First detections of stellar light from quasar host galaxies at z > 6

Subjects: Astronomy >> Astrophysical processes submitted time 2023-02-19

Xuheng Ding Masafusa Onoue John D. Silverman Yoshiki Matsuoka Takuma Izumi Michael A. Strauss Knud Jahnke Irham Taufik Andika Kentaro Aoki Shunsuke Baba Rebekka Bieri Sarah E. I. Bosman Anna-Christina Eilers Seiji Fujimoto Melanie Habouzit Zoltan Haiman Masatoshi Imanishi Kohei Inayoshi Kazushi Iwasawa Nobunari Kashikawa

Abstract： The existence of high-redshift supermassive black holes (SMBHs) -- shining brightly as quasars during the first billion years of our universe -- presents a conundrum in astrophysics. A broad variety of physical mechanisms have been proposed for the formation and rapid growth of these early SMBHs. Promising diagnostics are the relative properties of the black hole and its host galaxy. However, up to now, the detection of stars in quasar host galaxies has been elusive beyond $z>2$, even with deep HST observations. Here, we report the first detections of the stellar component of the host galaxies of two relatively low-luminosity quasars at $z>6$ observed with JWST using NIRCam. After modeling and subtracting the glare from the quasar itself, we find that the host galaxies are massive (stellar mass of $2.5\times$ and $6.3\times10^{10}$ M$_{\odot}$), compact, and disk-like. Unlike most SMBHs in the nearby universe, these quasars are displaced from the centers of their host galaxies in the rest-frame optical, in one case by $0.9$ kpc. These first positive detections of quasar hosts at $z>6$ are a pivotal milestone; we can now assess the stellar environment along with star formation and black hole accretion to determine the physical conditions that govern the formation and evolution of the first SMBHs.

Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review

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