

We report the discovery of the optical afterglow of the γ-ray burst (GRB) 130702A, identified upon searching 71 deg² surrounding the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) localization. Discovered and characterized by the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory, iPTF13bxl is the first afterglow discovered solely based on a GBM localization. Real-time image subtraction, machine learning, human vetting, and rapid response multi-wavelength follow-up enabled us to quickly narrow a list of 27,004 optical transient candidates to a single afterglow-like source. Detection of a new, fading X-ray source by Swift and a radio counterpart by CARMA and the Very Large Array confirmed the association between iPTF13bxl and GRB 130702A. Spectroscopy with the Magellan and Palomar 200 inch telescopes showed the afterglow to be at a redshift of z = 0.145, placing GRB 130702A among the lowest redshift GRBs detected to date. The prompt γ-ray energy release and afterglow luminosity are intermediate between typical cosmological GRBs and nearby sub-luminous events such as GRB 980425 and GRB 060218. The bright afterglow and emerging supernova offer an opportunity for extensive panchromatic follow-up. Our discovery of iPTF13bxl demonstrates the first observational proof-of-principle for ∼10 Fermi-iPTF localizations annually. Furthermore, it represents an important step toward overcoming the challenges inherent in uncovering faint optical counterparts to comparably localized gravitational wave events in the Advanced LIGO and Virgo era.

We report the detection of asymmetry in the transit light curves of the 110 day period companion to KOI-368, a rapidly rotating A-dwarf. The significant distortion in the transit light curve is attributed to spin–orbit misalignment between the transiting companion and the gravity darkened host star. Our analysis was based on 11 long cadence and 2 short cadence transits of KOI-368.01 from the Kepler mission, as well as stellar parameters determined from our follow-up spectroscopic observation. We measured the true obliquity between the orbit normal and the stellar rotation axis to be $69_{-10}^{+9\,\circ }$. We also find a secondary eclipse event with depth 29 ± 3 ppm at phase 0.59, from which the temperature of the companion is constrained to 3060 ± 50 K, indicating that KOI-368.01 is a late M-dwarf. The eccentricity is also calculated from the eclipse to be 0.1429 ± 0.0007. The long period, high obliquity, and low eccentricity of KOI-368.01 allow us to limit a number of proposed theories for the misalignment of binary systems.

Soft, potentially thermal spectral components observed in some ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs) can be fit with models for emission from cool, optically thick accretion disks. If that description is correct, the low temperatures that are observed imply accretion onto "intermediate-mass" black holes. Subsequent work has found that these components may follow an inverse relationship between luminosity and temperature, implying a non-blackbody origin for this emission. We have re-analyzed numerous XMM-Newton spectra of extreme ULXs. Crucially, observations wherein the source fell on a chip gap were excluded owing to their uncertain flux calibration, and the neutral column density along the line of sight to a given source was jointly determined by multiple spectra. The luminosity of the soft component is found to be positively correlated with temperature, and to be broadly consistent with L∝T⁴ in the measured band pass, as per blackbody emission from a standard thin disk. These results are nominally consistent with accretion onto black holes with masses above the range currently known in Galactic X-ray binaries, though there are important caveats. Emission from inhomogeneous or super-Eddington disks may also be consistent with the data.

In 2012 August the Voyager 1 space probe entered a distinctly new region of space characterized by a virtual absence of heliospheric energetic ions and magnetic fluctuations, now interpreted as a part of the local interstellar cloud. Prior to their disappearance, the ion distributions strongly peaked at a 90° pitch angle, implying rapid escape of streaming particles along the magnetic field lines. Here we investigate the process of particle crossing from the heliosheath into the interstellar space, using a kinetic approach that resolves scales of the particle's cyclotron radius and smaller. It is demonstrated that a "pancake" pitch-angle distribution naturally arises at a tangential discontinuity separating a weakly turbulent plasma from a laminar region with a very low pitch-angle scattering rate. The relatively long persistence of gyrating ions is interpreted in terms of field line meandering facilitating their cross-field diffusion within the depletion region.

