Growth Of Galaxies Research Articles

Spectroscopic observations of PHz G237.01+42.50: A galaxy protocluster at z = 2.16 in the Cosmos field

The Planck satellite has identified more than 2000 protocluster candidates with extreme star formation rates (SFRs). Here, we present the spectroscopic identification of a Planck-selected protocluster located in the Cosmos field, PHz G237.01+42.50. PHz G237.01+42.50 contains a galaxy overdensity of 31 spectroscopically identified galaxies at z ≃ 2.16 (significant at 5.4σ) in a 10′ × 11′ region. The overdensity contains two substructures or protoclusters at ⟨z⟩ ≃ 2.16 and 2.195 with estimated halo masses at z = 0 of ∼5–6 × 1014 M⊙, roughly consistent with Virgo-type clusters. The overdensity total SFR, ∼4000 M⊙ yr−1, is higher than predicted by simulations but much smaller than the SFR derived from the Planck data (i.e., 10 173 M⊙ yr−1). The analysis of the Herschel data in the field, in combination with the available ancillary data, shows that such a difference is due to an effect of source alignment along the line of sight that produces a 5σ overdensity of red Herschel sources in the field. We analyze the members’ ultraviolet (UV) spectra and UV-far-infrared spectral energy distributions to derive their SFR, stellar mass, and metallicity. Galaxy members include blue star-forming galaxies and Active galactic nuclei (AGN) with SFRs and stellar masses consistent with the main sequence. Active galactic nuclei, identified through optical spectroscopy or X-ray data, represent a significant fraction (20 ± 10%) of all members of the protocluster at z = 2.16, and they are powerful enough to produce radiative feedback. The core of this protocluster, besides being denser, includes members that are, on average, more massive and star-forming and contains a larger fraction of AGN and Herschel-detected galaxies than the full sample, suggesting an environmental effect on galaxy growth. A comparison between PHz G237.01+42.50 and other protoclusters in the literature at similar redshifts reveals some common traits and differences that reflect both observational biases and a diversity in intrinsic properties that is not yet fully understood.

Some First Stars Were Red: Detecting Signatures of Massive Population III Formation through Long-term Stochastic Color Variations

Abstract Identifying stars formed in pristine environments (Population III) within the first billion years is vital to uncovering the earliest growth and chemical evolution of galaxies. Population III galaxies, however, are typically expected to be too faint and too few in number to be detectable by forthcoming instruments without extremely long integration times and/or extreme lensing. In an environment, however, where star formation is suppressed until a halo crosses the atomic-cooling limit (e.g., by a modest Lyman–Werner flux, high baryonic streaming velocities, and/or dynamical heating effects), primordial halos can form substantially more numerous and more massive stars. Some of these stars will in turn be accreting more rapidly than they can thermally relax at any given time. Using high-resolution cosmological zoom-in simulations of massive star formation in high-z halos, we find that such rapidly accreting stars produce prominent spectral features that would be detectable by the James Webb Space Telescope. The rapid-accretion episodes within the halo lead to stochastic reprocessing of 0%–20% of the total stellar emission into the rest-frame optical over long timescales, a unique signature which may allow deep observations to identify such objects out to z ∼ 10–13 using mid- and wide-band NIRCam colors alone.

Galaxy Evolution in All Five CANDELS Fields and IllustrisTNG: Morphological, Structural, and the Major Merger Evolution to z ∼ 3

Abstract A fundamental feature of galaxies is their structure, yet we are just now understanding the evolution of structural properties in quantitative ways. As such, we explore the quantitative nonparametric structural evolution of 16,778 galaxies up to z ∼ 3 in all five CANDELS fields, the largest collection of high-resolution images of distant galaxies to date. Our goal is to investigate how the structure, as opposed to size, surface brightness, or mass, changes with time. In particular, we investigate how the concentration and asymmetry of light evolve in the rest-frame optical. To interpret our galaxy structure measurements, we also run and analyze 250 simulation realizations from IllustrisTNG to determine the timescale of mergers for the CAS system. We measure that from z = 0–3, the median asymmetry merger timescale is 0.50 − 0.18 + 0.33 Gyr, and find that it does not vary with redshift. Using these data, we find that galaxies become progressively asymmetric at a given mass at higher redshifts, and we derive merger rates that scale as ∼ 1 + z 1.87 ± 0.04 Gyr−1, which agrees well with recent machine-learning and galaxy-pair approaches, removing previous inconsistencies. We also show that far-infrared selected galaxies that are invisible to the Hubble Space Telescope have a negligible effect on our measurements. We also find that galaxies are more concentrated at higher redshifts. We interpret this as a sign that their formation occurs from a smaller initial galaxy that later grows into a larger one through mergers, consistent with the size growth of galaxies from the inside out, suggesting that the centers are the oldest parts of most galaxies.

