VODKA-JWST: Synchronized growth of two SMBHs in a massive gas disk? A 3.8 kpc separation dual quasar at cosmic noon with NIRSpec IFU

Fuente: arXiv
Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Ishikawa, Yuzo, Zakamska, Nadia L., Shen, Yue, Liu, Xin, Chen, Yu-Ching, Hwang, Hsiang-Chih, Vayner, Andrey, Veilleux, Sylvain, Rupke, David S. N., Wylezalek, Dominika, Gross, Arran C., Sankar, Swetha, Diachenko, Nadiia
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2024
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1866912227326427136
author Ishikawa, Yuzo
Zakamska, Nadia L.
Shen, Yue
Liu, Xin
Chen, Yu-Ching
Hwang, Hsiang-Chih
Vayner, Andrey
Veilleux, Sylvain
Rupke, David S. N.
Wylezalek, Dominika
Gross, Arran C.
Sankar, Swetha
Diachenko, Nadiia
author_facet Ishikawa, Yuzo
Zakamska, Nadia L.
Shen, Yue
Liu, Xin
Chen, Yu-Ching
Hwang, Hsiang-Chih
Vayner, Andrey
Veilleux, Sylvain
Rupke, David S. N.
Wylezalek, Dominika
Gross, Arran C.
Sankar, Swetha
Diachenko, Nadiia
contents The search for dual supermassive black holes (SMBHs) is of immense interest in modern astrophysics. Galaxy mergers may fuel and produce SMBH pairs. Actively accreting SMBH pairs are observed as a dual quasar, which are vital probes of SMBH growth. Dual quasars at cosmic noon are not well characterized. Gaia observations have enabled a novel technique to identify dual quasars at kpc scales, based on the small jitters of the light centroid as the two quasars vary stochastically. We present the first detailed study of a z=2.17, 0.46'', 3.8 kpc separation dual quasar, J0749+2255, using JWST/NIRSpec integral field unit spectroscopy. Identified by Gaia, J0749+2255 is one of the most distant, small separation dual quasars known. We detect the faint ionized gas of the host galaxy, traced by the narrow Ha emission. Line ratios indicate ionization from the two quasars and from intense star formation. Spectral analysis of the two quasars suggests that they have similar black hole properties, hinting at the possible synchronized accretion activity or lensed quasar images. Surprisingly, the ionized gas kinematics suggest a rotating disk rather than a disturbed system expected in a major gas-rich galaxy merger. Numerical simulations show that this is a plausible outcome of a major gas-rich galaxy merger several tens of Myr before coalescence. Whether J0749+2255 reflects an interesting phase of dual quasar evolution or is a lensed quasar remains unclear. Thus, this study underscores the challenges in definitively distinguishing between a dual and lensed quasars, with observations supporting either scenario.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2403_08098
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle VODKA-JWST: Synchronized growth of two SMBHs in a massive gas disk? A 3.8 kpc separation dual quasar at cosmic noon with NIRSpec IFU
Ishikawa, Yuzo
Zakamska, Nadia L.
Shen, Yue
Liu, Xin
Chen, Yu-Ching
Hwang, Hsiang-Chih
Vayner, Andrey
Veilleux, Sylvain
Rupke, David S. N.
Wylezalek, Dominika
Gross, Arran C.
Sankar, Swetha
Diachenko, Nadiia
Astrophysics of Galaxies
The search for dual supermassive black holes (SMBHs) is of immense interest in modern astrophysics. Galaxy mergers may fuel and produce SMBH pairs. Actively accreting SMBH pairs are observed as a dual quasar, which are vital probes of SMBH growth. Dual quasars at cosmic noon are not well characterized. Gaia observations have enabled a novel technique to identify dual quasars at kpc scales, based on the small jitters of the light centroid as the two quasars vary stochastically. We present the first detailed study of a z=2.17, 0.46'', 3.8 kpc separation dual quasar, J0749+2255, using JWST/NIRSpec integral field unit spectroscopy. Identified by Gaia, J0749+2255 is one of the most distant, small separation dual quasars known. We detect the faint ionized gas of the host galaxy, traced by the narrow Ha emission. Line ratios indicate ionization from the two quasars and from intense star formation. Spectral analysis of the two quasars suggests that they have similar black hole properties, hinting at the possible synchronized accretion activity or lensed quasar images. Surprisingly, the ionized gas kinematics suggest a rotating disk rather than a disturbed system expected in a major gas-rich galaxy merger. Numerical simulations show that this is a plausible outcome of a major gas-rich galaxy merger several tens of Myr before coalescence. Whether J0749+2255 reflects an interesting phase of dual quasar evolution or is a lensed quasar remains unclear. Thus, this study underscores the challenges in definitively distinguishing between a dual and lensed quasars, with observations supporting either scenario.
title VODKA-JWST: Synchronized growth of two SMBHs in a massive gas disk? A 3.8 kpc separation dual quasar at cosmic noon with NIRSpec IFU
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.08098