Merging gas-rich galaxies that harbor low-luminosity twin quasars at z = 6.05: a promising progenitor of the most luminous quasars

TL;DR

This study observes a merging pair of gas-rich, low-luminosity quasars at z=6.05 with ALMA, revealing a bridge of [CII] emission, high star formation, and outflows, suggesting they are progenitors of the most luminous early universe quasars.

Contribution

First detailed ALMA observations of a quasar pair at z=6.05 showing gas dynamics, outflows, and potential evolution into a luminous quasar, providing insights into early galaxy mergers.

Findings

Bright [CII] bridge connecting the quasars indicating interaction.

High star formation rate (~550 M_sun/yr) in the system.

Detection of fast outflows with velocities around 600 km/s.

Abstract

We present ALMA [CII] 158 $\mu$m line and underlying far-infrared (FIR) continuum emission observations ($0''.57 \times 0''.46$ resolution) toward a quasar-quasar pair system recently discovered at $z = 6.05$ (Matsuoka et al. 2024). The quasar nuclei (C1 and C2) are faint ($M_{\rm 1450} \gtrsim -23$ mag), but we detect very bright [CII] emission bridging the 12 kpc between the two objects and extending beyond them (total luminosity $L_{\rm [CII]} \simeq 6 \times 10^9~L_\odot$). The [CII]-based total star formation rate of the system is $\sim 550~M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$ (IR-based dust-obscured SFR is $\sim 100~M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$), with a [CII]-based total gas mass of $\sim 10^{11}~M_\odot$. The dynamical masses of the two galaxies are large ($\sim 9 \times 10^{10}~M_\odot$ for C1 and $\sim 5 \times 10^{10}~M_\odot$ for C2). There is a smooth velocity gradient in [CII], indicating that these quasars are a tidally interacting system. We identified a dynamically distinct, fast [CII] component around C1: detailed inspection of the line spectrum there reveals the presence of a broad wing component, which we interpret as the indication of fast outflows with a velocity of $\sim 600$ km s$^{-1}$. The expected mass loading factor of the outflows, after accounting for multiphase gas, is $\gtrsim 2-3$, which is intermediate between AGN-driven and starburst-driven outflows. Hydrodynamic simulations in the literature predicted that this pair will evolve to a luminous ($M_{\rm 1450} \lesssim -26$ mag), starbursting ($\gtrsim 1000~M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$) quasar after coalescence, one of the most extreme populations in the early universe.