• The interstellar medium distribution, gas kinematics, and system dynamics of the far-infrared luminous quasar SDSS J2310+1855 at $z=6.0$

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-21

    摘要: We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) sub-kiloparsec- to kiloparsec-scale resolution observations of the [C ii], CO (98), and OH+ (1101) lines along with their dust continuum emission toward the far-infrared (FIR) luminous quasar SDSS J231038.88+185519.7 at z = 6.0031, to study the interstellar medium distribution, the gas kinematics, and the quasar-host system dynamics. We decompose the intensity maps of the [C ii] and CO (98) lines and the dust continuum with two-dimensional elliptical Srsic models. The [C ii] brightness follows a flat distribution with a Srsic index of 0.59. The CO (98) line and the dust continuum can be fit with an unresolved nuclear component and an extended Srsic component with a Srsic index of 1, which may correspond to the emission from an active galactic nucleus dusty molecular torus and a quasar host galaxy, respectively. The different [C ii] spatial distribution may be due to the effect of the high dust opacity, which increases the FIR background radiation on the [C ii] line, especially in the galaxy center, significantly suppressing the [C ii] emission profile. The dust temperature drops with distance from the center. The effective radius of the dust continuum is smaller than that of the line emission and the dust mass surface density, but is consistent with that of the star formation rate surface density. This may indicate that the dust emission is a less robust tracer of the dust and gas distribution but is a decent tracer of the obscured star formation activity. The OH+ (1101) line shows a P-Cygni profile with an absorption at 400 km/s, which may indicate an outflow with a neutral gas mass of (6.2 1.2) 108 M along the line of sight. We employed a three-dimensional tilted ring model to fit the [C ii] and CO (98) data cubes. The two lines are both rotation dominated and trace identical disk geometries and gas motions. This suggest that the [C ii] and CO (98) gas are coplanar and corotating in this quasar host galaxy. The consistent circular velocities measured with [C ii] and CO (98) lines indicate that these two lines trace a similar gravitational potential. We decompose the circular rotation curve measured from the kinematic model fit to the [C ii] line into four matter components (black hole, stars, gas, and dark matter). The quasar-starburst system is dominated by baryonic matter inside the central few kiloparsecs. We constrain the black hole mass to be 2.97+0.51 0.77 109 M ; this is the first time that the dynamical mass of a black hole has been measured at z 6. This mass is consistent with that determined using the scaling relations from quasar emission lines. A massive stellar component (on the order of 109 M ) may have already existed when the Universe was only 0.93 Gyr old. The relations between the black hole mass and the baryonic mass of this quasar indicate that the central supermassive black hole may have formed before its host galaxy.

  • A comprehensive view of the interstellar medium in a quasar host galaxy at z~6.4

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Characterizing the physical conditions (density, temperature, ionization state, metallicity, etc) of the interstellar medium is critical to our understanding of the formation and evolution of galaxies. Here we present a multi-line study of the interstellar medium in the host galaxy of a quasar at z~6.4, i.e., when the universe was 840 Myr old. This galaxy is one of the most active and massive objects emerging from the dark ages, and therefore represents a benchmark for models of the early formation of massive galaxies. We used the Atacama Large Millimeter Array to target an ensemble of tracers of ionized, neutral, and molecular gas, namely the fine-structure lines: [OIII] 88$\mu$m, [NII] 122$\mu$m, [CII] 158$\mu$m, and [CI] 370$\mu$m and the rotational transitions of CO(7-6), CO(15-14), CO(16-15), and CO(19-18); OH 163.1$\mu$m and 163.4$\mu$m; and H$_2$O 3(0,3)-2(1,2), 3(3,1)-4(0,4), 3(3,1)-3(2,2), 4(0,4)-3(1,3), 4(3,2)-4(2,3). All the targeted fine-structure lines are detected, as are half of the targeted molecular transitions. By combining the associated line luminosities, the constraints on the dust temperature from the underlying continuum emission, and predictions from photoionization models of the interstellar medium, we find that the ionized phase accounts for about one third of the total gaseous mass budget, and is responsible for half of the total [CII] emission. It is characterized by high density (n~180 cm$^{-3}$), typical of HII regions. The spectral energy distribution of the photoionizing radiation is comparable to that emitted by B-type stars. Star formation also appears to drive the excitation of the molecular medium. We find marginal evidence for outflow-related shocks in the dense molecular phase, but not in other gas phases. This study showcases the power of multi-line investigations in unveiling the properties of the star-forming medium in galaxies at cosmic dawn.

  • The interstellar medium distribution, gas kinematics, and system dynamics of the far-infrared luminous quasar SDSS J2310+1855 at $z=6.0$

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: We present ALMA sub-kpc- to kpc-scale resolution observations of the [CII], CO(9-8), and OH$^{+}$\,($1_{1}$--$0_{1}$) lines along with their dust continuum emission toward the FIR luminous quasar SDSS J231038.88+185519.7 at $z = 6.0031$. The [CII] brightness follows a flat distribution with a Sersic index of 0.59. The CO(9-8) line and the dust continuum can be fit with an unresolved nuclear component and an extended Sersic component with a Sersic index of ~1. The dust temperature drops with distance from the center. The effective radius of the dust continuum is smaller than that of the line emission and the dust mass surface density, but is consistent with that of the star formation rate surface density. The OH$^{+}$\,($1_{1}$--$0_{1}$) line shows a P-Cygni profile with an absorption, which may indicate an outflow with a neutral gas mass of $(6.2\pm1.2)\times10^{8} M_{\odot}$ along the line of sight. We employed a 3D tilted ring model to fit the [CII] and CO(9-8) data cubes. The two lines are both rotation dominated and trace identical disk geometries and gas motions. We decompose the circular rotation curve measured from the kinematic model fit to the [CII] line into four matter components (black hole, stars, gas, and dark matter). The quasar-starburst system is dominated by baryonic matter inside the central few kiloparsecs. We constrain the black hole mass to be $2.97^{+0.51}_{-0.77}\times 10^{9}\,M_{\odot}$; this is the first time that the dynamical mass of a black hole has been measured at $z\sim6$. A massive stellar component (on the order of $10^{9}\,M_{\odot}$) may have already existed when the Universe was only ~0.93 Gyr old. The relations between the black hole mass and the baryonic mass of this quasar indicate that the central supermassive black hole may have formed before its host galaxy. [Abridged version. Please see the full abstract in the manuscript.]