A small and vigorous black hole in the early Universe

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Maiolino, Roberto; Scholtz, Jan; Witstok, Joris; Carniani, Stefano; D'Eugenio, Francesco; de Graaff, Anna; Uebler, Hannah; Tacchella, Sandro; Curtis-Lake, Emma; Arribas, Santiago; Bunker, Andrew; Charlot, Stephane; Chevallard, Jacopo; Curti, Mirko; Looser, Tobias J.; Maseda, Michael V.; Rawle, Timothy D.; del Pino, Bruno Rodriguez; Willott, Chris J.; Egami, Eiichi; Eisenstein, Daniel J.; Hainline, Kevin N.; Robertson, Brant; Williams, Christina C.; Willmer, Christopher N. A.; Baker, William M.; Boyett, Kristan; DeCoursey, Christa; Fabian, Andrew C.; Helton, Jakob M.; Ji, Zhiyuan; Jones, Gareth C.; Kumari, Nimisha; Laporte, Nicolas; Nelson, Erica J.; Perna, Michele; Sandles, Lester; Shivaei, Irene; Sun, Fengwu
• 署名单位: University of Cambridge; University of Cambridge; University of London; University College London; Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa; Max Planck Society; University of Hertfordshire; Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC); CSIC - Centro de Astrobiologia (INTA); University of Oxford; Sorbonne Universite; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); European Southern Observatory; University of Wisconsin System; University of Wisconsin Madison; Space Telescope Science Institute; National Research Council Canada; University of Arizona; Smithsonian Institution; University of California System; University of California Santa Cruz; University of Melbourne; University of Cambridge; Space Telescope Science Institute; University of Colorado System; University of Colorado Boulder
• 刊物名称: Nature
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0028-5091
• DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07052-5
• 发表日期: 2024-03-07
• 页码: 59-+
• 关键词: star-formation; luminosity function; interstellar-medium; emission; quasars; galaxies; ultraviolet; jwst; diagnostics; accretion

摘要

Several theories have been proposed to describe the formation of black hole seeds in the early Universe and to explain the emergence of very massive black holes observed in the first thousand million years after the Big Bang(1-3). Models consider different seeding and accretion scenarios(4-7), which require the detection and characterization of black holes in the first few hundred million years after the Big Bang to be validated. Here we present an extensive analysis of the JWST-NIRSpec spectrum of GN-z11, an exceptionally luminous galaxy at z=10.6, revealing the detection of the [Neiv]lambda 2423 and CII*lambda 1335 transitions (typical of active galactic nuclei), as well as semi-forbidden nebular lines tracing gas densities higher than 10(9)cm(-3), typical of the broad line region of active galactic nuclei. These spectral features indicate that GN-z11 hosts an accreting black hole. The spectrum also reveals a deep and blueshifted CIV lambda 1549 absorption trough, tracing an outflow with velocity 800-1,000kms(-1), probably driven by the active galactic nucleus. Assuming local virial relations, we derive a black hole mass of log(M-BH/M-circle dot) = 6.2 +/- 0.3, accreting at about five times the Eddington rate. These properties are consistent with both heavy seeds scenarios and scenarios considering intermediate and light seeds experiencing episodic super-Eddington phases. Our finding explains the high luminosity of GN-z11 and can also provide an explanation for its exceptionally high nitrogen abundance.