In this Letter we report the CO abundance relative to H₂ derived toward the circumstellar disk of the T-Tauri star TW Hya from the HD (1 − 0) and C¹⁸O (2 − 1) emission lines. The HD (1 − 0) line was observed by the Herschel Space Observatory Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer whereas C¹⁸O (2 − 1) observations were carried out with the Submillimeter Array at a spatial resolution of 28 × 19 (corresponding to ∼151 × 103 AU). In the disk's warm molecular layer (T > 20 K) we measure a disk-averaged gas-phase CO abundance relative to H₂ of χ(CO) = (0.1–3) × 10⁻⁵, substantially lower than the canonical value of χ(CO) = 10⁻⁴. We infer that the best explanation of this low χ(CO) is the chemical destruction of CO followed by rapid formation of carbon chains, or perhaps CO₂, that can subsequently freeze-out, resulting in the bulk mass of carbon locked up in ice grain mantles and oxygen in water. As a consequence of this likely time-dependent carbon sink mechanism, CO may be an unreliable tracer of H₂ gas mass.

Recently, Thornton et al. reported the detection of four fast radio bursts (FRBs). The dispersion measures indicate that the sources of these FRBs are at cosmological distance. Given the large full sky event rate ∼10⁴ sky⁻¹ day⁻¹, the FRBs are a promising target for multi-messenger astronomy. Here we propose double degenerate, binary white-dwarf (WD) mergers as the source of FRBs, which are produced by coherent emission from the polar region of a rapidly rotating, magnetized massive WD formed after the merger. The basic characteristics of the FRBs, such as the energetics, emission duration and event rate, can be consistently explained in this scenario. As a result, we predict that some FRBs can accompany type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) or X-ray debris disks. Simultaneous detection could test our scenario and probe the progenitors of SNe Ia, and moreover would provide a novel constraint on the cosmological parameters. We strongly encourage future SN and X-ray surveys that follow up FRBs.

A massive millisecond magnetar may survive the merger of a neutron star (NS) binary, which would continuously power the merger ejecta. We develop a generic dynamic model for the merger ejecta with energy injection from the central magnetar. The ejecta emission (the "merger-nova") powered by the magnetar peaks in the UV band and the peak of the light curve, progressively shifts to an earlier epoch with increasing frequency. A magnetar-powered merger-nova could have an optical peak brightness comparable to a supernova, which is a few tens or hundreds times brighter than the radioactive-powered merger-novae (the so-called macro-nova or kilo-nova). On the other hand, such a merger-nova would peak earlier and have a significantly shorter duration than that of a supernova. An early collapse of the magnetar could suppress the brightness of the optical emission and shorten its duration. Such millisecond-magnetar-powered merger-novae may be detected from NS–NS merger events without an observed short gamma-ray burst, and could be a bright electromagnetic counterpart for gravitational wave bursts due to NS–NS mergers. If detected, it suggests that the merger leaves behind a massive NS, which has important implications for the equation-of-state of nuclear matter.

We measure the cross-power spectrum of the projected mass density as traced by the convergence of the cosmic microwave background lensing field from the South Pole Telescope (SPT) and a sample of Type 1 and 2 (unobscured and obscured) quasars at 〈z〉 ∼ 1 selected with the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, over 2500 deg². The cross-power spectrum is detected at ≈7σ, and we measure a linear bias b = 1.61 ± 0.22, consistent with clustering analyses. Using an independent lensing map, derived from Planck observations, to measure the cross-spectrum, we find excellent agreement with the SPT analysis. The bias of the combined sample of Type 1 and 2 quasars determined in this work is similar to that previously determined for Type 1 quasars alone; we conclude that obscured and unobscured quasars trace the matter field in a similar way. This result has implications for our understanding of quasar unification and evolution schemes.