No Arabic abstract
We present the first X-ray spectrum of a Hot dust-obscured galaxy (DOG), namely W1835+4355 at z ~ 2.3. Hot DOGs represent a very rare population of hyperluminous (>= 10^47 erg/s), dust-enshrouded objects at z > 2 recently discovered in the WISE All Sky Survey. The 40 ks XMM-Newton spectrum reveals a continuum as flat (Gamma ~ 0.8) as typically seen in heavily obscured AGN. This, along with the presence of strong Fe Kalpha emission, clearly suggests a reflection-dominated spectrum due to Compton-thick absorption. In this scenario, the observed luminosity of L(2-10 keV) ~ 2 x 10^44 erg/s is a fraction (<10%) of the intrinsic one, which is estimated to be >~ 5 x 10^45 erg/s by using several proxies. The Herschel data allow us to constrain the SED up to the sub-mm band, providing a reliable estimate of the quasar contribution (~ 75%) to the IR luminosity as well as the amount of star formation (~ 2100 Msun/yr). Our results thus provide additional pieces of evidence that associate Hot DOGs with an exceptionally dusty phase during which luminous quasars and massive galaxies co-evolve and a very efficient and powerful AGN-driven feedback mechanism is predicted by models.
In this work we report the discovery of the hyperluminous galaxy HELP_J100156.75+022344.7 at the photometric redshift of z ~ 4.3. The galaxy was discovered in the Cosmological Evolution Survey (COSMOS) field, one of the fields studied by the Herschel Extragalactic Legacy Project (HELP). We present the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the galaxy and fit it with the CYprus models for Galaxies and their NUclear Spectra (CYGNUS) multi-component radiative transfer models. We find that its emission is dominated by an obscured quasar with a predicted total 1-1000um luminosity of $3.91^{+1.69}_{-0.55} times 10^{13} L_odot$ and an active galactic nucleus (AGN) fraction of ~89%. We also fit HELP_J100156.75+022344.7 with the Code Investigating GALaxy Emission (CIGALE) code and find a similar result. This is only the second z > 4 hyperluminous obscured quasar discovered to date. The discovery of HELP_J100156.75+022344.7 in the ~ 2deg^2 COSMOS field implies that a large number of obscured hyperluminous quasars may lie in the HELP fields which cover ~ 1300deg^2. If this is confirmed, tension between supermassive black hole evolution models and observations will be alleviated. We estimate the space density of objects like HELP_J100156.75+022344.7 at z ~ 4.5 to be $sim 1.8 times 10^{-8}$Mpc$^{-3}$. This is slightly higher than the space density of coeval hyperluminous optically selected quasars suggesting that the obscuring torus in z > 4 quasars may have a covering factor $gtrsim 50%$.
WISE J224607.56$-$052634.9 (W2246-0526) is a hyperluminous ($L_{rm bol}approx 1.7times 10^{14}~L_odot$), dust-obscured and radio-quiet quasar at redshift $z=4.6$. It plays a key role in probing the transition stage between dusty starbursts and unobscured quasars in the co-evolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes (SMBHs). To search for the evidence of the jet activity launched by the SMBH in W2246-0526, we performed very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations of its radio counterpart with the European VLBI Network (EVN) plus the enhanced Multi Element Remotely Linked Interferometer Network (e-MERLIN) at 1.66 GHz and the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 1.44 and 1.66 GHz. The deep EVN plus e-MERLIN observations detect a compact (size $leq32$ pc) sub-mJy component contributing about ten percent of its total flux density, which spatially coincides with the peak of dust continuum and [C II] emissions. Together with its relatively high brightness temperature ($geq8times10^{6}$ K), we interpret the component as a consequence of non-thermal radio activity powered by the central SMBH, which likely originates from a stationary jet base. The resolved-out radio emission possibly come from a diffuse jet, quasar-driven winds, or both, while the contribution by star formation activity is negligible. Moreover, we propose an updated geometry structure of its multi-wavelength active nucleus and shed light on the radio quasar selection bias towards the blazars at $z>4$.
