A unified model for the clustering of quasars and galaxies at $z\approx6$

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Hauptverfasser: Pizzati, Elia, Hennawi, Joseph F., Schaye, Joop, Schaller, Matthieu, Eilers, Anna-Christina, Wang, Feige, Frenk, Carlos S., Elbers, Willem, Helly, John C., Mackenzie, Ruari, Matthee, Jorryt, Bordoloi, Rongmon, Kashino, Daichi, Naidu, Rohan P., Yue, Minghao
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Veröffentlicht: 2024
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author Pizzati, Elia
Hennawi, Joseph F.
Schaye, Joop
Schaller, Matthieu
Eilers, Anna-Christina
Wang, Feige
Frenk, Carlos S.
Elbers, Willem
Helly, John C.
Mackenzie, Ruari
Matthee, Jorryt
Bordoloi, Rongmon
Kashino, Daichi
Naidu, Rohan P.
Yue, Minghao
author_facet Pizzati, Elia
Hennawi, Joseph F.
Schaye, Joop
Schaller, Matthieu
Eilers, Anna-Christina
Wang, Feige
Frenk, Carlos S.
Elbers, Willem
Helly, John C.
Mackenzie, Ruari
Matthee, Jorryt
Bordoloi, Rongmon
Kashino, Daichi
Naidu, Rohan P.
Yue, Minghao
contents Recent observations from the EIGER JWST program have measured for the first time the quasar-galaxy cross-correlation function at $z\approx6$. The auto-correlation function of faint $z\approx6$ quasars was also recently estimated. These measurements provide key insights into the properties of quasars and galaxies at high redshift and their relation with the host dark matter halos. In this work, we interpret these data building upon an empirical quasar population model that has been applied successfully to quasar clustering and demographic measurements at $z\approx2-4$. We make use of a new, large-volume N-body simulation with more than a trillion particles, FLAMINGO-10k, to model quasars and galaxies simultaneously. We successfully reproduce observations of $z\approx6$ quasars and galaxies (i.e., their clustering properties and luminosity functions), and infer key quantities such as their luminosity-halo mass relation, the mass function of their host halos, and their duty cycle/occupation fraction. Our key findings are: (i) quasars reside on average in $\approx10^{12.5}\,{\rm M}_\odot$ halos (corresponding to $\approx5σ$ fluctuations in the initial conditions of the linear density field), but the distribution of host halo masses is quite broad; (ii) the duty cycle of (UV-bright) quasar activity is relatively low ($\approx1\%$); (iii) galaxies (that are bright in [OIII]) live in much smaller halos ($\approx10^{10.9}\,{\rm M}_\odot$) and have a larger duty cycle (occupation fraction) of $\approx13\%$. Finally, we focus on the inferred properties of quasars and present a homogeneous analysis of their evolution with redshift. The picture that emerges reveals a strong evolution of the host halo mass and duty cycle of quasars at $z\approx2-6$, and calls for new investigations of the role of quasar activity across cosmic time.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2403_12140
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A unified model for the clustering of quasars and galaxies at $z\approx6$
Pizzati, Elia
Hennawi, Joseph F.
Schaye, Joop
Schaller, Matthieu
Eilers, Anna-Christina
Wang, Feige
Frenk, Carlos S.
Elbers, Willem
Helly, John C.
Mackenzie, Ruari
Matthee, Jorryt
Bordoloi, Rongmon
Kashino, Daichi
Naidu, Rohan P.
Yue, Minghao
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Recent observations from the EIGER JWST program have measured for the first time the quasar-galaxy cross-correlation function at $z\approx6$. The auto-correlation function of faint $z\approx6$ quasars was also recently estimated. These measurements provide key insights into the properties of quasars and galaxies at high redshift and their relation with the host dark matter halos. In this work, we interpret these data building upon an empirical quasar population model that has been applied successfully to quasar clustering and demographic measurements at $z\approx2-4$. We make use of a new, large-volume N-body simulation with more than a trillion particles, FLAMINGO-10k, to model quasars and galaxies simultaneously. We successfully reproduce observations of $z\approx6$ quasars and galaxies (i.e., their clustering properties and luminosity functions), and infer key quantities such as their luminosity-halo mass relation, the mass function of their host halos, and their duty cycle/occupation fraction. Our key findings are: (i) quasars reside on average in $\approx10^{12.5}\,{\rm M}_\odot$ halos (corresponding to $\approx5σ$ fluctuations in the initial conditions of the linear density field), but the distribution of host halo masses is quite broad; (ii) the duty cycle of (UV-bright) quasar activity is relatively low ($\approx1\%$); (iii) galaxies (that are bright in [OIII]) live in much smaller halos ($\approx10^{10.9}\,{\rm M}_\odot$) and have a larger duty cycle (occupation fraction) of $\approx13\%$. Finally, we focus on the inferred properties of quasars and present a homogeneous analysis of their evolution with redshift. The picture that emerges reveals a strong evolution of the host halo mass and duty cycle of quasars at $z\approx2-6$, and calls for new investigations of the role of quasar activity across cosmic time.
title A unified model for the clustering of quasars and galaxies at $z\approx6$
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.12140