AGN and star formation at cosmic noon: comparison of data to theoretical models

ABSTRACT In theoretical models of galaxy evolution, active galactic nucleus (AGN) and star formation (SF) activity are closely linked and AGN feedback is routinely invoked to regulate galaxy growth. In order to constrain such models, we compare the hydrodynamical simulations IllustrisTNG and SIMBA, and the semi-analytical model SAG to the empirical results on AGN and SF at cosmic noon (0.75 < z < 2.25) reported in Florez et al. (2020). The empirical results are based on a large mass-complete sample drawn from 93 307 galaxies with and without high X-ray luminosity AGN (LX ≳ 1044 erg s−1), selected from a 11.8 deg2 area (∼0.18 Gpc3 comoving volume at z = 0.75–2.25). The main results of our comparisons are: (i) SAG and IllustrisTNG both qualitatively reproduce the empirical result that galaxies with high X-ray luminosity AGN have higher mean SFR, at a given stellar mass, than galaxies without such AGN. SAG, however, strongly overproduces the number density of high X-ray luminosity AGN by a factor of 10–100, while IllustrisTNG shows a lack of high X-ray luminosity AGN at high stellar mass ($M* \gt 10^{11} \, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$) at z ∼ 2. (ii) In SIMBA, the mean SFR of galaxies with high X-ray luminosity AGN is lower than the SFR of galaxies without such AGN. Contrary to the data, many high X-ray luminosity AGN in SIMBA have quenched SF, suggesting that AGN feedback, or other feedback modes in galaxies with such AGN, might be too efficient in SIMBA.

The MOSDEF survey: the dependence of H α-to-UV SFR ratios on SFR and size at z ∼ 2

ABSTRACT We perform an aperture-matched analysis of dust-corrected H α and UV star formation rates (SFRs) using 303 star-forming galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts 1.36 < zspec < 2.66 from the MOSFIRE Deep Evolution Field survey. By combining H α and H β emission line measurements with multiwaveband resolved Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey/3D-HST imaging, we directly compare dust-corrected H α and UV SFRs, inferred assuming a fixed attenuation curve shape and constant SFHs, within the spectroscopic aperture. Previous studies have found that H α and UV SFRs inferred with these assumptions generally agree for typical star-forming galaxies, but become increasingly discrepant for galaxies with higher SFRs (≳100 M⊙ yr−1), with H α-to-UV SFR ratios being larger for these galaxies. Our analysis shows that this trend persists even after carefully accounting for the apertures over which H α and UV-based SFRs (and the nebular and stellar continuum reddening) are derived. Furthermore, our results imply that H α SFRs may be higher in the centres of large galaxies (i.e. where there is coverage by the spectroscopic aperture) compared to their outskirts, which could be indicative of inside-out galaxy growth. Overall, we suggest that the persistent difference between nebular and stellar continuum reddening and high H α-to-UV SFR ratios at the centres of large galaxies may be indicative of a patchier distribution of dust in galaxies with high SFRs.

