A small and vigorous black hole in the early Universe.

Autor: Maiolino R; Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. rm665@cam.ac.uk.; Cavendish Laboratory - Astrophysics Group, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. rm665@cam.ac.uk.; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London, UK. rm665@cam.ac.uk., Scholtz J; Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.; Cavendish Laboratory - Astrophysics Group, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK., Witstok J; Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.; Cavendish Laboratory - Astrophysics Group, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK., Carniani S; Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy., D'Eugenio F; Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.; Cavendish Laboratory - Astrophysics Group, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK., de Graaff A; Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Heidelberg, Germany., Übler H; Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.; Cavendish Laboratory - Astrophysics Group, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK., Tacchella S; Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.; Cavendish Laboratory - Astrophysics Group, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK., Curtis-Lake E; Centre for Astrophysics Research, Department of Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK., Arribas S; Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Madrid, Spain., Bunker A; Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK., Charlot S; Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Paris, France., Chevallard J; Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK., Curti M; European Southern Observatory, Garching, Germany., Looser TJ; Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.; Cavendish Laboratory - Astrophysics Group, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK., Maseda MV; Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA., Rawle TD; European Space Agency, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA., Rodríguez Del Pino B; Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Madrid, Spain., Willott CJ; NRC Herzberg, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada., Egami E; Steward Observatory University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA., Eisenstein DJ; Center for Astrophysics - Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA, USA., Hainline KN; Steward Observatory University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA., Robertson B; Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA., Williams CC; NSF's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory, Tucson, AZ, USA., Willmer CNA; Steward Observatory University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA., Baker WM; Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.; Cavendish Laboratory - Astrophysics Group, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK., Boyett K; School of Physics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.; ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D), Melbourne, Victoria, Australia., DeCoursey C; Steward Observatory University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA., Fabian AC; Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK., Helton JM; Steward Observatory University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA., Ji Z; Steward Observatory University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA., Jones GC; Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK., Kumari N; AURA for European Space Agency, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA., Laporte N; Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.; Cavendish Laboratory - Astrophysics Group, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK., Nelson EJ; Department for Astrophysical and Planetary Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA., Perna M; Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Madrid, Spain., Sandles L; Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.; Cavendish Laboratory - Astrophysics Group, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK., Shivaei I; Steward Observatory University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA., Sun F; Steward Observatory University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Nature [Nature] 2024 Mar; Vol. 627 (8002), pp. 59-63. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jan 17.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07052-5
Abstrakt: Several theories have been proposed to describe the formation of black hole seeds in the early Universe and to explain the emergence of very massive black holes observed in the first thousand million years after the Big Bang 1-3 . Models consider different seeding and accretion scenarios 4-7 , which require the detection and characterization of black holes in the first few hundred million years after the Big Bang to be validated. Here we present an extensive analysis of the JWST-NIRSpec spectrum of GN-z11, an exceptionally luminous galaxy at z = 10.6, revealing the detection of the [NeIV]λ2423 and CII*λ1335 transitions (typical of active galactic nuclei), as well as semi-forbidden nebular lines tracing gas densities higher than 10 9  cm -3 , typical of the broad line region of active galactic nuclei. These spectral features indicate that GN-z11 hosts an accreting black hole. The spectrum also reveals a deep and blueshifted CIVλ1549 absorption trough, tracing an outflow with velocity 800-1,000 km s -1 , probably driven by the active galactic nucleus. Assuming local virial relations, we derive a black hole mass of log ( M BH / M ⊙ ) = 6.2 ± 0.3 , accreting at about five times the Eddington rate. These properties are consistent with both heavy seeds scenarios and scenarios considering intermediate and light seeds experiencing episodic super-Eddington phases. Our finding explains the high luminosity of GN-z11 and can also provide an explanation for its exceptionally high nitrogen abundance.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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