Supermassive black holes at high redshift are expected to be obscured by their massive host galaxies' interstellar medium

We combine results from deep ALMA observations of massive (M* > 1010 M⊙) galaxies at different redshifts to show that the column density of their interstellar medium (ISM) rapidly increases toward early cosmic epochs. Our analysis includes objects from the ASPECS and ALPINE large programs, as wel...

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Autores: Gilli, Roberto, Norman, Colin, Calura, Francesco, Vito, Fabio, Decarli, Roberto, Marchesi, Stefano, Iwasawa, Kazushi, Comastri, Andrea, Lanzuisi, Giorgio, Pozzi, Francesca, D'Amato, Quirino, Vignali, Cristian, Brusa, Marcella, Mignoli, Marco, Cox, Pierre
Tipo de documento: artigo
Estado:Versão publicada
Data de publicação:2022
País:España
Recursos:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositório:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/295872
Acesso em linha:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/295872
Access Level:Acceso aberto
Palavra-chave:Galaxies: ISM
Galaxies: evolution
Galaxies: high-redshift
Quasars: supermassive black holes
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network_name_str España
repository_id_str
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Supermassive black holes at high redshift are expected to be obscured by their massive host galaxies' interstellar medium
title Supermassive black holes at high redshift are expected to be obscured by their massive host galaxies' interstellar medium
spellingShingle Supermassive black holes at high redshift are expected to be obscured by their massive host galaxies' interstellar medium
Gilli, Roberto
Galaxies: ISM
Galaxies: evolution
Galaxies: high-redshift
Quasars: supermassive black holes
title_short Supermassive black holes at high redshift are expected to be obscured by their massive host galaxies' interstellar medium
title_full Supermassive black holes at high redshift are expected to be obscured by their massive host galaxies' interstellar medium
title_fullStr Supermassive black holes at high redshift are expected to be obscured by their massive host galaxies' interstellar medium
title_full_unstemmed Supermassive black holes at high redshift are expected to be obscured by their massive host galaxies' interstellar medium
title_sort Supermassive black holes at high redshift are expected to be obscured by their massive host galaxies' interstellar medium
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Gilli, Roberto
Norman, Colin
Calura, Francesco
Vito, Fabio
Decarli, Roberto
Marchesi, Stefano
Iwasawa, Kazushi
Comastri, Andrea
Lanzuisi, Giorgio
Pozzi, Francesca
D'Amato, Quirino
Vignali, Cristian
Brusa, Marcella
Mignoli, Marco
Cox, Pierre
author Gilli, Roberto
author_facet Gilli, Roberto
Norman, Colin
Calura, Francesco
Vito, Fabio
Decarli, Roberto
Marchesi, Stefano
Iwasawa, Kazushi
Comastri, Andrea
Lanzuisi, Giorgio
Pozzi, Francesca
D'Amato, Quirino
Vignali, Cristian
Brusa, Marcella
Mignoli, Marco
Cox, Pierre
author_role author
author2 Norman, Colin
Calura, Francesco
Vito, Fabio
Decarli, Roberto
Marchesi, Stefano
Iwasawa, Kazushi
Comastri, Andrea
Lanzuisi, Giorgio
Pozzi, Francesca
D'Amato, Quirino
Vignali, Cristian
Brusa, Marcella
Mignoli, Marco
Cox, Pierre
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica
Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España)
Agencia Estatal de Investigación (España)
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Galaxies: ISM
Galaxies: evolution
Galaxies: high-redshift
Quasars: supermassive black holes
topic Galaxies: ISM
Galaxies: evolution
Galaxies: high-redshift
Quasars: supermassive black holes
description We combine results from deep ALMA observations of massive (M* > 1010 M⊙) galaxies at different redshifts to show that the column density of their interstellar medium (ISM) rapidly increases toward early cosmic epochs. Our analysis includes objects from the ASPECS and ALPINE large programs, as well as individual observations of z ∼ 6 quasar hosts. When accounting for non-detections and correcting for selection effects, we find that the median surface density of the ISM of the massive galaxy population evolves as ∼(1 + z)3.3. This means that the ISM column density toward the nucleus of a z > 3 galaxy is typically > 100 times larger than locally, and it may reach values as high as Compton-thick at z ≳ 6. Remarkably, the median ISM column density is on the same order of what is measured from X-ray observations of large active galactic nucleus (AGN) samples already at z ≳ 2. We have developed a simple analytic model for the spatial distribution of ISM clouds within galaxies, and estimate the total covering factor toward active nuclei when obscuration by ISM clouds on the host scale is added to that of parsec-scale circumnuclear material (the so-called torus). The model includes clouds with a distribution of sizes, masses, and surface densities, and also allows for an evolution of the characteristic cloud surface density with redshift, Σc, * ∝ (1 + z)γ. We show that, for γ = 2, such a model successfully reproduces the increase in the obscured AGN fraction with redshift that is commonly observed in deep X-ray surveys, both when different absorption thresholds and AGN luminosities are considered. Our results suggest that 80–90% of supermassive black holes in the early Universe (z > 6 − 8) are hidden to our view, primarily by the ISM in their hosts. We finally discuss the implications of our results and how they can be tested observationally with current and forthcoming facilities (e.g., VLT, E-ELT, ALMA, and JWST) and with next-generation X-ray imaging satellites. By extrapolating the observed X-ray nebulae around local AGN to the environments of supermassive black holes at high redshifts, we find ≲1″ nebulae impose stringent design constraints on the spatial resolution of any future X-ray imaging Great Observatory in the coming decades.
