HSC 120505.09-000027.9 (J1205-0000) is one of the highest redshift (z = 6.72) dust-reddened quasars (red quasars) known to date. We present an improved analysis of Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array data of the [C ii] 158 μm line and the underlying rest-frame far-infrared (FIR) continuum emission, previously reported in T. Izumi et al. (2021b), toward J1205-0000. Red quasars are thought to be a transitional phase from an obscured starburst to a luminous blue quasar, in some cases associated with massive outflows driven by the active galactic nucleus (AGN). J1205-0000 has a high FIR luminosity, LFIR = 2.5 × 1012 L⊙ and a total IR luminosity of LTIR = 3.5 × 1012 L⊙, corresponding to a star formation rate of ∼528 M⊙ yr−1. With the [C ii]-based dynamical mass of ∼1 × 1011 M⊙, we conclude that J1205-0000 is hosted by a starburst galaxy. In contradiction to T. Izumi et al., our improved analysis shows no hint of a broad component in the [C ii] line spectrum. Thus there is no evidence for a host galaxy-scale fast [C ii] outflow, despite the fact that J1205-0000 has fast nuclear ionized outflows seen in the rest-frame UV. We explore several scenarios for this discrepancy (e.g., the early phase of AGN feedback, reliability of the [C ii] line as a tracer of outflows), and we claim that it is still too early to conclude that there is no significant negative AGN feedback on star formation in this red quasar.

JWST has discovered many faint AGNs at high-z by detecting their broad Balmer lines. However, their high number density, lack of X-ray emission, and overly high black hole masses with respect to their host stellar masses suggest that they are a distinct population from general type-1 quasars. Here, we present clustering analysis of 27 low-luminosity broad-line AGNs found by JWST (JWST AGNs) at 5 < z < 6 based on cross-correlation analysis with 679 photometrically-selected galaxies to characterize their host dark matter halo (DMH) masses. From the angular and projected cross-correlation functions, we find that their typical DMH mass is log (Mhalo/h-1M⊙) = 11.46-0.25+0.19, and 11.53-0.20+0.15, respectively. This result implies that the host DMHs of these AGNs are ~1 dex smaller than those of luminous quasars. The DMHs of the JWST AGNs at 5 < z < 6 are predicted to grow to 1012-13h-1M⊙ at z ≲ 3, which is comparable to that of a more luminous quasar at the same epoch. Applying the empirical stellar-to-halo mass ratio to the measured DMH mass, we evaluate their host stellar mass as (M*M⊙)=9.48-0.41+0.31 and 9.60-0.33+0.24, which are higher than some of those estimated by the SED fitting. We also evaluate their duty cycle as fduty=0.37-0.15+0.19 per cent, corresponding to ~4/times 106 yr as the lifetime of the JWST AGNs. While we cannot exclude the possibility that the JWST AGNs are simply low-mass type-1 quasars, these results suggest that the JWST AGNs are a different population from type-1 quasars and the progenitors of quasars at z ≲ 3.

The current paradigm for the co-evolution of galaxies and their supermassive black holes postulates that dust-obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs) represent a transitional phase towards a more luminous and unobscured state. However, our understanding of dusty AGNs and their host galaxies at early cosmic times is inadequate due to observational limitations. Here, we present JWST observations of CID-931, an X-ray-detected AGN at a spectroscopic redshift of zspec = 4.91. Multiband NIRCam imaging from the COSMOS-Web program reveals an unresolved red core, similar to JWST-discovered dusty AGNs. Strikingly, the red core is surrounded by at least eight massive star-forming clumps spread over 1.6 ≈ 10 kpc, each of which has a stellar mass of 109–1010 M and a radius of ∼0.1–1 kpc. The whole system amounts to 1011 M in stellar mass, higher than typical star-forming galaxies at the same epoch. In this system, gas inflows and/or complex merger events may trigger clump formation and AGN activity, thus leading to the rapid formation of a massive galaxy hosting a supermassive black hole. Future followup observations will provide new insights into the evolution of the galaxy–black hole relationship during such transitional phases in the early universe.

The Fe ii/Mg ii emission line flux ratio in quasar spectra serves as a proxy for the relative Fe to α-element abundances in the broad-line regions of quasars. Due to the expected different enrichment timescales of the two elements, they can be used as a cosmic clock in the early Universe. We present a study of the Fe ii/Mg ii ratios in a sample of luminous quasars exploiting high-quality near-IR spectra taken primarily by the XQR-30 program with VLT XSHOOTER. These quasars have a median bolometric luminosity of log(L bol[erg s−1]) ∼ 47.3 and cover a redshift range of z = 6.0-6.6. The median value of the measured Fe ii/Mg ii ratios is ∼7.9 with a normalized median absolute deviation of ∼2.2. In order to trace the cosmic evolution of Fe ii/Mg ii in an unbiased manner, we select two comparison samples of quasars with similar luminosities and high-quality spectra from the literature, one at intermediate redshifts (z = 3.5-4.8) and the other at low redshifts (z = 1.0-2.0). We perform the same spectral analysis for all these quasars, including the usage of the same iron template, the same spectral fitting method, and the same wavelength fitting windows. We find no significant redshift evolution in the Fe ii/Mg ii ratio over the wide redshift range from z = 1 to 6.6. The result is consistent with previous studies and supports the scenario of a rapid iron enrichment in the vicinity of accreting supermassive black holes at high redshift.

