Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Signal from Quasar Hosts: Implications for Detection
  of Quasar Feedback
  Several analytic and numerical studies have indicated that the interstellar
medium of a quasar host galaxy heated by feedback can contribute to a
substantial secondary signal in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) through
the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect. Recently, many groups have tried to
detect this signal by cross-correlating CMB maps with quasar catalogs. Using a
self-similar model for the gas in the intra-cluster medium and a realistic halo
occupation distribution (HOD) prescription for quasars we estimate the level of
SZ signal from gravitational heating of quasar hosts. The bias in the host halo
signal estimation due to unconstrained high mass HOD tail and yet unknown
redshift dependence of the quasar HOD restricts us from drawing any robust
conclusions at low redshift (z<1.5) from our analysis. However, at higher
redshifts (z>2.5), we find an excess signal in recent observations than what is
predicted from our model. The excess signal could be potentially generated from
additional heating due to quasar feedback.