Kiloparsec-scale AGN outflows and feedback in merger-free galaxies

ABSTRACT Recent observations and simulations have challenged the long-held paradigm that mergers are the dominant mechanism driving the growth of both galaxies and supermassive black holes (SMBH), in favour of non-merger (secular) processes. In this pilot study of merger-free SMBH and galaxy growth, we use Keck Cosmic Web Imager spectral observations to examine four low-redshift (0.043 < z < 0.073) disc-dominated ‘bulgeless’ galaxies hosting luminous active galactic nucleus (AGN), assumed to be merger-free. We detect blueshifted broadened [O iii] emission from outflows in all four sources, which the $\mathrm{[O\, \small {III}]}$/$\rm {H}\beta$ ratios reveal are ionized by the AGN. We calculate outflow rates in the range $0.12{-}0.7~\rm {M}_{\odot }~\rm {yr}^{-1}$, with velocities of $675{-}1710~\rm {km}~\rm {s}^{-1}$, large radial extents of $0.6{-}2.4~\rm {kpc}$, and SMBH accretion rates of $0.02{-}0.07~\rm {M}_{\odot }~\rm {yr}^{-1}$. We find that the outflow rates, kinematics, and energy injection rates are typical of the wider population of low-redshift AGN, and have velocities exceeding the galaxy escape velocity by a factor of ∼30, suggesting that these outflows will have a substantial impact through AGN feedback. Therefore, if both merger-driven and non-merger-driven SMBH growth lead to co-evolution, this suggests that co-evolution is regulated by feedback in both scenarios. Simulations find that bars and spiral arms can drive inflows to galactic centers at rates an order of magnitude larger than the combined SMBH accretion and outflow rates of our four targets. This work therefore provides further evidence that non-merger processes are sufficient to fuel SMBH growth and AGN outflows in disc galaxies.

The cold gas supply through cosmic time: insights on the galaxy assembly at early epochs

Abstract.Remarkable progress has been made in the last few years in understanding the global properties of galaxies and how they evolve through cosmic time. Major focus has been given to studies of how the availability of molecular gas regulates star-forming activity and galaxy growth, the eventual quenching of star formation, and how these mechanisms evolve through cosmic time. Most of these advances have been made thanks to ALMA and the upgraded capabilities of NOEMA. In this contribution, I briey review the latest constraints on the molecular gas content based on dierent tracers of the interstellar medium (ISM; dust continuum and CO, [CI] and [CII] line emission), including recent determinations of the molecular gas fraction, gas depletion timescales, and molecular gas cosmic density provided by the recent ALMA programs out to z ∼ 7. Finally, I concentrate on recent and ongoing studies aiming to spatially and kinematically resolve the cold ISM and star formation activity down to kpc scales in galaxies out to z ∼ 6 – 7, which represent an unprecedented view of the galaxy assembly and feedback processes in the early universe.

Osaka Feedback Model II: Modeling Supernova Feedback Based on High-Resolution Simulations

AbstractFeedback from supernovae (SNe) is an essential mechanism that self-regulates the growth of galaxies. We build an SN feedback model based on high-resolution simulations of superbubble and SN-driven outflows for the physical understanding of the galaxy–CGM connection. Using an Eulerian hydrodynamic code Athena++, we find universal scaling relations for the time evolution of superbubble momentum, when the momentum and time are scaled by those at the shell-formation time. We then develop an SN feedback model utilizing Voronoi tessellation, and implement it into the GADGET3-Osaka smoothed particle hydrodynamic code. We show that our stochastic thermal feedback model produces galactic outflow that carries the metals high above the galactic plane but with weak suppression of star formation. Additional mechanical feedback further suppresses star formation. Therefore, we argue that both thermal and mechanical feedback is necessary for the SN feedback model of galaxy evolution when an individual SN bubble is unresolved.

Properties of cold molecular gas in four type-1 active galaxies hosting outflows

ABSTRACT Feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN) has proven to be a critical ingredient in the current picture of galaxy assembly and growth. However, observational constraints on AGN-driven outflows face technical challenges and as a result, the cold molecular gas outflow properties of type-1 AGN are not well known. We present new IRAM NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array observations of CO$\, (1{-}0)$ in F07599+6508, Z11598 − 0112, F13342 + 3932, and PG1440 + 356, all nearby type-1 AGN and ultraluminous infrared galaxies. We achieve spatial resolution of 1–3 arcsec corresponding to physical scales of 2–8 kpc and spectral resolution of 15–60 km s−1, which enables updated CO$\, (1{-}0)$ redshifts and a detailed morphological view of the cold molecular gas in these sources. The CO$\, (1{-}0)$ luminosities, $L_{CO}^{\prime }$, are in the range 2–12 × 109 K km s−1 pc2 and inferred molecular gas masses, M(H2), are in the range 2–9 × 109 M⊙. The velocity fields and gas distributions do not unambiguously identify any of these sources as having outflows. However, Z11598 − 0112 has signs of infalling material and after the subtraction of a rotating disc model PG 1440 + 356 shows complex kinematics in the residuals that may indicate an outflow or warped disc.

