GA-NIFS: JWST discovers an offset AGN 740 million years after the big bang

Author:

Übler Hannah12ORCID,Maiolino Roberto123,Pérez-González Pablo G4,D’Eugenio Francesco12ORCID,Perna Michele4,Curti Mirko5,Arribas Santiago4,Bunker Andrew6,Carniani Stefano7ORCID,Charlot Stéphane8ORCID,Rodríguez Del Pino Bruno4ORCID,Baker William12ORCID,Böker Torsten9,Cresci Giovanni10,Dunlop James11,Grogin Norman A12,Jones Gareth C6,Kumari Nimisha13ORCID,Lamperti Isabella4ORCID,Laporte Nicolas1214ORCID,Marshall Madeline A1516,Mazzolari Giovanni11718,Parlanti Eleonora8,Rawle Tim19,Scholtz Jan12,Venturi Giacomo8ORCID,Witstok Joris12

Affiliation:

1. Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge , Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA , UK

2. Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge , 19 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HA , UK

3. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London , Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT , UK

4. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA , Ctra. de Ajalvir km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, E-28850 Madrid , Spain

5. European Southern Observatory , Karl-Schwarzschild-Straße 2, D-85748 Garching , Germany

6. Department of Physics, University of Oxford , Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, Oxford OX13RH , UK

7. Scuola Normale Superiore , Piazza dei Cavalieri 7, I-56126 Pisa , Italy

8. Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7095, Institut d’ Astrophysique de Paris , 98 bis bd Arago, F-75014 Paris , France

9. European Space Agency , c/o STScI, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 , USA

10. INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisco di Arcetri , largo E. Fermi 5, I-50127 Firenze , Italy

11. Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh , Royal Observatory, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ , UK

12. Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 , USA

13. AURA for the European Space Agency, Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 , USA

14. Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, CNES, LAM (Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille) , UMR 7326, F-13388 Marseille , France

15. National Research Council of Canada, Herzberg Astronomy & Astrophysics Research Centre , 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7 , Canada

16. ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) , Australia

17. Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Universit‘a di Bologna , Via Gobetti 93/2, I-40129 Bologna , Italy

18. INAF – Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna , Via Gobetti 93/3, I-40129 Bologna , Italy

19. European Space Agency, ESAC , Villanueva de la Cañada, E-28692 Madrid , Spain

Abstract

ABSTRACT A surprising finding of recent studies is the large number of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) associated with moderately massive black holes ($\rm \log (M_\bullet /M_\odot)\sim 6-8$), in the first billion years after the big bang (z > 5). In this context, a relevant finding has been the large fraction of candidate dual AGN, both at large separations (several kpc) and in close pairs (less than a kpc), likely in the process of merging. Frequent black hole merging may be a route for black hole growth in the early universe; however, previous findings are still tentative and indirect. We present JWST/NIRSpec-IFU observations of a galaxy at z = 7.15 in which we find evidence for a $\rm \log (M_\bullet /M_\odot)\sim 7.7$ accreting black hole, as traced by a broad component of H β emission, associated with the Broad Line Region (BLR) around the black hole. This BLR is offset by 620 pc in projection from the centroid of strong rest-frame optical emission, with a velocity offset of ∼40 km s–1. The latter region is also characterized by (narrow) nebular emission features typical of AGN, hence also likely hosting another accreting black hole, although obscured (Type 2, narrow-line AGN). We exclude that the offset BLR is associated with Supernovae or massive stars, and we interpret these results as two black holes in the process of merging. This finding may be relevant for estimates of the rate and properties of gravitational-wave signals from the early universe that will be detected by future observatories like LISA.

Funder

European Research Council

Horizon 2020

Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation

Science and Technology Facilities Council

Publisher

Oxford University Press (OUP)

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