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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.05036 |
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| _version_ | 1866918190385201152 |
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| author | Villani, I. Zappacosta, L. Piconcelli, E. Ginolfi, M. Ricci, F. La Franca, F. Arrigoni-Battaia, F. Bongiorno, A. Cantalupo, S. Carniani, S. Civano, F. Comastri, A. Fiore, F. Maiolino, R. Pentericci, L. Ricci, C. Schneider, R. Valiante, R. Vignali, C. Vito, F. |
| author_facet | Villani, I. Zappacosta, L. Piconcelli, E. Ginolfi, M. Ricci, F. La Franca, F. Arrigoni-Battaia, F. Bongiorno, A. Cantalupo, S. Carniani, S. Civano, F. Comastri, A. Fiore, F. Maiolino, R. Pentericci, L. Ricci, C. Schneider, R. Valiante, R. Vignali, C. Vito, F. |
| contents | The most luminous and obscured quasars (QSOs) detected in infrared all-sky surveys could represent a key co-evolutionary phase from nuclear to circum-galactic (CG) scales in the formation of massive galaxies. In this context, Hot Dust Obscured Galaxies (Hot DOGs) at z ~2-4 provide a unique opportunity to study the link between cosmic mass assembly and nuclear accretion in high-z luminous QSOs/galaxies. W0410-0913 (hereafter W0410-09) is a luminous ($\rm ~L_{\rm bol} \sim 6.4 \times10^{47} \rm erg\ s^{-1}$) obscured QSO at z = 3.631, with a 30 kpc CG Ly$α$ nebula (CGLAN), smaller than the ~ 100 kpc nebulae around unobscured Type-I QSOs, and an exceptional overdense environment of ~ 19 Ly$α$ emitters (LAEs) within 300 kpc and $\pm$ 200 $\rm km ~s^{-1}$ of the Hot DOG. We aim to detect and characterize nuclear accretion in W0410-09 and its environment. Exploiting a deep proprietary ~280 ks Chandra observation, using empirical and physically motivated models for obscured sources, we show that W0410-09 exhibits Compton-thick obscuration ($\rm~ N_H > 10^{24} \rm cm^{-2}$) and high intrinsic luminosity ($\rm ~L_{2-10} > 10^{45} \rm erg ~s^{-1}$), making it one of the most luminous obscured QSOs at z $>$ 3.5. With the exclusion of W0410-09 we do not detect X-ray emission from any of the 19 LAEs, except for a 3$σ$ signal in the 6-7 keV rest-frame band, interpreted as Fe K$α$ emission, suggesting the presence of heavily obscured yet undetected AGN emission in several LAEs. Including W0410-09, the estimated AGN fraction is $f_{\rm AGN}^{\rm LAE} = 5^{+12}_{-4}$%, potentially up to ~35% if unresolved obscured AGN are considered as suggested by the Fe K$α$ line detection. We conclude that W0410-09 is in a critical transitional blow-out phase, during which powerful QSO-driven outflows are clearing the nuclear obscuration, ultimately leading to an unobscured luminous quasar. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_05036 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | A deep X-ray look to the most obscured quasar at z~3.6 and its environment Villani, I. Zappacosta, L. Piconcelli, E. Ginolfi, M. Ricci, F. La Franca, F. Arrigoni-Battaia, F. Bongiorno, A. Cantalupo, S. Carniani, S. Civano, F. Comastri, A. Fiore, F. Maiolino, R. Pentericci, L. Ricci, C. Schneider, R. Valiante, R. Vignali, C. Vito, F. Astrophysics of Galaxies The most luminous and obscured quasars (QSOs) detected in infrared all-sky surveys could represent a key co-evolutionary phase from nuclear to circum-galactic (CG) scales in the formation of massive galaxies. In this context, Hot Dust Obscured Galaxies (Hot DOGs) at z ~2-4 provide a unique opportunity to study the link between cosmic mass assembly and nuclear accretion in high-z luminous QSOs/galaxies. W0410-0913 (hereafter W0410-09) is a luminous ($\rm ~L_{\rm bol} \sim 6.4 \times10^{47} \rm erg\ s^{-1}$) obscured QSO at z = 3.631, with a 30 kpc CG Ly$α$ nebula (CGLAN), smaller than the ~ 100 kpc nebulae around unobscured Type-I QSOs, and an exceptional overdense environment of ~ 19 Ly$α$ emitters (LAEs) within 300 kpc and $\pm$ 200 $\rm km ~s^{-1}$ of the Hot DOG. We aim to detect and characterize nuclear accretion in W0410-09 and its environment. Exploiting a deep proprietary ~280 ks Chandra observation, using empirical and physically motivated models for obscured sources, we show that W0410-09 exhibits Compton-thick obscuration ($\rm~ N_H > 10^{24} \rm cm^{-2}$) and high intrinsic luminosity ($\rm ~L_{2-10} > 10^{45} \rm erg ~s^{-1}$), making it one of the most luminous obscured QSOs at z $>$ 3.5. With the exclusion of W0410-09 we do not detect X-ray emission from any of the 19 LAEs, except for a 3$σ$ signal in the 6-7 keV rest-frame band, interpreted as Fe K$α$ emission, suggesting the presence of heavily obscured yet undetected AGN emission in several LAEs. Including W0410-09, the estimated AGN fraction is $f_{\rm AGN}^{\rm LAE} = 5^{+12}_{-4}$%, potentially up to ~35% if unresolved obscured AGN are considered as suggested by the Fe K$α$ line detection. We conclude that W0410-09 is in a critical transitional blow-out phase, during which powerful QSO-driven outflows are clearing the nuclear obscuration, ultimately leading to an unobscured luminous quasar. |
| title | A deep X-ray look to the most obscured quasar at z~3.6 and its environment |
| topic | Astrophysics of Galaxies |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.05036 |