Discovery and origins of giant optical nebulae surrounding quasar PKS 0454−22

ABSTRACT We report optical integral-field spectroscopy in the field of one of the most luminous quasars in the z < 1 Universe, PKS 0454−22, with the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer. These data enable the discovery of three large ionized nebulae emitting in [O ii], H β, and [O iii] with projected areas of 1720, 1520, and 130 pkpc2, which we refer to as N1, N2, and N3, respectively. N1 spatially and kinematically surrounds the quasar host and five nearby galaxies. The morphology and kinematics of N1 are most consistent with stripped interstellar medium resulting from ongoing interactions. Its ionization properties can be explained by quasar photoionization. N2 spatially and kinematically surrounds two galaxies that are at projected distances of d ≈ 90 pkpc and line-of-sight velocities of Δv ≈+1410 km s−1 from the quasar. The morphology and kinematics of N2 are also consistent with stripped interstellar medium. However, its ionization state requires additional ionization sources beyond the quasar, likely from fast shocks as it moves through the hot halo associated with a galaxy overdensity around the quasar. N3 is not coincident with any galaxies with secure redshifts, and may arise from a cool gas structure in the intragroup medium or a dwarf galaxy. These large ionized nebulae demonstrate that interactions can produce cool gas structures on halo scales, while also possibly facilitating quasar fueling. The growing availability of wide-area integral field spectroscopic data will continue to reveal the morphologies, kinematics, and conditions of the gas flows, which may fuel galaxy and black hole growth.

The MOSDEF Survey: The Evolution of the Mass–Metallicity Relation from z = 0 to z ∼ 3.3*

Abstract We investigate the evolution of galaxy gas-phase metallicity (O/H) over the range z = 0–3.3 using samples of ∼300 galaxies at z ∼ 2.3 and ∼150 galaxies at z ∼ 3.3 from the MOSDEF survey. This analysis crucially utilizes different metallicity calibrations at z ∼ 0 and z > 1 to account for evolving interstellar medium (ISM) conditions. We find significant correlations between O/H and stellar mass (M *) at z ∼ 2.3 and z ∼ 3.3. The low-mass power-law slope of the mass–metallicity relation (MZR) is remarkably invariant over z = 0–3.3, such that O/H ∝ at all redshifts in this range. At fixed M *, O/H decreases with increasing redshift as dlog(O/H)/dz = −0.11 ± 0.02. We find no evidence that the fundamental metallicity relation between M *, O/H, and star formation rate evolves out to z ∼ 3.3. We employ analytic chemical evolution models to place constraints on the mass and metal loading factors of galactic outflows. The efficiency of metal removal increases toward lower M * at fixed redshift and toward higher redshift at fixed M *. These models suggest that the slope of the MZR is primarily set by the scaling of the outflow metal loading factor with M *, not by the change in gas fraction as a function of M *. The evolution toward lower O/H at fixed M * with increasing redshift is driven by both higher gas fraction (leading to stronger dilution of ISM metals) and higher metal removal efficiency. These results suggest that the processes governing the smooth baryonic growth of galaxies via gas flows and star formation hold in the same form over at least the past 12 Gyr.