publishDate 2022
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2022
2023
2023
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
Publisher's version
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10261/295872
url http://hdl.handle.net/10261/295872
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv #PLACEHOLDER_PARENT_METADATA_VALUE#
#PLACEHOLDER_PARENT_METADATA_VALUE#
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/AEI/Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación 2017-2020/PID2019-105510GB-C33
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/AEI//CEX2019-000918-M
Astronomy and Astrophysics
https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202243708
No
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv EDP Sciences
publisher.none.fl_str_mv EDP Sciences
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
instname:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
instname_str Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
reponame_str DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
collection DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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spelling Supermassive black holes at high redshift are expected to be obscured by their massive host galaxies' interstellar mediumGilli, RobertoNorman, ColinCalura, FrancescoVito, FabioDecarli, RobertoMarchesi, StefanoIwasawa, KazushiComastri, AndreaLanzuisi, GiorgioPozzi, FrancescaD'Amato, QuirinoVignali, CristianBrusa, MarcellaMignoli, MarcoCox, PierreGalaxies: ISMGalaxies: evolutionGalaxies: high-redshiftQuasars: supermassive black holesWe combine results from deep ALMA observations of massive (M* > 1010 M⊙) galaxies at different redshifts to show that the column density of their interstellar medium (ISM) rapidly increases toward early cosmic epochs. Our analysis includes objects from the ASPECS and ALPINE large programs, as well as individual observations of z ∼ 6 quasar hosts. When accounting for non-detections and correcting for selection effects, we find that the median surface density of the ISM of the massive galaxy population evolves as ∼(1 + z)3.3. This means that the ISM column density toward the nucleus of a z > 3 galaxy is typically > 100 times larger than locally, and it may reach values as high as Compton-thick at z ≳ 6. Remarkably, the median ISM column density is on the same order of what is measured from X-ray observations of large active galactic nucleus (AGN) samples already at z ≳ 2. We have developed a simple analytic model for the spatial distribution of ISM clouds within galaxies, and estimate the total covering factor toward active nuclei when obscuration by ISM clouds on the host scale is added to that of parsec-scale circumnuclear material (the so-called torus). The model includes clouds with a distribution of sizes, masses, and surface densities, and also allows for an evolution of the characteristic cloud surface density with redshift, Σc, * ∝ (1 + z)γ. We show that, for γ = 2, such a model successfully reproduces the increase in the obscured AGN fraction with redshift that is commonly observed in deep X-ray surveys, both when different absorption thresholds and AGN luminosities are considered. Our results suggest that 80–90% of supermassive black holes in the early Universe (z > 6 − 8) are hidden to our view, primarily by the ISM in their hosts. We finally discuss the implications of our results and how they can be tested observationally with current and forthcoming facilities (e.g., VLT, E-ELT, ALMA, and JWST) and with next-generation X-ray imaging satellites. By extrapolating the observed X-ray nebulae around local AGN to the environments of supermassive black holes at high redshifts, we find ≲1″ nebulae impose stringent design constraints on the spatial resolution of any future X-ray imaging Great Observatory in the coming decades.We acknowledge financial contribution from the agreement ASI-INAF n. 2017-14-H.O. KI acknowledges support by the Spanish MCINN under grant PID2019-105510GB-C33/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and “Unit of excellence María de Maeztu 2020–2023” awarded to ICCUB (CEX2019-000918-M). SM acknowledges funding from the INAF “Progetti di Ricerca di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale” (PRIN), Bando 2019 (project: “Piercing through the clouds: a multiwavelength study of obscured accretion in nearby supermassive black holes”).Peer reviewedEDP SciencesAgenzia Spaziale ItalianaIstituto Nazionale di AstrofisicaMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España)Agencia Estatal de Investigación (España)202320232022info:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501Publisher's versioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/10261/295872reponame:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSICinstname:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)Inglés#PLACEHOLDER_PARENT_METADATA_VALUE##PLACEHOLDER_PARENT_METADATA_VALUE#info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/AEI/Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación 2017-2020/PID2019-105510GB-C33info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/AEI//CEX2019-000918-MAstronomy and Astrophysicshttps://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202243708Noinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:digital.csic.es:10261/2958722026-05-22T06:33:51Z
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