Quasar Quartet Embedded in Giant Nebula Reveals Rare Massive Structure in Distant Universe
Joseph F. Hennawi (1), J. Xavier Prochaska (2), Sebastiano Cantalupo, (2, 3), Fabrizio Arrigoni-Battaia (1) ((1) Max Planck Institute for, Astronomy, (2) UCO Lick -- Observatory/UC Santa Cruz, (3) ETH Zurich)

TL;DR
This study reports the discovery of a rare quadruple quasar system within a giant nebula at high redshift, revealing a massive, dense gas-rich structure likely to evolve into a galaxy cluster, challenging existing cosmological models.
Contribution
It presents the first observation of a quadruple quasar embedded in a giant nebula, linking rare quasar configurations to massive protoclusters in the early universe.
Findings
Quadruple quasar system with a giant Lyman-alpha nebula discovered
System is within a significant galaxy overdensity, likely a protocluster
Contains a large amount of cool, dense gas (~10^11 solar masses)
Abstract
All galaxies once passed through a hyperluminous quasar phase powered by accretion onto a supermassive black hole. But because these episodes are brief, quasars are rare objects typically separated by cosmological distances. In a survey for Lyman-alpha emission at redshift z ~ 2, we discovered a physical association of four quasars embedded in a giant nebula. Located within a substantial overdensity of galaxies, this system is probably the progenitor of a massive galaxy cluster. The chance probability of finding a quadruple quasar is estimated to be ~10^-7, implying a physical connection between Lyman-alpha nebulae and the locations of rare protoclusters. Our findings imply that the most massive structures in the distant universe have a tremendous supply (~ 10^11 solar masses) of cool dense (volume density ~1 cm^-3) gas, which is in conflict with current cosmological simulations.
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