The evolution of compact massive quiescent and star-forming galaxies derived from the Re–Rh and Mstar–Mh relations

ABSTRACT The mean size (effective radius Re) of massive galaxies (MGs; Mstar > 1011.2M⊙) is observed to increase steadily with cosmic time. It is still unclear whether this trend originates from the size growth of individual galaxies (via, e.g. mergers and/or AGN feedback) or from the inclusion of larger galaxies entering the selection at later epochs (progenitor bias). We here build a data-driven, flexible theoretical framework to probe the structural evolution of MGs. We assign galaxies to dark matter haloes via stellar mass–halo mass (SMHM) relations with varying high-mass slopes and scatters σSMHM in stellar mass at fixed halo mass, and assign sizes to galaxies using an empirically motivated, constant and linear relationship between Re and the host dark matter halo radius Rh. We find that (1) the fast mean size growth of MGs is well reproduced independently of the shape of the input SMHM relation; (2) the numbers of compact MGs grow steadily until z ≳ 2 and fall off at lower redshifts, suggesting a lesser role of progenitor bias at later epochs; (3) a time-independent scatter σSMHM is consistent with a scenario in which compact star-forming MGs transition into quiescent MGs in a few 108 yr with a negligible structural evolution during the compact phase, while a scatter increasing at high redshift implies significant size growth during the star-forming phase. A robust measurement of the size function of MGs at high redshift can set strong constraints on the scatter of the SMHM relation and, by extension, on models of galaxy evolution.

Primordial black holes could explain dark matter, galaxy growth and more

Primordial black holes could explain dark matter, galaxy growth and more

Ultra-fast Model Emulation with PRISM: Analyzing the Meraxes Galaxy Formation Model

Abstract We demonstrate the potential of an emulator-based approach to analyzing galaxy formation models in the domain where constraining data is limited. We have applied the open-source Python package Prism to the galaxy formation model Meraxes. Meraxes is a semianalytic model, purposely built to study the growth of galaxies during the Epoch of Reionization. Constraining such models is however complicated by the scarcity of observational data in the EoR. Prism’s ability to rapidly construct accurate approximations of complex scientific models using minimal data is therefore key to performing this analysis well. This paper provides an overview of our analysis of Meraxes using measurements of galaxy stellar mass densities, luminosity functions, and color–magnitude relations. We demonstrate the power of using Prism instead of a full Bayesian analysis when dealing with highly correlated model parameters and a scarce set of observational data. Our results show that the various observational data sets constrain Meraxes differently and do not necessarily agree with each other, signifying the importance of using multiple observational data types when constraining such models. Furthermore, we show that Prism can detect when model parameters are too correlated or cannot be constrained effectively. We conclude that a mixture of different observational data types, even when they are scarce or inaccurate, is a priority for understanding galaxy formation and that emulation frameworks such as Prism can guide the selection of such data.

Accelerated Galaxy Growth and Environmental Quenching in a Protocluster at z = 3.24

Abstract We present a multiwavelength study of galaxies around D4UD01, a spectroscopically confirmed protocluster at z = 3.24, to investigate environmental trends. 450 galaxies are selected based on K S band detection with photometric redshifts (photo-z) at 3.0 < z < 3.4, among which ∼12% are classified as quiescent galaxies. The quiescent galaxies are among the most massive and reddest ones in the entire sample. We identify a large photo-z galaxy overdensity in the field, which lies close to the previously spectroscopically confirmed sources of the protocluster. We find that the quiescent galaxies are largely concentrated in the overdense protocluster region with a higher quiescent fraction, showing a sign of environmental quenching. Galaxies in the protocluster are forming faster than their field counterparts as seen in the stellar mass function, suggesting early and accelerated mass assembly in the overdense regions. Although weak evidence of suppressed star formation is found in the protocluster, the statistics are not significant enough to draw a definite conclusion. Our work sheds light on how the formation of massive galaxies is affected in the dense region of a protocluster when the universe was only 2 Gyr old.

