The Astrophysical Journal Letters (Jan 2023)
A CEERS Discovery of an Accreting Supermassive Black Hole 570 Myr after the Big Bang: Identifying a Progenitor of Massive z > 6 Quasars
- Rebecca L. Larson,
- Steven L. Finkelstein,
- Dale D. Kocevski,
- Taylor A. Hutchison,
- Jonathan R. Trump,
- Pablo Arrabal Haro,
- Volker Bromm,
- Nikko J. Cleri,
- Mark Dickinson,
- Seiji Fujimoto,
- Jeyhan S. Kartaltepe,
- Anton M. Koekemoer,
- Casey Papovich,
- Nor Pirzkal,
- Sandro Tacchella,
- Jorge A. Zavala,
- Micaela Bagley,
- Peter Behroozi,
- Jaclyn B. Champagne,
- Justin W. Cole,
- Intae Jung,
- Alexa M. Morales,
- Guang Yang,
- Haowen Zhang,
- Adi Zitrin,
- Ricardo O. Amorín,
- Denis Burgarella,
- Caitlin M. Casey,
- Óscar A. Chávez Ortiz,
- Isabella G. Cox,
- Katherine Chworowsky,
- Adriano Fontana,
- Eric Gawiser,
- Andrea Grazian,
- Norman A. Grogin,
- Santosh Harish,
- Nimish P. Hathi,
- Michaela Hirschmann,
- Benne W. Holwerda,
- Stéphanie Juneau,
- Gene C. K. Leung,
- Ray A. Lucas,
- Elizabeth J. McGrath,
- Pablo G. Pérez-González,
- Jane R. Rigby,
- Lise-Marie Seillé,
- Raymond C. Simons,
- Alexander de la Vega,
- Benjamin J. Weiner,
- Stephen M. Wilkins,
- L. Y. Aaron Yung,
- and The CEERS Team
Affiliations
- Rebecca L. Larson
- ORCiD
- The University of Texas at Austin , Department of Astronomy, Austin, TX, USA ; [email protected]
- Steven L. Finkelstein
- ORCiD
- The University of Texas at Austin , Department of Astronomy, Austin, TX, USA ; [email protected]
- Dale D. Kocevski
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Colby College , Waterville, ME 04901, USA
- Taylor A. Hutchison
- ORCiD
- Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , 8800 Greenbelt Rd, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- Jonathan R. Trump
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, 196 Auditorium Road, Unit 3046, University of Connecticut , Storrs, CT 06269, USA
- Pablo Arrabal Haro
- ORCiD
- NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory , 950 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
- Volker Bromm
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , Austin, TX, USA
- Nikko J. Cleri
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University , College Station, TX 77843-4242 USA; George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University , College Station, TX 77843-4242 USA
- Mark Dickinson
- ORCiD
- NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory , 950 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
- Seiji Fujimoto
- ORCiD
- The University of Texas at Austin , Department of Astronomy, Austin, TX, USA ; [email protected]
- Jeyhan S. Kartaltepe
- ORCiD
- Laboratory for Multiwavelength Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy , Rochester Institute of Technology, 84 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
- Anton M. Koekemoer
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Casey Papovich
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University , College Station, TX 77843-4242 USA; George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University , College Station, TX 77843-4242 USA
- Nor Pirzkal
- ORCiD
- ESA/AURA Space Telescope Science Institute , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Sandro Tacchella
- ORCiD
- Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge , Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HA, UK; Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge , 19 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK
- Jorge A. Zavala
- ORCiD
- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan , 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan
- Micaela Bagley
- ORCiD
- The University of Texas at Austin , Department of Astronomy, Austin, TX, USA ; [email protected]
- Peter Behroozi
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory, University of Arizona , Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Division of Science, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan , 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan
- Jaclyn B. Champagne
- ORCiD
- Steward Observatory, University of Arizona , 933 N. Cherry Ave, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
- Justin W. Cole
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University , College Station, TX 77843-4242 USA; George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University , College Station, TX 77843-4242 USA
- Intae Jung
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Alexa M. Morales
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Guang Yang
- ORCiD
- Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen , P.O. Box 800, 9700 AV Groningen, The Netherlands; SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research , Postbus 800, 9700 AV Groningen, The Netherlands
- Haowen Zhang
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory, University of Arizona , Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Adi Zitrin
- ORCiD
- Physics Department, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev , P.O. Box 653, Be’er-Sheva 84105, Israel
- Ricardo O. Amorín
- ORCiD
