QSO J0305-3150
| QSO J0305-3150 | |
|---|---|
 QSO J0305-3150 imaged by DESI Legacy Survey | |
| Observation data (J2000.0 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Fornax |
| Right ascension | 03h 05m 16.92s |
| Declination | −31° 50′ 55.92″ |
| Redshift | 6.614500 |
| Distance | 12.8 billion ly (light-travel time distance) |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | QSO |
| Other designations | |
| VIKING J030516.92-315056.0 | |
QSO J0305-3150 or J0305-3150, is an extremely distant luminous quasar[1] located in the constellation of Fornax. It was first discovered by the VISTA Kilo-degree Infrared Galaxy survey (VIKING) in November 2013 and has a redshift of (z) 6.61, corresponding to a light travel time of 12.8 billion light-years.[2]
Description
[edit]QSO J0305-3150 is a quasar with an absolute magnitude of M1450 = -25.96 ± 0.06, but it is found fainter than ULAS J1120+0641.[2] Its estimated integrated line flux is 3.44 ± 0.15 Jy km s-1 making it the highest known amongst two other studied quasars, J0109-3047 and J2348-3054. When compared with another high redshift quasar SDSS J114816.64+525150.3, its emission line luminosity is found similar making the object amongst the brightest [C II] emitters.[3] A Lyman-alpha emission nebula is seen surrounding the quasar, being displaced and redshifted, with an extension of 9 kiloparsecs.[4]
The host of QSO J0305-3150 is described as massive ultraluminous inflared galaxy with a luminosity of 4.0-7.5 x 1012 Lʘ and a star formation of 1500 Mʘ per year. In the center like most other galaxies, lies a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of 1 x 109 Mʘ. Evidence showed the black hole is accreting given the presence of complex interstellar gas located within 3 kiloparsecs with high velocity dispersion.[5] A molecular gas reservoir has been found in the host galaxy with a measured stellar mass of less than 2.1 x 1010 Mʘ[6] and a mass surface density of (2.0 ± 0.9) x 104 pc-2.[7]
Observations made by Atacama Large Millimeter Array in February 2025, has found the quasar is undergoing a merger with a nearby companion galaxy described as an Lyman-alpha emitter (LAE).[8][4] When observed, it is found to display a compact dust continuum emission with most recovered within 1.6 kiloparsecs and a singly ionized carbon [C II] emission profile mainly made of a central Gaussian and an extended component. Results have also shown the emission is on large-scale with an aligned velocity gradient towards the galaxy, perturbed and misaligned with small-scale emission. As there is lack of [C II] emission in physical structures of 1 kiloparsec, it is not produced in dense photodissociation regions but inside low-density regions of both diffused H I gas and interstellar medium produced from tidal stripping during the merger process.[8]
A filamentary structure has been discovered surrounding QSO J0305-3150 by James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Based on observations, the structure is found to have a galaxy overdensity, making the structure most overdense when found in the early universe. The environment where the quasar is residing is complex with a diverse population of galaxies, among them dusty forming and ultraviolet-bright galaxies.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Champagne, Jaclyn B.; Wang, Feige; Yang, Jinyi; Fan, Xiaohui; Hennawi, Joseph F.; Sun, Fengwu; Bañados, Eduardo; Bosman, Sarah E. I.; Costa, Tiago (2025-02-20), "A Quasar-Anchored Protocluster at z=6.6 in the ASPIRE Survey: II. An Environmental Analysis of Galaxy Properties in an Overdense Structure", The Astrophysical Journal, 981 (2): 114, arXiv:2410.03827, Bibcode:2025ApJ...981..114C, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/adb1bc, retrieved 2025-06-29
- ^ a b Venemans, B. P.; Findlay, J. R.; Sutherland, W. J.; De Rosa, G.; McMahon, R. G.; Simcoe, R.; González-Solares, E. A.; Kuijken, K.; Lewis, J. R. (2013-11-22). "DISCOVERY OF THREEz> 6.5 QUASARS IN THE VISTA KILO-DEGREE INFRARED GALAXY (VIKING) SURVEY". The Astrophysical Journal. 779 (1): 24. arXiv:1311.3666. Bibcode:2013ApJ...779...24V. doi:10.1088/0004-637x/779/1/24. ISSN 0004-637X.
