Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: We present JWST NIRSpec integral field spectroscopy observations of the z = 5.89 quasar NDWFS J1425+3254 from 0.6–5.3 μm, covering the rest-frame ultraviolet and optical at a spectral resolution of R ∼ 100. The quasar has a black hole mass of $ M_\mathrm{{BH}}=(1.4^{+3.1}_{-1.0})\times10^9 $ M⊙ and an Eddington ratio of $ L_\mathrm{{Bol}}/L_\mathrm{{Edd}}=0.3^{+0.6}_{-0.2} $, as implied from the broad Balmer Hα and Hβ lines. The quasar host has significant ongoing obscured star formation, as well as a quasar-driven outflow with velocity $ 6050^{+460}_{-630} $ km s−1 and ionised outflow rate of $ 1650^{+130}_{-1230} $ M⊙ yr−1. This is possibly one of the most extreme outflows in the early Universe. The data also reveal that two companion galaxies are merging with the quasar host. The north-eastern companion galaxy is relatively old and very massive, with a luminosity-weighted stellar age of $ 65^{+9}_{-4} $ Myr, stellar mass of $ (3.6^{+0.6}_{-0.3})\times10^{11}\,M_\odot $, and star-formation rate (SFR) of ∼15–30 M⊙ yr−1. A bridge of gas connects this companion galaxy and the host, confirming their ongoing interaction. A second merger is occurring between the quasar host and a much younger companion galaxy to the south, with a stellar age of 6.7 ± 1.8 Myr, stellar mass of (1.9 ± 0.4)×1010 M⊙, and SFR of ∼40–65 M⊙ yr−1. There is also another galaxy in the field, likely in the foreground at z = 1.135, which could be gravitationally lensing the quasar with a magnification of 1 < μ < 2 and, thus, < 0.75 mag. Overall, the system is a ‘train-wreck’ merger of three galaxies, with star formation and extreme quasar activity that were likely triggered by these ongoing interactions.
Authors: Madeline A. Marshall, Rogier A. Windhorst, Giovanni Ferrami, S. P. Willner, Maria del Carmen Polletta, William C. Keel, Giovanni G. Fazio, Seth H. Cohen, Timothy Carleton, Rolf A. Jansen, Rachel Honor, Rafael Ortiz III, Jake Summers, Jordan C. J. D’Silva, Anton M. Koekemoer, Dan Coe, Christopher J. Conselice, Jose M. Diego, Simon P. Driver, Brenda Frye, Norman A. Grogin, Nor Pirzkal, Aaron Robotham, Russell E. Ryan, Christopher N. A. Willmer, Haojing Yan, Massimo Ricotti, Adi Zitrin, Nathan J. Adams, Cheng Cheng, J. Stuart B. Wyithe, Jeremy Lim, Michele Perna, Hannah Übler, Chris J. Willott, Gareth Jones, Jan Scholtz, Mira Mechtley
Institutions: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Arizona State University, The University of Melbourne, ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics, Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian, University of Alabama, Space Telescope Science Institute, University of Manchester, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Instituto de Física de Cantabria, The University of Western Australia, International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, International Space Centre, University of Arizona, ASTRO-3D, University of Missouri, University of Maryland, College Park, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Astronomical Observatories, University of Hong Kong, Centro de Astrobiología, Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, National Research Council Canada, University of Cambridge
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: National Science Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Space Telescope Science Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences South America Center for Astronomy, European Commission, United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Goddard Space Flight Center, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Los Alamos National Laboratory, H2020 European Research Council
Awards: G103270039, G1055883707, G1136489431, G121809054, G1338664626, G1506720630, G1812695587, G1816809257, G2005369488, G2348553724, G256731684, G2660406951, G2797760769, The Formation of the First Galaxies and Reionization with the James Webb Space Telescope, G3186631391, G3480869486, G3518538256, G3714824817, G4442677895, G4522643541, G4526231891, G506223836, G5368796297, G5459679339, G5568641063, G5974943546, G6178944395, NEXT GENERATION FRONTIER STUDIES OF GALAXY FORMATI ON AND EVOLUTION WITH NEXT GENERATION SPACE TELES, G6608474652, G6687049611, G6722835988, G6909262500, G7084143925, THE PROPOSAL SEEKS TO ACCOMPLISH SEVERAL INVESTIGATIONS TO SIMULATE THE PERFORMANCE OF JWST DEEP FIELD SURVEYS, VARYING AS-YET-POORLY CHARACTERIZED P, NSF-BSF: Galaxies in the Reionization Era, G8067020961, IN 2002 WE WERE GRANTED 110 HOURS GTO TIME FOR A JWST MEDIUM-DEEP SURVEY. WITH HST AND SPITZER EXPERIENCE 14 YEARS LATER WE REDEFINE THIS SURVEY TO IMAGE~18 NIRCAM FIELDS IN 7 FILTERS TO AB<~ 29 29.3 MAG YIELDING 140 000 GALAXIES AT 0<~ Z<~ 12 15 IN 0.05 DEG2 (>~ 30 HUDFS!). WE WILL STUDY GALAXY ASSEMBLY + SUPER-MASSIVE BLACK-HOLE GROWTH AT Z 0 7 INCLUDING OBJECT VARIABILITY ON MONTHS YEARS TIMESCALES. WE STUDY THE REIONIZING POPULATION AT Z 2 8 AND USE THE BEST LENSING TARGETS TO OPTIMIZE OUR STUDY OF FIRST LIGHT OBJECTS AT Z 10 15. OUR SCIENCE GOALS ARE: 1. GALAXY ASSEMBLY; 2. SUPER-MASSIVE BLACK-HOLE GROWTH; 3. REIONIZATION; 4. FIRST LIGHT; 5. STUDY THE BEST LENSING CLUSTERS TO FIND JWST OBJECTS. MAP&REMOVE STRAYLIGHT GRADIENTS AND QUANTIFY SAMPLE COMPLETENESS IN RANDOM FIELD&CLUSTER IMAGES: WE WILL: A) USE HUDF AND HFF DATA TO SIMULATE MAP AND REMOVE A RANGE OF STRAYLIGHT AMPLITUDES AND GRADIENTS THAT COULD AFFECT RANDOM DEEP FIELDS (DFS) AND CLUSTER FIELDS WITH JWST; B) DETERMINE ACCURATE COMPLETENESS CORRECTIONS VS. GALAXY FLUX SIZE WAVELENGTH AND LOCATION IN JWST DFS OF VARIOUS DEPTH AND IN CLUSTER FIELDS WITH THEIR KNOWN GALAXY CLUSTER+ICL FOREGROUND; C) DETERMINE THE CLUSTER SELECTION FUNCTIONS BY FOLDING LENSING MAPS WITH SIMULATED BACKGROUND IMAGES YIELDING SIMULATED LENSED IMAGES AND THEIR COMPLETENESS CORRECTIONS FOR LENSED SOURCES WHICH WE SHOW CAN BE FACTORS 2 3; AND D) MODEL COSMIC VARIANCE IN HIERARCHICAL MODELS AT Z 6 15. WE WILL CORRECT THE LFS FOR THESE COMPLETENESS FUNCTIONS. WE WILL THEN USE A BAYESIAN CODE TO DETERMINE THE OPTIMAL SET OF LF EVOLUTION PARAMETERS FROM THE AVAILABLE JWST DATA TO QUANTIFY HOW GALAXIES ASSEMBLED SINCE Z<~ 15., G8380842850, G847726987, G8552695075, G8631195605, G8684856318
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