2021MNRAS.501.3061T

Using data from SDSS, UKIDSS, and WISE, we investigate the properties of the high-frequency cutoff to the infrared emission in ≃5000 carefully selected luminous (L_bol ∼ 10⁴⁷) type 1 quasars. The strength of ≃2 µm emission, corresponding to emission from the hottest (T> 1200 K) dust in the sublimation zone surrounding the central continuum source, is observed to correlate with the blueshift of the C IV λ1550 emission line. We therefore find that objects with stronger signatures of nuclear outflows tend to have a larger covering fraction of sublimation-temperature dust. When controlling for the observed outflow strength, the hot dust covering fraction does not vary significantly across our sample as a function of luminosity, black hole mass, or Eddington fraction. The correlation between the hot dust and the C IV line blueshifts, together with the lack of correlation between the hot dust and other parameters, therefore provides evidence of a link between the properties of the broad emission line region and the infrared-emitting dusty regions in quasars.