A Chandra study of Abell 795 – a sloshing cluster with an FR0 radio galaxy at its centre

ABSTRACT We present the first X-ray dedicated study of the galaxy cluster Abell 795 (A795) and of the Fanaroff–Riley type 0 (FR0) hosted in its brightest cluster galaxy. Using an archival 30 ks Chandra observation, we study the dynamical state and cooling properties of the intracluster medium (ICM), and we investigate whether the growth of the radio galaxy is prevented by the surrounding environment. We discover that A795 is a weakly cool-core cluster, with an observed mass deposition rate ${\lessapprox} 14$ M⊙ yr−1 in the cooling region (central ∼66 kpc). In the inner ∼30 kpc, we identify two putative X-ray cavities, and we unveil the presence of two prominent cold fronts at ∼60 and ∼178 kpc from the centre, located along a cold ICM spiral feature. The central galaxy, which is offset by 17.7 kpc from the X-ray peak, is surrounded by a multitemperature gas with an average density of ne = 2.14 × 10−2 cm−3. We find extended radio emission at 74–227 MHz centred on the cluster, exceeding the expected flux from the radio galaxy extrapolated at low frequency. We propose that sloshing is responsible for the ICM spiral morphology and the formation of the cold fronts, and that the environment alone cannot explain the compactness of the FR0. We argue that the power of the cavities and the sloshing kinetic energy can reduce and offset cooling. Considering the spectral and morphological properties of the extended radio emission, we classify it as a candidate radio mini-halo.

The MUSE Deep Lensed Field on the Hubble Frontier Field MACS J0416

Context. A census of faint and tiny star forming complexes at high redshift is key to improving our understanding of reionizing sources, galaxy growth, and the formation of globular clusters. Aims. We present the MUSE Deep Lensed Field (MDLF) program, which is aimed at unveiling the very faint population of high redshift sources that are magnified by strong gravitational lensing and to significantly increase the number of constraints for the lens model. Methods. We describe Deep MUSE observations of 17.1 h of integration on a single pointing over the Hubble Frontier Field galaxy cluster MACS J0416, providing line flux limits down to 2 × 10−19 erg s−1 cm−2 within 300 km s−1 and continuum detection down to magnitude 26, both at the three sigma level at λ = 7000 Å. For point sources with a magnification (μ) greater than 2.5 (7.7), the MLDF depth is equivalent to integrating more than 100 (1000) h in blank fields, as well as complementing non-lensed studies of very faint high-z sources. The source-plane effective area of the MDLF with μ > 6.3 is < 50% of the image-plane field of view. Results. We confirm spectroscopic redshifts for all 136 multiple images of 48 source galaxies at 0.9 < z < 6.2. Within those galaxies, we securely identify 182 multiple images of 66 galaxy components that we use to constrain our lens model. This makes MACS J0416 the cluster with the largest number of confirmed constraints for any strong lens model to date. We identify 116 clumps belonging to background high-z galaxies; the majority of them are multiple images and span magnitude, size, and redshift intervals of [ − 18, −10], [ ∼ 400 − 3] parsec and 1 < z < 6.6, respectively, with the faintest or most magnified ones probing possible single gravitationally bound star clusters. The multiplicity introduced by gravitational lensing allows us, in several cases, to triple the effective integration time up to ∼51 h exposure per single family, leading to a detection limit for unresolved emission lines of a few 10−20 erg s−1 cm−2, after correction for lensing magnification. Ultraviolet high-ionization metal lines (and He IIλ1640) are detected with S/N > 10 for individual objects down to de-lensed magnitudes between 28 and 30. The median stacked spectrum of 33 sources with a median MUV ≃ −17 and ⟨z⟩ = 3.2 (1.7 < z < 3.9) shows high-ionization lines, suggesting that they are common in such faint sources. Conclusions. Deep MUSE observations, in combination with existing HST imaging, allowed us to: (1) confirm redshifts for extremely faint high-z sources; (2) peer into their internal structure to unveil clumps down to 100 − 200 pc scale; (3) in some cases, break down such clumps into star-forming complexes matching the scales of bound star clusters (< 20 pc effective radius); (4) double the number of constraints for the lens model, reaching an unprecedented set of 182 bona-fide multiple images and confirming up to 213 galaxy cluster members. These results demonstrate the power of JWST and future adaptive optics facilities mounted on the Extremely Large Telescopes (e.g., European-ELT Multi-conjugate Adaptive Optics RelaY, MAORY, coupled with the Multi-AO Imaging CamerA for Deep Observations, MICADO) or Very Large Telescope (e.g., MCAO Assisted Visible Imager and Spectrograph, MAVIS) when combined in studies with gravitational telescopes.

