A small and vigorous black hole in the early Universe
Roberto Maiolino, Jan Scholtz, Joris Witstok, Stefano Carniani,, Francesco D'Eugenio, Anna de Graaff, Hannah Uebler, Sandro Tacchella, Emma, Curtis-Lake, Santiago Arribas, Andrew Bunker, St\'ephane Charlot, Jacopo, Chevallard, Mirko Curti, Tobias J. Looser, Michael V. Maseda

TL;DR
This study presents evidence of an actively accreting black hole in the early Universe within galaxy GN-z11, using JWST spectra, supporting theories of early black hole seed formation and rapid growth.
Contribution
It provides the first spectral evidence of an active black hole in a galaxy at z=10.6, indicating early black hole formation and growth mechanisms.
Findings
Detection of AGN-like spectral features in GN-z11.
Black hole mass estimated at approximately 1.6 million solar masses.
Black hole accreting at about five times the Eddington rate.
Abstract
Multiple theories have been proposed to describe the formation of black hole seeds in the early Universe and to explain the emergence of very massive black holes observed in the first billion years after Big Bang. Models consider different seeding and accretion scenarios, which require the detection and characterisation of black holes in the first few hundred million years after Big Bang to be validated. Here we present an extensive analysis of the JWST-NIRSpec spectrum of GN-z11, an exceptionally luminous galaxy at z=10.6, revealing the detection of the [NeIV]2423 and CII*1335 transitions (typical of Active Galactic Nuclei, AGN), as well as semi-forbidden nebular lines tracing gas densities higher than 10^9 cm-3, typical of the Broad Line Region of AGN. These spectral features indicate that GN-z11 hosts an accreting black hole. The spectrum also reveals a deep and blueshifted CIV1549…
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Taxonomy
TopicsAstrophysical Phenomena and Observations · Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena · Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
