ALMA survey of a massive node of the Cosmic Web at $z\sim 3$. II. A dynamically cold and massive disk galaxy in the proximity of a hyperluminous quasar

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution ALMA observations to discover a massive, cold, rotating disk galaxy near a hyperluminous quasar at high redshift, providing insights into galaxy formation and interactions in dense early Universe environments.

Contribution

First confirmation of a massive, dynamically cold rotating disk galaxy as a quasar companion at $z\,\sim 3$, revealing disk survival in dense cosmic web regions.

Findings

Massive, rotationally supported disk galaxy identified near a quasar.

Galaxy's dynamical mass estimated at $2.5\times10^{11} M_\odot$ within 4 kpc.

No strong tidal interactions observed despite proximity to quasar.

Abstract

Advancing our understanding of the formation and evolution of early massive galaxies and black holes requires detailed studies of dense structures in the high-redshift Universe. In this work, we present high-angular resolution ($\simeq0.3''$) ALMA observations targeting the CO(4--3) line and the underlying 3-mm dust continuum toward the Cosmic Web node MQN01, a region identified through deep multiwavelength surveys as one of the densest concentrations of galaxies and AGN at cosmic noon. At the center of this structure, we identify a massive, rotationally supported disk galaxy located approximately at $\sim10\,{\rm kpc}$ projected-distance and $\sim-300\,{\rm km\,s^{-1}}$ from a hyperluminous quasar at $z=3.2510$. By accurately modeling the cold gas kinematics, we determine a galaxy dynamical mass of $2.5\times10^{11}\,{M_{\odot}}$ within the inner $\simeq 4\,{\rm kpc}$, and a high degree of rotational support of $V_{\rm rot}/\sigma \approx 11$. This makes it the first quasar companion galaxy confirmed as a massive, dynamically cold rotating disk at such an early cosmic epoch. Despite the small projected separation from the quasar host, we find no clear evidence of strong tidal interactions affecting the galaxy disk. This might suggest that the quasar is a satellite galaxy in the early stages of a merger. Furthermore, our spectroscopic analysis reveals a broad, blueshifted component in the CO(4--3) line profile of the quasar host, which may trace a powerful molecular outflow or kinematic disturbances induced by its interaction with the massive companion galaxy. Our findings show that rotationally supported cold disks are able to survive even in high-density environments of the early Universe.