Revealing the Accretion Physics of Supermassive Black Holes at Redshift z ∼ 7 with Chandra and Infrared Observations

Abstract X-ray emission from quasars has been detected up to redshift z = 7.5, although only limited to a few objects at z > 6.5. In this work, we present new Chandra observations of five z > 6.5 quasars. By combining with archival Chandra observations of six additional z > 6.5 quasars, we perform a systematic analysis on the X-ray properties of these earliest accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs). We measure the black hole masses, bolometric luminosities (L bol), Eddington ratios (λ Edd), emission line properties, and infrared luminosities (L IR) of these quasars using infrared and submillimeter observations. Correlation analysis indicates that the X-ray bolometric correction (the factor that converts from X-ray luminosity to bolometric luminosity) decreases with increasing L bol, and that the UV/optical-to-X-ray ratio, α ox, strongly correlates with L 2500 Å , and moderately correlates with λ Edd and blueshift of C iv emission lines. These correlations are consistent with those found in lower-z quasars, indicating quasar accretion physics does not evolve with redshift. We also find that L IR does not correlate with L 2–10 keV in these luminous distant quasars, suggesting that the ratio of the SMBH growth rate and their host galaxy growth rate in these early luminous quasars are different from those of local galaxies. A joint spectral analysis of the X-ray detected z > 6.5 quasars yields an average X-ray photon index of , steeper than that of low-z quasars. By comparing it with the Γ − λ Edd relation, we conclude that the steepening of Γ for quasars at z > 6.5 is mainly driven by their higher Eddington ratios.

A Luminous Quasar at Redshift 7.642

Abstract Distant quasars are unique tracers to study the formation of the earliest supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and the history of cosmic reionization. Despite extensive efforts, only two quasars have been found at z ≥ 7.5, due to a combination of their low spatial density and the high contamination rate in quasar selection. We report the discovery of a luminous quasar at z = 7.642, J0313−1806, the most distant quasar yet known. This quasar has a bolometric luminosity of 3.6 × 1013 L ⊙. Deep spectroscopic observations reveal a SMBH with a mass of (1.6 ± 0.4) × 109 M ⊙ in this quasar. The existence of such a massive SMBH just ∼670 million years after the big bang challenges significantly theoretical models of SMBH growth. In addition, the quasar spectrum exhibits strong broad absorption line (BAL) features in C iv and Si iv, with a maximum velocity close to 20% of the speed of light. The relativistic BAL features, combined with a strongly blueshifted C iv emission line, indicate that there is a strong active galactic nucleus (AGN)-driven outflow in this system. Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations detect the dust continuum and [C ii] emission from the quasar host galaxy, yielding an accurate redshift of 7.6423 ± 0.0013 and suggesting that the quasar is hosted by an intensely star-forming galaxy, with a star formation rate of ∼200 M ⊙ yr−1 and a dust mass of ∼7 × 107 M ⊙. Follow-up observations of this reionization-era BAL quasar will provide a powerful probe of the effects of AGN feedback on the growth of the earliest massive galaxies.

Forward Modeling of Double Neutron Stars: Insights from Highly Offset Short Gamma-Ray Bursts

Abstract We present a detailed analysis of two well-localized, highly offset short gamma-ray bursts—GRB 070809 and GRB 090515—investigating the kinematic evolution of their progenitors from compact object formation until merger. Calibrating to observations of their most probable host galaxies, we construct semi-analytic galactic models that account for star formation history and galaxy growth over time. We pair detailed kinematic evolution with compact binary population modeling to infer viable post-supernova velocities and inspiral times. By populating binary tracers according to the star formation history of the host and kinematically evolving their post-supernova trajectories through the time-dependent galactic potential, we find that systems matching the observed offsets of the bursts require post-supernova systemic velocities of hundreds of kilometers per second. Marginalizing over uncertainties in the stellar mass–halo mass relation, we find that the second-born neutron star in the GRB 070809 and GRB 090515 progenitor systems received a natal kick of at the and credible levels, respectively. Applying our analysis to the full catalog of localized short gamma-ray bursts will provide unique constraints on their progenitors and help unravel the selection effects inherent to observing transients that are highly offset with respect to their hosts.