Unravelling obese black holes in the first galaxies

TL;DR

This paper predicts a new class of early universe objects called Obese Black-hole Galaxies (OBGs), characterized by dominant black hole luminosity and specific observational signatures, formed during the first billion years of cosmic history.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of OBGs, predicts their formation, properties, and observational signatures, and estimates their abundance in the early universe based on cosmological simulations.

Findings

OBGs have a predicted number density of 0.009/Mpc^3 at z~8 and 0.03/Mpc^3 at z~6.

OBGs are characterized by a UV slope of about -2.3 and lack a Balmer Break.

OBGs are brighter and spatially unresolved compared to typical high-redshift galaxies.

Abstract

We predict the existence and observational signatures of a new class of objects that assembled early, during the first billion years of cosmic time: Obese Black-hole Galaxies (OBGs). OBGs are objects in which the mass of the central black hole initially exceeds that of the stellar component of the host galaxy, and the luminosity from black-hole accretion dominates the starlight. From a cosmological simulation, we demonstrate that there are sites where star formation is initially inhibited and direct-collapse black holes (DCBHs) form due to the photo-dissociating effect of Lyman-Werner radiation on molecular hydrogen. We show that the formation of OBGs is inevitable, because the probability of finding the required extra-galactic environment and the right physical conditions in a halo conducive to DCBH formation is quite high in the early universe. We estimate an OBG number density of 0.009/Mpc^3 at z~8 and 0.03/Mpc^3 at z~6. Extrapolating from our simulation volume, we infer that the most luminous quasars detected at z~6 likely transited through an earlier OBG phase. We find that these primordial galaxies start off with an over-massive BH and acquire their stellar component from subsequent merging as well as in-situ star formation. In doing so, they inevitably go through an OBG phase dominated by the accretion luminosity at the Eddington rate or below, released from the growing BH. The OBG phase is characterised by an ultra-violet (UV) spectrum with slope of beta ~ -2.3 and the absence of a Balmer Break. OBGs should also be spatially unresolved, and are expected to be brighter than the majority of known high-redshift galaxies. OBGs could potentially be revealed via HST follow-up imaging of samples of brighter Lyman-break galaxies provided by wide-area ground-based surveys such as UltraVISTA, and should be easily uncovered and studied with instruments aboard JWST...(abridged)