Extreme N-emitters at high-redshift: signatures of supermassive stars and globular cluster or black hole formation in action?

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Main Authors: Marques-Chaves, R., Schaerer, D., Kuruvanthodi, A., Korber, D., Prantzos, N., Charbonnel, C., Weibel, A., Izotov, Y. I., Messa, M., Brammer, G., Dessauges-Zavadsky, M., Oesch, P.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2023
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author Marques-Chaves, R.
Schaerer, D.
Kuruvanthodi, A.
Korber, D.
Prantzos, N.
Charbonnel, C.
Weibel, A.
Izotov, Y. I.
Messa, M.
Brammer, G.
Dessauges-Zavadsky, M.
Oesch, P.
author_facet Marques-Chaves, R.
Schaerer, D.
Kuruvanthodi, A.
Korber, D.
Prantzos, N.
Charbonnel, C.
Weibel, A.
Izotov, Y. I.
Messa, M.
Brammer, G.
Dessauges-Zavadsky, M.
Oesch, P.
contents [Abridged] Using the JWST/NIRSpec observations from CEERS we found an extreme N-emitter, CEERS-1019 at z=8.6782 showing intense NIV and NIII emission. From the observed rest-UV and optical lines we conclude that it is compatible with photoionization from stars and we determine accurate abundances for C, N, O, and Ne, relative to H, finding a highly supersolar ratio log(N/O) = -0.18+/-0.11, and normal log(C/O) = -0.75+/-0.11 and log(Ne/O) = -0.63+/-0.07, for its low metallicity, 12+log(O/H)= 7.70+/-0.18. We also analyze other N-emitters from the literature. All show strongly enhanced N/O ratios and two of them normal C/O. Massive star ejecta from WR stars are needed to explain the galaxies with enhanced C/O (Lynx arc and Mrk 996). On the other hand, supermassive stars (>1000 Msun, SMS) in the ``conveyer-belt model'' put forward to explain globular clusters (GCs), predict a high N/O and small changes in C/O, compatible with CEERS-1019, the Sunburst cluster, SMACS2031, and GN-z11. Based on the chemical abundances, possible enrichment scenarios, compactness, and high ISM density, we suggest that CEERS-1019, SMACS2031, and the Sunburst cluster could contain proto-GCs. Finally, we propose that some N-emitters enriched by SMS could also have formed intermediate-mass black holes, and we suggest that this might be the case for GN-z11. Our observations and analysis reinforce the suggested link between some N-emitters and proto-GC formation, which is supported both by empirical evidence and quantitative models. Furthermore, the observations provide possible evidence for the presence of supermassive stars in the early Universe (z>8) and at z~2-3. Our analysis also suggests that the origin and nature of the N-emitters is diverse, including also objects like GN-z11 which possibly host an AGN.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2307_04234
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Extreme N-emitters at high-redshift: signatures of supermassive stars and globular cluster or black hole formation in action?
Marques-Chaves, R.
Schaerer, D.
Kuruvanthodi, A.
Korber, D.
Prantzos, N.
Charbonnel, C.
Weibel, A.
Izotov, Y. I.
Messa, M.
Brammer, G.
Dessauges-Zavadsky, M.
Oesch, P.
Astrophysics of Galaxies
[Abridged] Using the JWST/NIRSpec observations from CEERS we found an extreme N-emitter, CEERS-1019 at z=8.6782 showing intense NIV and NIII emission. From the observed rest-UV and optical lines we conclude that it is compatible with photoionization from stars and we determine accurate abundances for C, N, O, and Ne, relative to H, finding a highly supersolar ratio log(N/O) = -0.18+/-0.11, and normal log(C/O) = -0.75+/-0.11 and log(Ne/O) = -0.63+/-0.07, for its low metallicity, 12+log(O/H)= 7.70+/-0.18. We also analyze other N-emitters from the literature. All show strongly enhanced N/O ratios and two of them normal C/O. Massive star ejecta from WR stars are needed to explain the galaxies with enhanced C/O (Lynx arc and Mrk 996). On the other hand, supermassive stars (>1000 Msun, SMS) in the ``conveyer-belt model'' put forward to explain globular clusters (GCs), predict a high N/O and small changes in C/O, compatible with CEERS-1019, the Sunburst cluster, SMACS2031, and GN-z11. Based on the chemical abundances, possible enrichment scenarios, compactness, and high ISM density, we suggest that CEERS-1019, SMACS2031, and the Sunburst cluster could contain proto-GCs. Finally, we propose that some N-emitters enriched by SMS could also have formed intermediate-mass black holes, and we suggest that this might be the case for GN-z11. Our observations and analysis reinforce the suggested link between some N-emitters and proto-GC formation, which is supported both by empirical evidence and quantitative models. Furthermore, the observations provide possible evidence for the presence of supermassive stars in the early Universe (z>8) and at z~2-3. Our analysis also suggests that the origin and nature of the N-emitters is diverse, including also objects like GN-z11 which possibly host an AGN.
title Extreme N-emitters at high-redshift: signatures of supermassive stars and globular cluster or black hole formation in action?
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2307.04234