- ^ Venemans, Bram P.; Walter, Fabian; Zschaechner, Laura; Decarli, Roberto; De Rosa, Gisella; Findlay, Joseph R.; McMahon, Richard G.; Sutherland, Will J. (January 2016). "Bright [C II] and Dust Emission in Three z > 6.6 Quasar Host Galaxies Observed by ALMA". The Astrophysical Journal. 816 (1): 37. arXiv:1511.07432. Bibcode:2016ApJ...816...37V. doi:10.3847/0004-637X/816/1/37. ISSN 0004-637X.
- ^ a b Farina, Emanuele P.; Venemans, Bram P.; Decarli, Roberto; Hennawi, Joseph F.; Walter, Fabian; Bañados, Eduardo; Mazzucchelli, Chiara; Cantalupo, Sebastiano; Arrigoni-Battaia, Fabrizio; McGreer, Ian D. (October 2017). "Mapping the Lyα Emission around a z ∼ 6.6 QSO with MUSE: Extended Emission and a Companion at a Close Separation". The Astrophysical Journal. 848 (2): 78. arXiv:1709.06096. Bibcode:2017ApJ...848...78F. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aa8df4. ISSN 0004-637X.
- ^ Venemans, Bram P.; Neeleman, Marcel; Walter, Fabian; Novak, Mladen; Decarli, Roberto; Hennawi, Joseph F.; Rix, Hans-Walter (April 2019). "400 pc Imaging of a Massive Quasar Host Galaxy at a Redshift of 6.6". The Astrophysical Journal. 874 (2): L30. arXiv:1903.09202. Bibcode:2019ApJ...874L..30V. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ab11cc. ISSN 0004-637X.
- ^ Venemans, Bram P.; Walter, Fabian; Decarli, Roberto; Ferkinhoff, Carl; Weiß, Axel; Findlay, Joseph R.; McMahon, Richard G.; Sutherland, Will J.; Meijerink, Rowin (2017-08-20). "Molecular Gas in Three z ∼ 7 Quasar Host Galaxies". The Astrophysical Journal. 845 (2): 154. arXiv:1707.05238. Bibcode:2017ApJ...845..154V. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aa81cb. ISSN 0004-637X.
- ^ Li, Jianan; Venemans, Bram P.; Walter, Fabian; Decarli, Roberto; Wang, Ran; Cai, Zheng (May 2022). "Spatially Resolved Molecular Interstellar Medium in a z = 6.6 Quasar Host Galaxy". The Astrophysical Journal. 930 (1): 27. arXiv:2204.00793. Bibcode:2022ApJ...930...27L. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ac61d7. ISSN 0004-637X.
- ^ a b Meyer, Romain A.; Venemans, Bram; Neeleman, Marcel; Decarli, Roberto; Walter, Fabian (February 2025). "Pushing the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array to the Limit: 140 pc Resolution Observations of a z = 6.6 Quasar–Galaxy Merger Resolve Strikingly Different Morphologies of Dust Continuum and [C II] 158 μm Emission". The Astrophysical Journal. 980 (1): 20. arXiv:2412.07474. Bibcode:2025ApJ...980...20M. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ada351. ISSN 0004-637X.
- ^ Wang, Feige; Yang, Jinyi; Hennawi, Joseph F.; Fan, Xiaohui; Sun, Fengwu; Champagne, Jaclyn B.; Costa, Tiago; Habouzit, Melanie; Endsley, Ryan; Li, Zihao; Lin, Xiaojing; Meyer, Romain A.; Schindler, Jan–Torge; Wu, Yunjing; Bañados, Eduardo (2023-06-29). "A SPectroscopic Survey of Biased Halos in the Reionization Era (ASPIRE): JWST Reveals a Filamentary Structure around a z = 6.61 Quasar". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 951 (1): L4. arXiv:2304.09894. Bibcode:2023ApJ...951L...4W. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/accd6f. ISSN 2041-8205.
