The Evolutionary Pathway of Low-mass Supermassive Black Holes at Intermediate Redshift: Insights from the JADES Survey

Understanding the relationship between supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their host galaxies at different redshifts is crucial for unraveling the processes of SMBH–galaxy coevolution. We present the properties of nine type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at intermediate redshift (2 <  z  < ...

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Main Authors: Atsushi Hoshi, Toru Yamada
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:The Astrophysical Journal
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adeb6a
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author Atsushi Hoshi
Toru Yamada
author_facet Atsushi Hoshi
Toru Yamada
author_sort Atsushi Hoshi
collection DOAJ
description Understanding the relationship between supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their host galaxies at different redshifts is crucial for unraveling the processes of SMBH–galaxy coevolution. We present the properties of nine type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at intermediate redshift (2 <  z  < 4) using the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey. All of them show the significant H α broad line and the AGN contribution in spectral energy distribution. Our sample covers SMBH masses of 10 ^6.1−8.2 M _⊙ and stellar masses of 10 ^9.3−11.0 M _⊙ , comparable to those of the AGNs observed in the local Universe. In the low-mass SMBH regime (<10 ^8 M _⊙ ), the black hole (BH)-to-stellar mass ratios in our sample (0.01%–0.1%) differ from those of the AGNs at z  > 4 (1%–10%), suggesting that BHs and galaxies may trace different evolutionary pathways at intermediate and high redshifts. We also perform 2D image decomposition using GALFIT to constrain the bulge mass by evaluating the bulge contribution in the rest-frame near-infrared flux. We identify the AGNs with low BH-to-bulge mass ratios compared to those observed in the nearby bulge-dominant galaxies. This finding suggests the existence of a galaxy-first evolutionary path, in which bulge formation occurs before substantial gas is efficiently accreted onto the central engine.
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spelling doaj-art-b5ec7268fb034ccfbc1d40206663dd222025-08-20T02:44:56ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-01988223410.3847/1538-4357/adeb6aThe Evolutionary Pathway of Low-mass Supermassive Black Holes at Intermediate Redshift: Insights from the JADES SurveyAtsushi Hoshi0https://orcid.org/0009-0003-7134-0539Toru Yamada1Astronomical Institute, Tohoku University , 6-3 Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8578, Japan; Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency , 3-1-1, Yoshinodai, Chuou-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-5210, JapanAstronomical Institute, Tohoku University , 6-3 Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8578, Japan; Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency , 3-1-1, Yoshinodai, Chuou-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-5210, JapanUnderstanding the relationship between supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their host galaxies at different redshifts is crucial for unraveling the processes of SMBH–galaxy coevolution. We present the properties of nine type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at intermediate redshift (2 <  z  < 4) using the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey. All of them show the significant H α broad line and the AGN contribution in spectral energy distribution. Our sample covers SMBH masses of 10 ^6.1−8.2 M _⊙ and stellar masses of 10 ^9.3−11.0 M _⊙ , comparable to those of the AGNs observed in the local Universe. In the low-mass SMBH regime (<10 ^8 M _⊙ ), the black hole (BH)-to-stellar mass ratios in our sample (0.01%–0.1%) differ from those of the AGNs at z  > 4 (1%–10%), suggesting that BHs and galaxies may trace different evolutionary pathways at intermediate and high redshifts. We also perform 2D image decomposition using GALFIT to constrain the bulge mass by evaluating the bulge contribution in the rest-frame near-infrared flux. We identify the AGNs with low BH-to-bulge mass ratios compared to those observed in the nearby bulge-dominant galaxies. This finding suggests the existence of a galaxy-first evolutionary path, in which bulge formation occurs before substantial gas is efficiently accreted onto the central engine.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adeb6aActive galactic nucleiA supergiant starsBlack hole physicsSeyfert galaxies
spellingShingle Atsushi Hoshi
Toru Yamada
The Evolutionary Pathway of Low-mass Supermassive Black Holes at Intermediate Redshift: Insights from the JADES Survey
The Astrophysical Journal
Active galactic nuclei
A supergiant stars
Black hole physics
Seyfert galaxies
title The Evolutionary Pathway of Low-mass Supermassive Black Holes at Intermediate Redshift: Insights from the JADES Survey
title_full The Evolutionary Pathway of Low-mass Supermassive Black Holes at Intermediate Redshift: Insights from the JADES Survey
title_fullStr The Evolutionary Pathway of Low-mass Supermassive Black Holes at Intermediate Redshift: Insights from the JADES Survey
title_full_unstemmed The Evolutionary Pathway of Low-mass Supermassive Black Holes at Intermediate Redshift: Insights from the JADES Survey
title_short The Evolutionary Pathway of Low-mass Supermassive Black Holes at Intermediate Redshift: Insights from the JADES Survey
title_sort evolutionary pathway of low mass supermassive black holes at intermediate redshift insights from the jades survey
topic Active galactic nuclei
A supergiant stars
Black hole physics
Seyfert galaxies
url https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adeb6a
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