X-Ray Evidence Against the Hypothesis that the Hyper-Luminous z=6.3 Quasar J0100+2802 is Lensed

TL;DR

This study uses X-ray data to test if the hyper-luminous z=6.3 quasar J0100+2802 is gravitationally lensed, finding evidence against lensing and supporting its status as an intrinsically massive black hole.

Contribution

It provides an independent X-ray based analysis that challenges the lensing hypothesis for J0100+2802, supporting its intrinsic luminosity and black hole mass.

Findings

X-ray flux consistent with no lensing scenario

No X-ray or optical features of X-ray faint quasars

3σ tension with lensing magnification models

Abstract

The $z=6.327$ quasar SDSS J010013.02+280225.8 (hereafter J0100+2802) is believed to be powered by a black hole more massive than $10^{10}\ {\rm M}_\odot$, making it the most massive black hole known in the first billion years of the Universe. However, recent high-resolution ALMA imaging shows four structures at the location of this quasar, potentially implying that it is lensed with a magnification of $\mu\sim450$ and thus its black hole is significantly less massive. Furthermore, for the underlying distribution of magnifications of $z\gtrsim6$ quasars to produce such an extreme value, theoretical models predict that a larger number of quasars in this epoch should be lensed, implying further overestimates of early black hole masses. To provide an independent constraint on the possibility that J0100+2802 is lensed, we re-analyzed archival XMM-Newton observations of the quasar and compared the expected ratios of X-ray luminosity to rest-frame UV and IR luminosities. For both cases, J0100+2802's X-ray flux is consistent with the no-lensing scenario; while this could be explained by J0100+2802 being X-ray faint, we find it does not have the X-ray or optical spectral features expected for an X-ray faint quasar. Finally, we compare the overall distribution of X-ray fluxes for known, typical $z\gtrsim6$ quasars. We find a $3\sigma$ tension between the observed and predicted X-ray-to-UV flux ratios when adopting the magnification probability distribution required to produce a $\mu=450$ quasar.