Local Analogs of Primordial Galaxies: In Search of Intermediate-mass Black Holes with JWST NIRSpec
Local low-metallicity galaxies with signatures of possible accretion activity are ideal laboratories in which to search for the lowest-mass black holes and study their impact on the host galaxy. Here we present the first JWST NIRSpec IFS observations of SDSS J120122.30+021108.3, a nearby ( z = 0.003...
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2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adcd59 |
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| author | Sara Doan Shobita Satyapal William Matzko Nicholas P. Abel Torsten Böker Thomas Bohn Gabriela Canalizo Jenna M. Cann Jacqueline Fischer Stephanie LaMassa Suzanne C. Madden Jeffrey D. McKaig D. Schaerer Nathan J. Secrest Anil Seth Laura Blecha Mallory Molina Barry Rothberg |
| author_facet | Sara Doan Shobita Satyapal William Matzko Nicholas P. Abel Torsten Böker Thomas Bohn Gabriela Canalizo Jenna M. Cann Jacqueline Fischer Stephanie LaMassa Suzanne C. Madden Jeffrey D. McKaig D. Schaerer Nathan J. Secrest Anil Seth Laura Blecha Mallory Molina Barry Rothberg |
| author_sort | Sara Doan |
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| description | Local low-metallicity galaxies with signatures of possible accretion activity are ideal laboratories in which to search for the lowest-mass black holes and study their impact on the host galaxy. Here we present the first JWST NIRSpec IFS observations of SDSS J120122.30+021108.3, a nearby ( z = 0.00354) extremely metal-poor dwarf galaxy with no optical signatures of accretion activity but identified by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer to have red mid-infrared (MIR) colors consistent with active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We identify over 100 lines between ∼1.7 and 5.2 μ m, an unresolved nuclear continuum source with an extremely steep spectral slope consistent with hot dust from an AGN ( F _ν ≈ ν ^−1.5 ), and a plethora of H i , He i , and H _2 lines, with no lines from heavier elements, CO or ice absorption features, or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). While the bright central unresolved source (≲5 pc) is suggestive of an AGN, there are no He ii lines or coronal lines identified in the spectrum, and, importantly, there is no evidence that the radiation field is harder in the nuclear source compared with surrounding regions. The emission-line spectrum can be explained by a young (<5 Myr) nuclear star cluster with stellar mass ∼3 × 10 ^4 M _⊙ , but the unresolved continuum source is more typical for a deeply embedded AGN powered by a black hole of minimum mass ∼1450 M _⊙ . These observations reveal that either a metal-poor stellar population can heat the dust to extremely high temperatures, a result that would have significant impact on the reliability of MIR color selection in AGN surveys and our understanding of the properties of the interstellar medium and young stars in metal-poor galaxies, or an accreting intermediate-mass black hole is deeply embedded and hidden even at near-infrared wavelengths. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3bb0e656d4404e7da6357c51b709159c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-3bb0e656d4404e7da6357c51b709159c2025-08-20T03:29:58ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-0198719910.3847/1538-4357/adcd59Local Analogs of Primordial Galaxies: In Search of Intermediate-mass Black Holes with JWST NIRSpecSara Doan0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3152-4328Shobita Satyapal1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2277-2354William Matzko2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3937-562XNicholas P. Abel3Torsten Böker4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5666-7782Thomas Bohn5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4375-254XGabriela Canalizo6https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4693-6157Jenna M. Cann7https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1051-6564Jacqueline Fischer8https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6697-7808Stephanie LaMassa9https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5907-3330Suzanne C. Madden10https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3229-2899Jeffrey D. McKaig11https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0913-3729D. Schaerer12https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7144-7182Nathan J. Secrest13https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4902-8077Anil Seth14https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0248-5470Laura Blecha15https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2183-1087Mallory Molina16https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8440-3613Barry Rothberg17https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2283-2185George Mason University , Department of Physics and Astronomy, MS3F3, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA ; ssatyapa@gmu.eduGeorge Mason University , Department of Physics and Astronomy, MS3F3, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA ; ssatyapa@gmu.eduGeorge Mason University , Department of Physics and Astronomy, MS3F3, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA ; ssatyapa@gmu.eduCollege of Applied Science, University of Cincinnati , Cincinnati, OH 45206, USAEuropean Space Agency , c/o STSCI, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USAHiroshima Astrophysical Science Center, Hiroshima University , 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, JapanDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of California , Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, USAX-ray Astrophysics Laboratory , NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 662, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; Center for Space Sciences and Technology, University of Maryland , Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA; Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology , NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USAGeorge Mason University , Department of Physics and Astronomy, MS3F3, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA ; ssatyapa@gmu.eduSpace Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USADépartement d’Astrophysique, Université Paris-Saclay , Gif-sur-Yvette, FranceGeorge Mason University , Department of Physics and Astronomy, MS3F3, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA ; ssatyapa@gmu.eduObservatoire de Genève, Université de Genève , Chemin Pegasi 51, 1290 Versoix, Switzerland; CNRS , IRAP, 14 Avenue E. Belin, 31400 Toulouse, FranceU.S. Naval Observatory , 3450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20392-5420, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah , 115 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USAUniversity of Florida , Department of Physics, Gainesville, FL 32611-8440, USADepartment of Physics & Astronomy, Vanderbilt University , Nashville, TN 37235, USAGeorge Mason University , Department of Physics and Astronomy, MS3F3, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA ; ssatyapa@gmu.edu; U.S. Naval Observatory , 3450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20392-5420, USALocal low-metallicity galaxies with signatures of possible accretion activity are ideal laboratories in which to search for the lowest-mass black holes and study their impact on the host galaxy. Here we present the first JWST NIRSpec IFS observations of SDSS J120122.30+021108.3, a nearby ( z = 0.00354) extremely metal-poor dwarf galaxy with no optical signatures of accretion activity but identified by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer to have red mid-infrared (MIR) colors consistent with active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We identify over 100 lines between ∼1.7 and 5.2 μ m, an unresolved nuclear continuum source with an extremely steep spectral slope consistent with hot dust from an AGN ( F _ν ≈ ν ^−1.5 ), and a plethora of H i , He i , and H _2 lines, with no lines from heavier elements, CO or ice absorption features, or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). While the bright central unresolved source (≲5 pc) is suggestive of an AGN, there are no He ii lines or coronal lines identified in the spectrum, and, importantly, there is no evidence that the radiation field is harder in the nuclear source compared with surrounding regions. The emission-line spectrum can be explained by a young (<5 Myr) nuclear star cluster with stellar mass ∼3 × 10 ^4 M _⊙ , but the unresolved continuum source is more typical for a deeply embedded AGN powered by a black hole of minimum mass ∼1450 M _⊙ . These observations reveal that either a metal-poor stellar population can heat the dust to extremely high temperatures, a result that would have significant impact on the reliability of MIR color selection in AGN surveys and our understanding of the properties of the interstellar medium and young stars in metal-poor galaxies, or an accreting intermediate-mass black hole is deeply embedded and hidden even at near-infrared wavelengths.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adcd59Andromeda GalaxyCompact dwarf galaxies |
| spellingShingle | Sara Doan Shobita Satyapal William Matzko Nicholas P. Abel Torsten Böker Thomas Bohn Gabriela Canalizo Jenna M. Cann Jacqueline Fischer Stephanie LaMassa Suzanne C. Madden Jeffrey D. McKaig D. Schaerer Nathan J. Secrest Anil Seth Laura Blecha Mallory Molina Barry Rothberg Local Analogs of Primordial Galaxies: In Search of Intermediate-mass Black Holes with JWST NIRSpec The Astrophysical Journal Andromeda Galaxy Compact dwarf galaxies |
| title | Local Analogs of Primordial Galaxies: In Search of Intermediate-mass Black Holes with JWST NIRSpec |
| title_full | Local Analogs of Primordial Galaxies: In Search of Intermediate-mass Black Holes with JWST NIRSpec |
| title_fullStr | Local Analogs of Primordial Galaxies: In Search of Intermediate-mass Black Holes with JWST NIRSpec |
| title_full_unstemmed | Local Analogs of Primordial Galaxies: In Search of Intermediate-mass Black Holes with JWST NIRSpec |
| title_short | Local Analogs of Primordial Galaxies: In Search of Intermediate-mass Black Holes with JWST NIRSpec |
| title_sort | local analogs of primordial galaxies in search of intermediate mass black holes with jwst nirspec |
| topic | Andromeda Galaxy Compact dwarf galaxies |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adcd59 |
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