Quasar outflows at $z geq 6$: the impact on the host galaxies

We investigate quasar outflows at $z geq 6$ by performing zoom-in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. By employing the SPH code GADGET-3, we zoom in the $2 R_{200}$ region around a $2 times 10^{12} M_{odot}$ halo at $z = 6$, inside a $(500 ~ {rm Mpc})^3$ comoving volume. We compare the results of our AGN runs with a control simulation in which only stellar/SN feedback is considered. Seeding $10^5 M_{odot}$ BHs at the centers of $10^{9} M_{odot}$ halos, we find the following results. BHs accrete gas at the Eddington rate over $z = 9 - 6$. At $z = 6$, our most-massive BH has grown to $M_{rm BH} = 4 times 10^9 M_{odot}$. Fast ($v_{r} > 1000$ km/s), powerful ($dot{M}_{rm out} sim 2000 M_{odot}$/yr) outflows of shock-heated low-density gas form at $z sim 7$, and propagate up to hundreds kpc. Star-formation is quenched over $z = 8 - 6$, and the total SFR (SFR surface density near the galaxy center) is reduced by a factor of $5$ ($1000$). We analyse the relative contribution of multiple physical process: (i) disrupting cosmic filamentary cold gas inflows, (ii) reducing central gas density, (iii) ejecting gas outside the galaxy; and find that AGN feedback has the following effects at $z = 6$. The inflowing gas mass fraction is reduced by $sim 12 %$, the high-density gas fraction is lowered by $sim 13 %$, and $sim 20 %$ of the gas outflows at a speed larger than the escape velocity ($500$ km/s). We conclude that quasar-host galaxies at $z geq 6$ are accreting non-negligible amount of cosmic gas, nevertheless AGN feedback quenches their star formation dominantly by powerful outflows ejecting gas out of the host galaxy halo.

Radio recombination lines from obscured quasars with the SKA

We explore the possibility of detecting hydrogen radio recombination lines from 0 < z < 10 quasars. We compute the expected Hnalpha flux densities as a function of absolute magnitude and redshift by considering (i) the range of observed AGN spectral indices from UV to X-ray bands, (ii) secondary ionizations from X-ray photons, and (iii) stimulated emission due to nonthermal radiation. All these effects are important to determine the line fluxes. We find that the combination of slopes: alpha_X,hard = -1.11, alpha_X,soft = -0.7, alpha_EUV = -1.3, alpha_UV = -1.7, maximizes the expected flux, f_Hnalpha = 10 microJy for z = 7 quasars with M_AB = -27 in the n = 50 lines; allowed SED variations produce variations by a factor of 3 around this value. Secondaries boost the line intensity by a factor of 2 to 4, while stimulated emission in high-z quasars with M_AB = -26 provides an extra boost to RRL flux observed at nu = 1 GHz if recombinations arise in HII regions with T_e = 10^3-5 K, n_e = 10^3-5 cm^-3. We compute the sensitivity required for a 5sigma detection of Hnalpha lines using the SKA, finding that the SKA-MID could detect sources with M_AB < -27 (M_AB < -26) at z < 8 (z < 3) in less than 100 hrs of observing time. These observations could open new paths to searches for obscured SMBH progenitors, complementing X-ray, optical/IR and sub-mm surveys.