Low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with low-mass black holes (BHs) in the early universe are fundamental to understanding the BH growth and their coevolution with the host galaxies. Utilizing JWST NIRCam Wide Field Slitless Spectroscopy, we perform a systematic search for broad-line Hα emitters (BHAEs) at z ≈ 4-5 in 25 fields of the A SPectroscopic survey of biased halos In the Reionization Era (ASPIRE) project, covering a total area of 275 arcmin2. We identify 16 BHAEs with FWHM of the broad components spanning from ∼1000 to 3000 km s−1. Assuming that the broad line widths arise as a result of Doppler broadening around BHs, the implied BH masses range from 107 to 108 M ⊙, with broad Hα-converted bolometric luminosities of 1044.5-1045.5 erg s−1 and Eddington ratios of 0.07-0.47. The spatially extended structure of the F200W stacked image may trace the stellar light from the host galaxies. The Hα luminosity function indicates an increasing AGN fraction toward the higher Hα luminosities. We find possible evidence for clustering of BHAEs: two sources are at the same redshift with a projected separation of 519 kpc; one BHAE appears as a composite system residing in an overdense region with three close companion Hα emitters. Three BHAEs exhibit blueshifted absorption troughs indicative of the presence of high column density gas. We find that the broad-line-selected and photometrically selected BHAE samples exhibit different distributions in the optical continuum slopes, which can be attributed to their different selection methods. The ASPIRE broad-line Hα sample provides a good database for future studies of faint AGN populations at high redshift.

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array [C ii] 158 μm line and underlying far-IR continuum emission observations (0.″57 × 0.″46 resolution) toward a quasar-quasar pair system recently discovered at z = 6.05. The quasar nuclei (C1 and C2) are faint (M 1450 ≳ −23 mag), but we detect very bright [C ii] emission bridging the 12 kpc between the two objects and extending beyond them (total luminosity L [C ii] ≃ 6 × 109 L ⊙). The [C ii]-based total star formation rate of the system is ∼550 M ⊙ yr−1 (the IR-based dust-obscured star formation is ∼100 M ⊙ yr−1), with a [C ii]-based total gas mass of ∼1011 M ⊙. The dynamical masses of the two galaxies are large (∼9 × 1010 M ⊙ for C1 and ∼5 × 1010 M ⊙ for C2). There is a smooth velocity gradient in [C ii], indicating that these quasars are a tidally interacting system. We identified a dynamically distinct, fast-[C ii] component around C1: detailed inspection of the line spectrum there reveals the presence of a broad-wing component, which we interpret as the indication of fast outflows with a velocity of ∼600 km s−1. The expected mass-loading factor of the outflows, after accounting for multiphase gas, is ≳2 − 3, which is intermediate between AGN-driven and starburst-driven outflows. Hydrodynamic simulations in the literature predict that this pair will evolve to a luminous (M 1450 ≲ −26 mag), starbursting (≳1000 M ⊙ yr−1) quasar after coalescence, one of the most extreme populations in the early Universe.

The evolution of the quasar luminosity function (QLF) is fundamental to understanding the cosmic evolution of black holes (BHs) through their accretion phases. In the era of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Euclid, and Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, their unprecedented detection sensitivity and wide survey area can unveil the low-luminosity quasar and low-mass BH population, and provide new insights into quasar host galaxies. We present a theoretical model describing BH growth from initial seeding at $z&gt;20$ to $z\sim 4$,incorporating the duration of accretion episodes, the distribution of Eddington ratios, and the mass dependency of BH accretion rates. By constraining the model parameters with the observed QLFs at $4\leq z\leq6$ across a wide UV luminosity range ($-29&lt;M_{\rm 1450}&lt;-24$), we find that the high-redshift BH population grows rapidly at $z\gtrsim6$, and decelerates the pace in subsequent epochs. Toward lower redshifts ($z&lt;6$), mass-dependent accretion inhibits the growth of high-mass BHs with $M_{\bullet}&gt;10^8~M_\odot$, leading to mass saturation at $M_\bullet\gtrsim 10^{10}~M_\odot$. We predict the BH mass function down to $M_{\bullet}\sim 10^6~M_\odot$ for both unobscured and obscured quasar populations at $4\leq z \leq 11$, offering a benchmark for future observational tests. Our model accounts for the presence of both bright and faint quasars at $z&gt;4$, including those discovered by JWST. Furthermore, our findings suggest two distinct pathways for the early assembly of the BH-galaxy mass correlation: the population with a BH-to-stellar mass ratio near the local value of $M_\bullet/M_{\star}\simeq5\times10^{-3}$ maintains a proximity to the relation through its evolution via moderate growth, while the population that begins to grow above the local relation accretes mass rapidly and becomes as overmassive as $M_\bullet/M_\star \sim 0.01-0.1$ by $z\sim 6$....