Hot, Dust-Obscured Galaxies (Hot DOGs), selected from the WISE all sky infrared survey, host some of the most powerful Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) known, and might represent an important stage in the evolution of galaxies. Most known Hot DOGs are at $z> 1.5$, due in part to a strong bias against identifying them at lower redshift related to the selection criteria. We present a new selection method that identifies 153 Hot DOG candidates at $zsim 1$, where they are significantly brighter and easier to study. We validate this approach by measuring a redshift $z=1.009$, and an SED similar to higher redshift Hot DOGs for one of these objects, WISE J1036+0449 ($L_{rm,Bol}simeq 8times 10^{46}rm,erg,s^{-1}$), using data from Keck/LRIS and NIRSPEC, SDSS, and CSO. We find evidence of a broadened component in MgII, which, if due to the gravitational potential of the supermassive black hole, would imply a black hole mass of $M_{rm,BH}simeq 2 times 10^8 M_{odot}$, and an Eddington ratio of $lambda_{rm,Edd}simeq 2.7$. WISE J1036+0449 is the first Hot DOG detected by NuSTAR, and the observations show that the source is heavily obscured, with a column density of $N_{rm,H}simeq(2-15)times10^{23}rm,cm^{-2}$. The source has an intrinsic 2-10 keV luminosity of $sim 6times 10^{44}rm,erg,s^{-1}$, a value significantly lower than that expected from the mid-infrared/X-ray correlation. We also find that the other Hot DOGs observed by X-ray facilities show a similar deficiency of X-ray flux. We discuss the origin of the X-ray weakness and the absorption properties of Hot DOGs. Hot DOGs at $zlesssim1$ could be excellent laboratories to probe the characteristics of the accretion flow and of the X-ray emitting plasma at extreme values of the Eddington ratio.
We report on a NuSTAR and XMM-Newton program that has observed a sample of three extremely luminous, heavily obscured WISE-selected AGN at z~2 in a broad X-ray band (0.1 - 79 keV). The parent sample, selected to be faint or undetected in the WISE 3.4um (W1) and 4.6um (W2) bands but bright at 12um (W3) and 22um (W4), are extremely rare, with only ~1000 so-called W1W2-dropouts across the extragalactic sky. Optical spectroscopy reveals typical redshifts of z~2 for this population, implying rest-frame mid-IR luminosities of L(6um)~6e46 erg/s and bolometric luminosities that can exceed L(bol)~1e14 L(sun). The corresponding intrinsic, unobscured hard X-ray luminosities are L(2-10)~4e45 erg/s for typical quasar templates. These are amongst the most luminous AGN known, though the optical spectra rarely show evidence of a broad-line region and the selection criteria imply heavy obscuration even at rest-frame 1.5um. We designed our X-ray observations to obtain robust detections for gas column densities N(H)<1e24 /cm2. In fact, the sources prove to be fainter than these predictions. Two of the sources were observed by both NuSTAR and XMM-Newton, with neither being detected by NuSTAR and one being faintly detected by XMM-Newton. A third source was observed only with XMM-Newton, yielding a faint detection. The X-ray data require gas column densities N(H)>1e24 /cm2, implying the sources are extremely obscured, consistent with Compton-thick, luminous quasars. The discovery of a significant population of heavily obscured, extremely luminous AGN does not conform to the standard paradigm of a receding torus, in which more luminous quasars are less likely to be obscured. If a larger sample conforms with this finding, then this suggests an additional source of obscuration for these extreme sources.
We present ALMA observations and multiwavelength spectral energy distribution (SED) analysis in a WISE-selected, hyperluminous dust-obscured quasar W0533-3401 at $z=2.9$. We derive its physical properties of each component, such as molecular gas, stars, dust and the central supermassive black hole (SMBH). Both the dust continuum at 3 mm and the CO(3-2) line are detected. The derived molecular gas mass $M_{rm gas}=8.4times10^{10} M_odot$ and its fraction $f_{rm gas}=0.7$ suggest that W0533-3401 is gas-rich. The star formation rate (SFR) has been estimated to be $sim3000-7000 M_odot$ yr$^{-1}$ by using different methods. The high values of SFR and specific SFR suggest that W0533-3401 is a maximum-starburst. The corresponding gas depletion timescales are very short ($t_{rm depl}sim12-28$ Myr). The CO(3-2) emission line is marginally resolved and has a velocity gradient, which is possibly due to a rotating gas disk, gas outflow or merger. Finally, we infer the black hole mass growth rate of W0533-3401 (${dot{M}}_{rm BH}$ = 49 $M_odot$ yr$^{-1}$), which suggests a rapid growth of the central SMBH. The observed black hole to stellar mass ratio $M_{rm BH}/M_star$ of W0533-3401, which is dependent on the adopted Eddington ratio, is over one order of magnitude higher than the local value, and is evolving towards the evolutionary trend of unobscured quasars. Our results are consistent with the scenario that wobs, with both a gas-rich maximum-starburst and a rapid black hole growth, is experiencing a short transition phase towards an unobscured quasar.