Exploring Gravitationally-Lensed $z\gtrsim6$ X-ray AGN Behind the RELICS clusters

TL;DR

This study investigates the X-ray properties of gravitationally-lensed high-redshift galaxies to understand early black hole growth, finding limited evidence for active galactic nuclei and constraining black hole accretion rates at z≥6.

Contribution

It provides the first stacking analysis of 155 lensed z≥6 galaxies in X-ray, setting upper limits on black hole activity and growth in the early universe.

Findings

No individual X-ray sources identified with high-redshift galaxies.

A 2.2σ detection for massive galaxies suggests possible low-level AGN activity.

Most early black holes likely accrete at rates below Eddington or are less massive than expected.

Abstract

Although observations of high-redshift quasars demonstrate that many supermassive black holes (BHs) reached large masses within one billion years after the Big Bang, the origin of the first BHs is still a mystery. A promising way to constrain the origin of the first BHs is to explore the average properties of $z\gtrsim6$ BHs. However, typical BHs remain hidden from X-ray surveys, which is due to their relatively faint nature and the limited sensitivity of X-ray telescopes. Gravitational lensing provides an attractive way to study this unique galaxy population as it magnifies the faint light from these high-redshift galaxies. Here, we study the X-ray emission originating from 155 gravitationally-lensed $z\gtrsim6$ galaxies that were detected in the RELICS survey. We utilize Chandra X-ray observations to search for AGN in the individual galaxies and in the stacked galaxy samples. We did not identify an individual X-ray source that was undoubtedly associated with a high-redshift galaxy. We stack the signal from all galaxies and do not find a statistically significant detection. We split our sample based on stellar mass, star-formation rate, and lensing magnification and stack these sub-samples. We obtain a $2.2\sigma$ detection for massive galaxies with an X-ray luminosity of $(3.7\pm1.6)\times10^{42} \ \rm{erg \ s^{-1}}$, which corresponds to a $(3.0\pm1.3)\times10^5 \ \rm{M_{\odot}}$ BH accreting at its Eddington rate. Other stacks remain undetected and we place upper limits on the AGN emission. These limits imply that the bulk of BHs at $z\gtrsim6$ either accrete at a few percent of their Eddington rate and/or are $1-2$ orders of magnitude less massive than expected based on the stellar mass of their host galaxy.