First results from the JWST Early Release Science Program Q3D: Ionization cone, clumpy star formation and shocks in a \(z=3\) extremely red quasar host

• Published in: arXiv.org
• Main Authors: Vayner, Andrey, Zakamska, Nadia L, Ishikawa, Yuzo, Sankar, Swetha, Wylezalek, Dominika, Rupke, David S N, Veilleux, Sylvain, Bertemes, Caroline, Barrera-Ballesteros, Jorge K, Hsiao-Wen, Chen, Diachenko, Nadiia, Goulding, Andy D, Greene, Jenny E, Hainline, Kevin N, Hamann, Fred, Heckman, Timothy, Johnson, Sean D, Hui Xian Grace Lim, Liu, Weizhe, Lutz, Dieter, Lutzgendorf, Nora, Mainieri, Vincenzo, McCrory, Ryan, Murphree, Grey, Nesvadba, Nicole P H, Ogle, Patrick, Sturm, Eckhard, Whitesell, Lillian
• Format: Paper
• Language: English
• Published: Ithaca Cornell University Library, arXiv.org 25.07.2023
• Subjects: Clumps; Emission analysis; Galaxies; Gas ionization; Metallicity; Near infrared radiation; Outflow; Photoionization; Quasars; Space telescopes; Star & galaxy formation; Star formation; Stars & galaxies
• ISSN: 2331-8422

Massive galaxies formed most actively at redshifts \(z=1-3\) during the period known as `cosmic noon.' Here we present an emission-line study of an extremely red quasar SDSSJ165202.64+172852.3 host galaxy at \(z=2.94\), based on observations with the Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) integral field unit (IFU) on board JWST. We use standard emission-line diagnostic ratios to map the sources of gas ionization across the host and a swarm of companion galaxies. The quasar dominates the photoionization, but we also discover shock-excited regions orthogonal to the ionization cone and the quasar-driven outflow. These shocks could be merger-induced or -- more likely, given the presence of a powerful galactic-scale quasar outflow -- these are signatures of wide-angle outflows that can reach parts of the galaxy that are not directly illuminated by the quasar. Finally, the kinematically narrow emission associated with the host galaxy presents as a collection of 1 kpc-scale clumps forming stars at a rate of at least 200 \(M_{\odot}\) yr\(^{-1}\). The ISM within these clumps shows high electron densities, reaching up to 3,000 cm\(^{-3}\) with metallicities ranging from half to a third solar with a positive metallicity gradient and V band extinctions up to 3 magnitudes. The star formation conditions are far more extreme in these regions than in local star-forming galaxies but consistent with that of massive galaxies at cosmic noon. JWST observations reveal an archetypical rapidly forming massive galaxy undergoing a merger, a clumpy starburst, an episode of obscured near-Eddington quasar activity, and an extremely powerful quasar outflow simultaneously.