The emergence and ionizing feedback of Pop III.1 stars as progenitors for supermassive black holes

ABSTRACT Recent observations by James Webb Space Telescope reveal an unexpectedly abundant population of rapidly growing supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in the early Universe, underscoring the need for improved models for their origin and growth. Employing new full radiative transfer hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy formation, we investigate the local and intergalactic feedback of SMBH progenitors for the Population III.1 (Pop III.1) scenario, i.e. efficient formation of supermassive stars from pristine, undisturbed dark matter minihaloes. Our cosmological simulations capture the R-type expansion phase of these Pop III.1 stars, with their H-ionizing photon luminosities of ${\sim} 10^{53} \, {\rm s}^{-1}$ generating H ii regions that extend deep into the intergalactic medium, reaching comoving radii of $r_{\rm H\,\small {II}} \sim 1\, \text{cMpc}$. We vary both the Pop III.1 ionization flux and cosmological formation environments, finding the former regulates their final $r_{\rm H\, \small {II}}$, whereas the latter is more important in setting their formation redshift. We use the results from our radiation-hydrodynamics simulations to estimate the cosmic number density of SMBHs, $n_{\mathrm{SMBH}}$, expected from Pop III.1 progenitors. We find $n_{\mathrm{SMBH}} \sim 10^{-1}\, \mathrm{cMpc}^{-3}$, consistent with the results inferred from recent observations of the local and high-redshift universe. Overall, this establishes Pop III.1 progenitors as viable candidates for the formation of the first SMBH, and emphasizes the importance of exploring heavy mass seed scenarios.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Published
2025-08-12
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staf1313
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.31

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

The emergence and ionizing feedback of Pop III.1 stars as progenitors for supermassive black holes

Sergio Martin-Alvarez, Matthew Hayes, Jasbir Singh, Julien Devriendt et al.
2 citations
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
2.31
article

The emergence and ionizing feedback of Pop III.1 stars as progenitors for supermassive black holes

Sergio Martin-Alvarez, Matthew Hayes, Jasbir Singh, Julien Devriendt, Pierluigi Monaco, Maya A. Petkova, Mahsa Sanati, Ben Keller, Jonathan C. Tan, Adrianne D. Slyz, Vieri Cammelli, Matteo la Torre
article en
2 citations

Abstract

ABSTRACT Recent observations by James Webb Space Telescope reveal an unexpectedly abundant population of rapidly growing supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in the early Universe, underscoring the need for improved models for their origin and growth. Employing new full radiative transfer hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy formation, we investigate the local and intergalactic feedback of SMBH progenitors for the Population III.1 (Pop III.1) scenario, i.e. efficient formation of supermassive stars from pristine, undisturbed dark matter minihaloes. Our cosmological simulations capture the R-type expansion phase of these Pop III.1 stars, with their H-ionizing photon luminosities of ${\sim} 10^{53} \, {\rm s}^{-1}$ generating H ii regions that extend deep into the intergalactic medium, reaching comoving radii of $r_{\rm H\,\small {II}} \sim 1\, \text{cMpc}$. We vary both the Pop III.1 ionization flux and cosmological formation environments, finding the former regulates their final $r_{\rm H\, \small {II}}$, whereas the latter is more important in setting their formation redshift. We use the results from our radiation-hydrodynamics simulations to estimate the cosmic number density of SMBHs, $n_{\mathrm{SMBH}}$, expected from Pop III.1 progenitors. We find $n_{\mathrm{SMBH}} \sim 10^{-1}\, \mathrm{cMpc}^{-3}$, consistent with the results inferred from recent observations of the local and high-redshift universe. Overall, this establishes Pop III.1 progenitors as viable candidates for the formation of the first SMBH, and emphasizes the importance of exploring heavy mass seed scenarios.

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical SocietyVol. 542(2)
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (IT), University of Trieste (IT), Stockholm University (SE), Trieste Astronomical Observatory (IT), Brera Astronomical Observatory (IT), University of Oxford (GB), Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (US), AlbaNova (SE), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Trieste (IT), Institute for Fundamental Physics of the Universe (IT), University of Virginia (US), Chalmers University of Technology (SE), University of Memphis (US)
National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Dell EMC, Space Telescope Science Institute, Universities Space Research Association, European Commission, Durham University, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Universität Stuttgart, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Science and Technology Facilities Council
Openalex Percentile: Top 11%
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
2.31
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.