A super-Eddington-accreting black hole ~1.5 Gyr after the Big Bang observed with JWST

Recent James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations have revealed a surprisingly abundant population of faint, dusty active galactic nuclei at z ≈ 4–7. Together with the presence of supermassive black holes at z > 6, this raises questions about the formation and growth histories of early black holes. Current theories for the formation of seed black holes from the death of the first stars (that is, light seeds) and/or the direct collapse of primordial gas clouds (that is, heavy seeds) still lack observational confirmation. Here we present LID-568, a low-mass (7.2 × 106 M⊙) black hole hosting powerful outflows that is observed in an extreme phase of rapid growth at redshift z ≈ 4. This object is similar to other JWST-discovered faint active galactic nuclei populations, but is bright in X-ray emission and accreting at more than 4,000% of the limit at which radiation pressure exceeds the force of gravitational attraction of the black hole (that is, super-Eddington accretion). Analysis of JWST Near-Infrared Spectrograph integral field unit data reveals spatially extended Hα emission with velocities of ~−600–−500 km s−1 relative to the central black hole, indicative of robust nuclear-driven outflows. LID-568 represents an elusive low-mass black hole experiencing super-Eddington accretion as invoked by models of early black hole formation. This discovery showcases a previously undiscovered key parameter space and offers crucial insights into rapid black hole growth mechanisms in the early universe. A rapidly growing black hole in a very active phase has been observed with JWST ~1.5 billion years after the Big Bang. Bright in X-rays, it is accreting at a rate 4,000% in excess of the Eddington limit, offering insights into early black hole growth.

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Journal
Nature Astronomy
Published
2024-11-04
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-024-02402-9
Citations
23
Primary Topic
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
7.62

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article

A super-Eddington-accreting black hole ~1.5 Gyr after the Big Bang observed with JWST

Denise Hung, J. Scharwächter, Hyewon Suh, G. Lanzuisi et al.
23 citations
Nature Astronomy
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
7.62
article

A super-Eddington-accreting black hole ~1.5 Gyr after the Big Bang observed with JWST

Denise Hung, J. Scharwächter, Hyewon Suh, G. Lanzuisi, F. Loiacono, Stefano Marchesi, G. Hasinger, San Han, Sukyoung K. Yi, Emanuele Paolo Farina, Mar Mezcua, Mark G. Rawlings, Marta Volonteri, B. C. Lemaux, Francesca Civano, Roberto Decarli
article en
23 citations

Abstract

Recent James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations have revealed a surprisingly abundant population of faint, dusty active galactic nuclei at z ≈ 4–7. Together with the presence of supermassive black holes at z > 6, this raises questions about the formation and growth histories of early black holes. Current theories for the formation of seed black holes from the death of the first stars (that is, light seeds) and/or the direct collapse of primordial gas clouds (that is, heavy seeds) still lack observational confirmation. Here we present LID-568, a low-mass (7.2 × 106 M⊙) black hole hosting powerful outflows that is observed in an extreme phase of rapid growth at redshift z ≈ 4. This object is similar to other JWST-discovered faint active galactic nuclei populations, but is bright in X-ray emission and accreting at more than 4,000% of the limit at which radiation pressure exceeds the force of gravitational attraction of the black hole (that is, super-Eddington accretion). Analysis of JWST Near-Infrared Spectrograph integral field unit data reveals spatially extended Hα emission with velocities of ~−600–−500 km s−1 relative to the central black hole, indicative of robust nuclear-driven outflows. LID-568 represents an elusive low-mass black hole experiencing super-Eddington accretion as invoked by models of early black hole formation. This discovery showcases a previously undiscovered key parameter space and offers crucial insights into rapid black hole growth mechanisms in the early universe. A rapidly growing black hole in a very active phase has been observed with JWST ~1.5 billion years after the Big Bang. Bright in X-rays, it is accreting at a rate 4,000% in excess of the Eddington limit, offering insights into early black hole growth.

Nature AstronomyVol. 9(2)
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Goddard Space Flight Center (US), Institute of Space Sciences (ES), Yonsei University (KR), Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris (FR), Sorbonne Université (FR), Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Bologna (IT), Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (ES), Gemini North Observatory (US), Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (DE), Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio, Technische Universität Dresden (DE), Clemson University (US), University of California, Davis (US), University of Bologna (IT)
National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Space Telescope Science Institute, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, National Research Foundation, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Institutes of Natural Sciences
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