Institute for Advanced Study / Princeton University Joint Astrophysics Colloquium

We are the first generation of human beings able to directly observe and study the cosmic era when the first galaxies and black holes formed. Quasars are among the most luminous sources known and can be studied in detail even during the first billion years of the Universe (at redshifts z>6). I will summarize my team's efforts to search for and characterize the most distant quasars. This has led to the discovery of the largest number of bright quasars at z>6, including the most distant radio-source known at z~7, and the three most distant quasars known at z>7.5. These distant quasars provide important clues about the build-up of the first massive galaxies and black holes, as well as the epoch of reionization. I will review the diverse range of physical properties of these quasars on different scales, including follow-up studies from X-rays to radio wavelengths.