Subaru High-z Exploration of Low-luminosity Quasars (SHELLQs). V. Quasar Luminosity Function and Contribution to Cosmic Reionization at z = 6

Abstract

We present new measurements of the quasar luminosity function (LF) at z  ∼ 6 over an unprecedentedly wide range of the rest-frame ultraviolet luminosity M 1450 from −30 to −22 mag. This is the fifth in a series of publications from the Subaru High- z Exploration of Low-Luminosity Quasars (SHELLQs) project, which exploits the deep multiband imaging data produced by the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program survey. The LF was calculated with a complete sample of 110 quasars at 5.7 ≤  z  ≤ 6.5, which includes 48 SHELLQs quasars discovered over 650 deg 2 and 63 brighter quasars discovered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the Canada–France–Hawaii Quasar Survey (including one overlapping object). This is the largest sample of z  ∼ 6 quasars with a well-defined selection function constructed to date, which has allowed us to detect significant flattening of the LF at its faint end. A double power-law function fit to the sample yields a faint-end slope , a bright-end slope , a break magnitude , and a characteristic space density Gpc −3 mag −1 . Integrating this best-fit model over the range −18 <  M 1450  < −30 mag, quasars emit ionizing photons at the rate of s −1 Mpc −3 at z  = 6.0. This is less than 10% of the critical rate necessary to keep the intergalactic medium ionized, which indicates that quasars are not a major contributor to cosmic reionization.