The complicated nature of the X-ray emission from the field of the strongly lensed hyperluminous infrared galaxy PJ1053+60 at <i>z</i> = 3.549

ABSTRACT We present an analysis of XMM–Newton X-ray observations of PJ1053+60, a hyperluminous infrared galaxy (HyLIRG) at z = 3.549 that is strongly lensed by a foreground group at z = 0.837. We also present GNIRS spectroscopy confirming the presence of an active galactic nucleus (AGN) to the south-west of PJ1053+60 ($\rm AGN_{\rm SW}$) at $z_{\mathrm{SW}}=1.373\pm 0.006$. Using this redshift prior, we decompose the X-ray spectrum of PJ1053+60 into $\rm AGN_{\rm SW}$ and high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) components from the HyLIRG. The HMXB component has an unusually high luminosity, $\sim 50$ times higher than calibration derived from local galaxies, and a characteristic photon index likely too flat to be caused by HMXBs at rest frame energies above a few keV. Our 2D spatial decomposition also suggests a similarly high X-ray HMXB luminosity, although the limited spatial resolution prevents meaningful morphological constraints on the component. We conclude that the enhanced X-ray emission may only be explained by the presence of another AGN ($\rm AGN_{\rm FG}$) embedded in the foreground group lensing the PJ1053+60 system. The presence of $\rm AGN_{\rm FG}$ is further supported by the detection of a point-like radio continuum source in the VLA 6GHz image that coincides with the brightest group galaxy of the foreground lens. Our study demonstrates the limited capability of current X-ray observatories while highlighting the need for higher angular resolution observations to definitively characterize the nature of X-ray emission in distant, strongly lensed HyLIRGs.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Published
2025-11-08
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staf1851
Primary Topic
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

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

The complicated nature of the X-ray emission from the field of the strongly lensed hyperluminous infrared galaxy PJ1053+60 at z = 3.549

Massimo Pascale, Carlos Garcia Diaz, Kevin C. Harrington, Patrick S. Kamieneski et al.
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
article

The complicated nature of the X-ray emission from the field of the strongly lensed hyperluminous infrared galaxy PJ1053+60 at z = 3.549

Massimo Pascale, Carlos Garcia Diaz, Kevin C. Harrington, Patrick S. Kamieneski, Min S. Yun, Ilsang Yoon, Belén Alcalde Pampliega, Amit Vishwas, Nicholas Foo, Eric F. Jiménez-Andrade, Brenda Frye, Q. Daniel Wang, James D. Lowenthal, Daizhong Liu, Dazhi Zhou
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT We present an analysis of XMM–Newton X-ray observations of PJ1053+60, a hyperluminous infrared galaxy (HyLIRG) at z = 3.549 that is strongly lensed by a foreground group at z = 0.837. We also present GNIRS spectroscopy confirming the presence of an active galactic nucleus (AGN) to the south-west of PJ1053+60 ($\rm AGN_{\rm SW}$) at $z_{\mathrm{SW}}=1.373\pm 0.006$. Using this redshift prior, we decompose the X-ray spectrum of PJ1053+60 into $\rm AGN_{\rm SW}$ and high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) components from the HyLIRG. The HMXB component has an unusually high luminosity, $\sim 50$ times higher than calibration derived from local galaxies, and a characteristic photon index likely too flat to be caused by HMXBs at rest frame energies above a few keV. Our 2D spatial decomposition also suggests a similarly high X-ray HMXB luminosity, although the limited spatial resolution prevents meaningful morphological constraints on the component. We conclude that the enhanced X-ray emission may only be explained by the presence of another AGN ($\rm AGN_{\rm FG}$) embedded in the foreground group lensing the PJ1053+60 system. The presence of $\rm AGN_{\rm FG}$ is further supported by the detection of a point-like radio continuum source in the VLA 6GHz image that coincides with the brightest group galaxy of the foreground lens. Our study demonstrates the limited capability of current X-ray observatories while highlighting the need for higher angular resolution observations to definitively characterize the nature of X-ray emission in distant, strongly lensed HyLIRGs.

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical SocietyVol. 544(2)
University of Arizona (US), University of British Columbia (CA), Smith College (US), Cornell University (US), University of Massachusetts Amherst (US), National Radio Astronomy Observatory (US), Atacama Large Millimeter Submillimeter Array (CL), Purple Mountain Observatory (CN), European Southern Observatory (CL), Astronomy and Space (AU), Astronomical Observatory (RS), National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (JP), Arizona State University (US), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX), Universidad Diego Portales (CL), University of California, Berkeley (US)
National Science Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Academia Sinica, Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Openalex Percentile: Top 76%
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
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.