UNCOVER: Candidate Red Active Galactic Nuclei at 3 < z < 7 with JWST and ALMA

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is revolutionizing our knowledge of z > 5 galaxies and their actively accreting black holes. Using the JWST Cycle 1 Treasury program Ultradeep NIRSpec and NIRCam Observations before the Epoch of Reionization (UNCOVER) in the lensing field A2744, we report the...

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Main Authors: Ivo Labbe, Jenny E. Greene, Rachel Bezanson, Seiji Fujimoto, Lukas J. Furtak, Andy D. Goulding, Jorryt Matthee, Rohan P. Naidu, Pascal A. Oesch, Hakim Atek, Gabriel Brammer, Iryna Chemerynska, Dan Coe, Sam E. Cutler, Pratika Dayal, Robert Feldmann, Marijn Franx, Karl Glazebrook, Joel Leja, Michael Maseda, Danilo Marchesini, Themiya Nanayakkara, Erica J. Nelson, Richard Pan, Casey Papovich, Sedona H. Price, Katherine A. Suess, Bingjie Wang, John R. Weaver, Katherine E. Whitaker, Christina C. Williams, Adi Zitrin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2024-01-01
Series:The Astrophysical Journal
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad3551
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author Ivo Labbe
Jenny E. Greene
Rachel Bezanson
Seiji Fujimoto
Lukas J. Furtak
Andy D. Goulding
Jorryt Matthee
Rohan P. Naidu
Pascal A. Oesch
Hakim Atek
Gabriel Brammer
Iryna Chemerynska
Dan Coe
Sam E. Cutler
Pratika Dayal
Robert Feldmann
Marijn Franx
Karl Glazebrook
Joel Leja
Michael Maseda
Danilo Marchesini
Themiya Nanayakkara
Erica J. Nelson
Richard Pan
Casey Papovich
Sedona H. Price
Katherine A. Suess
Bingjie Wang
John R. Weaver
Katherine E. Whitaker
Christina C. Williams
Adi Zitrin
author_facet Ivo Labbe
Jenny E. Greene
Rachel Bezanson
Seiji Fujimoto
Lukas J. Furtak
Andy D. Goulding
Jorryt Matthee
Rohan P. Naidu
Pascal A. Oesch
Hakim Atek
Gabriel Brammer
Iryna Chemerynska
Dan Coe
Sam E. Cutler
Pratika Dayal
Robert Feldmann
Marijn Franx
Karl Glazebrook
Joel Leja
Michael Maseda
Danilo Marchesini
Themiya Nanayakkara
Erica J. Nelson
Richard Pan
Casey Papovich
Sedona H. Price
Katherine A. Suess
Bingjie Wang
John R. Weaver
Katherine E. Whitaker
Christina C. Williams
Adi Zitrin
author_sort Ivo Labbe
collection DOAJ
description The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is revolutionizing our knowledge of z > 5 galaxies and their actively accreting black holes. Using the JWST Cycle 1 Treasury program Ultradeep NIRSpec and NIRCam Observations before the Epoch of Reionization (UNCOVER) in the lensing field A2744, we report the identification of a sample of little red dots at 3 < z _phot < 7 that likely contain highly reddened accreting supermassive black holes. Using a NIRCam-only selection to F444W < 27.7 mag, we find 26 sources over the ∼45 arcmin ^2 field that are blue in F115W − F200W ∼ 0 (or β _UV ∼ –2.0 for f _λ ∝ λ ^β ), red in F200W − F444W = 1−4 ( β _opt ∼ +2.0), and are dominated by a point-source-like central component. Of the 20 sources with deep Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) 1.2 mm coverage, none are detected individually or in a stack. For the majority of the sample, spectral energy distribution fits to the JWST+ALMA observations prefer models with hot dust rather than obscured star formation to reproduce the red NIRCam colors and ALMA 1.2 mm nondetections. While compact dusty star formation cannot be ruled out, the combination of extremely small sizes (〈 r _e 〉 ≈ 50 pc after correction for magnification), red rest-frame optical slopes, and hot dust can be explained by reddened broad-line active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Our targets have faint M _1450 ≈ −14 to −18 mag but inferred bolometric luminosities of L _bol = 10 ^43 –10 ^46 erg s ^−1 , reflecting their obscured nature. If the candidates are confirmed as AGNs with upcoming UNCOVER spectroscopy, then we have found an abundant population of reddened luminous AGNs that are at least ten times more numerous than UV-luminous AGNs at the same intrinsic bolometric luminosity.