- Instituto de Investigación Multidisciplinar en Ciencia y Tecnología , Universidad de La Serena, Raul Bitrán 1305, La Serena 2204000, Chile; Departamento de Astronomía, Universidad de La Serena , Av. Juan Cisternas 1200 Norte, La Serena 1720236, Chile
- Denis Burgarella
- ORCiD
- Aix Marseille Univ , CNRS, CNES, LAM Marseille, France
- Caitlin M. Casey
- ORCiD
- The University of Texas at Austin , 2515 Speedway Blvd Stop C1400, Austin, TX 78712, USA; Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN) , Denmark
- Óscar A. Chávez Ortiz
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , Austin, TX, USA
- Isabella G. Cox
- ORCiD
- Laboratory for Multiwavelength Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy , Rochester Institute of Technology, 84 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
- Katherine Chworowsky
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , Austin, TX, USA
- Adriano Fontana
- ORCiD
- INAF—Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma , via di Frascati 33, I-00078 Monte Porzio Catone, Italy
- Eric Gawiser
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey , Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
- Andrea Grazian
- ORCiD
- INAF–Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova , Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 5, I-35122, Padova, Italy
- Norman A. Grogin
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Santosh Harish
- ORCiD
- Laboratory for Multiwavelength Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy , Rochester Institute of Technology, 84 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
- Nimish P. Hathi
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , Baltimore, MD, USA
- Michaela Hirschmann
- ORCiD
- Institute of Physics , Laboratory of Galaxy Evolution, Ecole Polytechnique Fdrale de Lausanne (EPFL), Observatoire de Sauverny, 1290 Versoix, Switzerland
- Benne W. Holwerda
- ORCiD
- Physics & Astronomy Department, University of Louisville , Louisville, KY 40292, USA
- Stéphanie Juneau
- ORCiD
- NSF’s NOIRLab, 950 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
- Gene C. K. Leung
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin USA
- Ray A. Lucas
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Elizabeth J. McGrath
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Colby College , Waterville, ME 04901, USA
- Pablo G. Pérez-González
- ORCiD
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Ctra. de Ajalvir km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, E-28850, Madrid, Spain
- Jane R. Rigby
- ORCiD
- Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , 8800 Greenbelt Rd, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- Lise-Marie Seillé
- ORCiD
- Aix Marseille Univ , CNRS, CNES, LAM Marseille, France
- Raymond C. Simons
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, 196 Auditorium Road, Unit 3046, University of Connecticut , Storrs, CT 06269, USA
- Alexander de la Vega
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California , 900 University Ave, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
- Benjamin J. Weiner
- ORCiD
- MMT/Steward Observatory, University of Arizona , 933 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Stephen M. Wilkins
- ORCiD
- Astronomy Centre, University of Sussex , Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QH, UK; Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy, University of Malta , Msida MSD 2080, Malta
- L. Y. Aaron Yung
- ORCiD
- Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , 8800 Greenbelt Rd, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- and The CEERS Team
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ace619
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 953,
no. 2
p. L29
Abstract
We report the discovery of an accreting supermassive black hole at z = 8.679. This galaxy, denoted here as CEERS_1019, was previously discovered as a Ly α -break galaxy by Hubble with a Ly α redshift from Keck. As part of the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) survey, we have observed this source with JWST/NIRSpec, MIRI, NIRCam, and NIRCam/WFSS and uncovered a plethora of emission lines. The H β line is best fit by a narrow plus a broad component, where the latter is measured at 2.5 σ with an FWHM ∼1200 km s ^−1 . We conclude this originates in the broadline region of an active galactic nucleus (AGN). This is supported by the presence of weak high-ionization lines (N V, N IV], and C III]), as well as a spatial point-source component. The implied mass of the black hole (BH) is log ( M _BH / M _⊙ ) = 6.95 ± 0.37, and we estimate that it is accreting at 1.2 ± 0.5 times the Eddington limit. The 1–8 μ m photometric spectral energy distribution shows a continuum dominated by starlight and constrains the host galaxy to be massive (log M/M _⊙ ∼9.5) and highly star-forming (star formation rate, or SFR ∼ 30 M _⊙ yr ^−1 ; log sSFR ∼ − 7.9 yr ^−1 ). The line ratios show that the gas is metal-poor ( Z / Z _⊙ ∼ 0.1), dense ( n _e ∼ 10 ^3 cm ^−3 ), and highly ionized (log U ∼ − 2.1). We use this present highest-redshift AGN discovery to place constraints on BH seeding models and find that a combination of either super-Eddington accretion from stellar seeds or Eddington accretion from very massive BH seeds is required to form this object.
Keywords
