Ultraluminous high-redshift quasars from SkyMapper – II. New quasars and the bright end of the luminosity function

ABSTRACT We search for ultraluminous Quasi-Stellar Objects (QSOs) at high redshift using photometry from the SkyMapper Southern Survey Data Release 3 (DR3), in combination with 2MASS, VHS DR6, VIKING DR5, AllWISE, and CatWISE2020, as well parallaxes proper motions Gaia DR2 eDR3. report 142 newly discovered QSOs 3.8 < z 5.5, of which 126 have M145 ?27 AB mag are found a area 14 486 deg2. This sample, utilizing astrometry to offset wider photometric colour criteria, achieves unprecedented completeness an QSO redshift. In already known QSOs, we construct sample that is >80 per cent complete ?27.33 = 4.7 ?27.73 5.4. derive bright end luminosity function rest frame 145 nm 4.7–5.4 measure its slope be ? ?3.60 ± 0.37 ?3.38 0.32 two different estimates faint-end density adopted literature. also present first ? 5 300 nm.