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spelling doaj-art-50b186e2a4064a7b971978e11df29e252025-08-20T02:01:04ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572024-01-0197819210.3847/1538-4357/ad3551UNCOVER: Candidate Red Active Galactic Nuclei at 3 < z < 7 with JWST and ALMAIvo Labbe0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2057-5376Jenny E. Greene1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5612-3427Rachel Bezanson2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5063-8254Seiji Fujimoto3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7201-5066Lukas J. Furtak4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6278-032XAndy D. Goulding5https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4700-663XJorryt Matthee6https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2871-127XRohan P. Naidu7https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3997-5705Pascal A. Oesch8https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5851-6649Hakim Atek9https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7570-0824Gabriel Brammer10https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2680-005XIryna Chemerynska11Dan Coe12https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7410-7669Sam E. Cutler13https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7031-2865Pratika Dayal14https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8460-1564Robert Feldmann15https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1109-1919Marijn Franx16https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8871-3026Karl Glazebrook17https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3254-9044Joel Leja18https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6755-1315Michael Maseda19https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0695-4414Danilo Marchesini20https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9002-3502Themiya Nanayakkara21https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2804-0648Erica J. Nelson22https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7524-374XRichard Pan23https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9651-5716Casey Papovich24https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7503-8482Sedona H. Price25https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0108-4176Katherine A. Suess26https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1714-1905Bingjie Wang27https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9269-5046John R. Weaver28https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1614-196XKatherine E. Whitaker29https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7160-3632Christina C. Williams30https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2919-7495Adi Zitrin31https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0350-4488Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology , Melbourne, VIC 3122, AustraliaDepartment of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University , 4 Ivy Lane, Princeton, NJ 08544, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy and PITT PACC, University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USADepartment of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin , Austin, TX 78712, USAPhysics Department, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev , P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, IsraelDepartment of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University , 4 Ivy Lane, Princeton, NJ 08544, USADepartment of Physics, ETH Zurich , Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 27, 8093 Zurich, SwitzerlandCenter for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian , 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research , 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USADepartment of Astronomy, University of Geneva , Chemin Pegasi 51, 1290 Versoix, Switzerland; Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN), Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen , Jagtvej 128, København N, DK-2200, DenmarkInstitut d’Astrophysique de Paris, CNRS, Sorbonne Université , 98bis Boulevard Arago, 75014, Paris, FranceCosmic Dawn Center (DAWN), Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen , Jagtvej 128, København N, DK-2200, DenmarkInstitut d’Astrophysique de Paris, CNRS, Sorbonne Université , 98bis Boulevard Arago, 75014, Paris, FranceSpace Telescope Science Institute (STScI) , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) , Inc. for the European Space Agency (ESA), USA; Center for Astrophysical Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy, The Johns Hopkins University , 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, USADepartment of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts , Amherst, MA 01003, USAKapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen , P.O. Box 800, 9700 AV Groningen, The NetherlandsInstitute for Computational Science, University of Zurich , Winterhurerstrasse 190, CH-8006 Zurich, SwitzerlandLeiden Observatory, Leiden University , P.O. Box 9513, NL-2300 AA Leiden, The NetherlandsCentre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology , Melbourne, VIC 3122, AustraliaDepartment of Astronomy & Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USA; Institute for Computational & Data Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USA; Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USADepartment of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison , 475 N. Charter Street, Madison, WI 53706, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Tufts University , 574 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA 02155, USACentre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology , Melbourne, VIC 3122, AustraliaDepartment for Astrophysical and Planetary Science, University of Colorado , Boulder, CO 80309, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Tufts University , 574 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA 02155, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University , College Station, TX 77843-4242, USA; George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University , College Station, TX 77843-4242, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy and PITT PACC, University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USADepartment of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California , Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA; Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology and Department of Physics, Stanford University , Stanford, CA 94305, USADepartment of Astronomy & Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USA; Institute for Computational & Data Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USA; Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USADepartment of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts , Amherst, MA 01003, USACosmic Dawn Center (DAWN), Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen , Jagtvej 128, København N, DK-2200, Denmark; Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts , Amherst, MA 01003, USANSF ’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory, 950 N. Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA; Steward Observatory, University of Arizona , 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721, USAPhysics Department, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev , P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, IsraelThe James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is revolutionizing our knowledge of z > 5 galaxies and their actively accreting black holes. Using the JWST Cycle 1 Treasury program Ultradeep NIRSpec and NIRCam Observations before the Epoch of Reionization (UNCOVER) in the lensing field A2744, we report the identification of a sample of little red dots at 3 < z _phot < 7 that likely contain highly reddened accreting supermassive black holes. Using a NIRCam-only selection to F444W < 27.7 mag, we find 26 sources over the ∼45 arcmin ^2 field that are blue in F115W − F200W ∼ 0 (or β _UV ∼ –2.0 for f _λ ∝ λ ^β ), red in F200W − F444W = 1−4 ( β _opt ∼ +2.0), and are dominated by a point-source-like central component. Of the 20 sources with deep Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) 1.2 mm coverage, none are detected individually or in a stack. For the majority of the sample, spectral energy distribution fits to the JWST+ALMA observations prefer models with hot dust rather than obscured star formation to reproduce the red NIRCam colors and ALMA 1.2 mm nondetections. While compact dusty star formation cannot be ruled out, the combination of extremely small sizes (〈 r _e 〉 ≈ 50 pc after correction for magnification), red rest-frame optical slopes, and hot dust can be explained by reddened broad-line active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Our targets have faint M _1450 ≈ −14 to −18 mag but inferred bolometric luminosities of L _bol = 10 ^43 –10 ^46 erg s ^−1 , reflecting their obscured nature. If the candidates are confirmed as AGNs with upcoming UNCOVER spectroscopy, then we have found an abundant population of reddened luminous AGNs that are at least ten times more numerous than UV-luminous AGNs at the same intrinsic bolometric luminosity.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad3551AGN host galaxiesGalaxies
spellingShingle Ivo Labbe
Jenny E. Greene
Rachel Bezanson
Seiji Fujimoto
Lukas J. Furtak
Andy D. Goulding
Jorryt Matthee
Rohan P. Naidu
Pascal A. Oesch
Hakim Atek
Gabriel Brammer
Iryna Chemerynska
Dan Coe
Sam E. Cutler
Pratika Dayal
Robert Feldmann
Marijn Franx
Karl Glazebrook
Joel Leja
Michael Maseda
Danilo Marchesini
Themiya Nanayakkara
Erica J. Nelson
Richard Pan
Casey Papovich
Sedona H. Price
Katherine A. Suess
Bingjie Wang
John R. Weaver
Katherine E. Whitaker
Christina C. Williams
Adi Zitrin
UNCOVER: Candidate Red Active Galactic Nuclei at 3 < z < 7 with JWST and ALMA
The Astrophysical Journal
AGN host galaxies
Galaxies
title UNCOVER: Candidate Red Active Galactic Nuclei at 3 < z < 7 with JWST and ALMA
title_full UNCOVER: Candidate Red Active Galactic Nuclei at 3 < z < 7 with JWST and ALMA
title_fullStr UNCOVER: Candidate Red Active Galactic Nuclei at 3 < z < 7 with JWST and ALMA
title_full_unstemmed UNCOVER: Candidate Red Active Galactic Nuclei at 3 < z < 7 with JWST and ALMA
title_short UNCOVER: Candidate Red Active Galactic Nuclei at 3 < z < 7 with JWST and ALMA
title_sort uncover candidate red active galactic nuclei at 3 z 7 with jwst and alma
topic AGN host galaxies
Galaxies
url https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad3551
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