JWST meets Chandra: a large population of Compton thick, feedback-free, and intrinsically X-ray weak AGN, with a sprinkle of SNe

ABSTRACT We investigate the X-ray properties of a sample of 71 broad- and narrow-line active galactic nucleus (AGN) at 2$\lt$z$\lt$11 discovered by JWST in the GOODS (Great Observatory Origins Deep Survey) fields, which have the deepest Chandra observations ever obtained. Despite the widespread presence of AGN signatures in their rest-optical and -ultraviolet spectra, the vast majority of them is X-ray undetected. The stacked X-ray data of the non-detected sources also results in a non-detection. The upper limit on the X-ray emission for many of these AGN is one or even two orders of magnitude lower than expected from a standard AGN Spectral Energy Distribution (SED). X-ray absorption by clouds with large (Compton-thick) column density and low dust content, such as the broad-line region (BLR) clouds, can explain the X-ray weakness. In this scenario, the BLR covering factor should be much larger than in low-z AGN or luminous quasars; this is supported by the larger equivalent width of the broad component of H$\alpha$ in JWST-selected AGN. We also find that the JWST-discovered AGN lack prominent, fast outflows, suggesting that, in JWST-selected AGN, dense gas lingers in the nuclear region, resulting in large covering factors. We also note that a large fraction of JWST-selected AGN matches the definition of narrow-line Seyfert 1, typically accreting at high rates and characterized by a steep X-ray spectrum – this can further contribute to their observed weakness at high-z. Finally, we discuss that the broad Balmer lines used to identify type 1 AGN cannot be ascribed to very massive stars or supernovae, although we show that some of the faintest broad lines could potentially be associated with superluminous SNe.