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has recently uncovered the presence of low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at z = 4-11. Spectroscopic observations have provided estimates of the nuclear black hole (BH) masses for these sources, extending the low-mass boundary down to M • ∼ 106-7 M ⊙. Despite this breakthrough, the observed lowest mass of BHs is still ≳1-2 orders of magnitude heavier than the predicted mass range of their seed population, thereby leaving the initial mass distribution of massive BHs poorly constrained. In this paper, we focus on UV-to-optical (in the rest frame) flares of stellar tidal disruption events (TDEs) embedded in low-luminosity AGNs as a tool for exploring low-mass BH populations with ≲104-6 M ⊙. We provide an estimate of the TDE rate over z = 4-11, associated with the properties of JWST-detected AGN host galaxies, and we find that deep and wide survey programs with JWST and the Roman Space Telescope (RST) can detect and identify TDEs up to z ≃ 4-7. The predicted detection numbers of TDEs at z > 4 in 1 yr are N TDE ∼ 2 - 10 ( 0.2 - 2 ) for the JADES-Medium (and COSMOS-Web) survey with JWST and N TDE ∼ 2 - 10 ( 8 - 50 ) for the deep (and wide) tiers of the High Latitude Time Domain Survey with RST. We further discuss survey strategies for hunting for transient high-redshift TDEs in wide-field surveys with RST, as well as a joint observation campaign with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory for enhancing the detection number. The high-redshift TDE search will give us a unique opportunity to probe the mass distribution of early BH populations.

In this Letter, we report the discovery of the highest redshift, heavily obscured, radio-loud (RL) active galactic nucleus (AGN) candidate selected using JWST NIRCam/MIRI, mid-IR, submillimeter, and radio imaging in the COSMOS-Web field. Using multifrequency radio observations and mid-IR photometry, we identify a powerful, RL, growing supermassive black hole with significant spectral steepening of the radio spectral energy distribution (f1.28 GHz ∼ 2 mJy, q24 μm = −1.1, α1.28−3 GHz = − 1.2, Δα = − 0.4). In conjunction with ALMA, deep ground-based observations, ancillary space-based data, and the unprecedented resolution and sensitivity of JWST, we find no evidence of AGN contribution to the UV/optical/near-infrared (NIR) data and thus infer heavy amounts of obscuration (NH > 1023 cm−2). Using the wealth of deep UV to submillimeter photometric data, we report a singular solution photo-z of zphot = 7.7-+0.30.4 and estimate an extremely massive host galaxy (log M* = 11.92 0.5M) hosting a powerful, growing supermassive black hole (LBol = 4−12x × 1046 erg s−1). This source represents the farthest known obscured RL AGN candidate, and its level of obscuration aligns with the most representative but observationally scarce population of AGN at these epochs.

We investigate the black hole mass function (BHMF) and Eddington-ratio distribution function (ERDF) of broad-line active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at z = 4, based on a sample of 52 quasars with i < 23.2 at 3.50 ≤ z ≤ 4.25 from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program S16A-Wide2 data set, and 1462 quasars with i < 20.2 in the same redshift range from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data release 7 quasar catalog. Virial black hole (BH) masses of quasars are estimated using the width of the CIV 1549 Å line and the continuum luminosity at 1350 Å. To obtain the intrinsic broad-line AGN BHMF and ERDF, we correct for the incompleteness in the low-mass and/or low-Eddington-ratio ranges caused by the flux-limited selection. The resulting BHMF is constrained down to log M BH / M ⊙ ∼ 7.5 . In comparison with broad-line AGN BHMFs at z ∼ 2 in the literature, we find that the number density of massive SMBHs peaks at higher redshifts, consistent with the downsizing evolutionary scenario. Additionally, the resulting ERDF shows a negative dependence on BH mass, suggesting more massive SMBHs tend to accrete at lower-Eddington ratios at z = 4. With the derived intrinsic broad-line AGN BHMF, we also evaluate the active fraction of broad-line AGNs among the entire SMBH population at z = 4. The resulting active fraction may suggest a positive dependence on BH mass. Finally, we examine the time evolution of broad-line AGN BHMF between z = 4 and 6 through solving the continuity equation. The results suggest that the broad-line AGN BHMFs at z = 4-6 only show evolution in their normalization, but with no significant changes in their shape.

We report the distribution of black hole (BH) masses and Eddingont ratios estimated for a sample of 131 low luminosity quasars in the early cosmic epoch (5.6 < z < 7.0). Our work is based on the Subaru High-z Exploration of Low-Luminosity Quasars (SHELLQs) project, which has constructed a low luminosity quasar sample down to M 1450 ∼ − 21 mag, exploiting the survey data of Hyper Suprime-Cam installed on Subaru Telescope. The discovery spectra of these quasars are limited to the rest-frame wavelengths of ∼1200-1400 Å, which contain no emission lines that can be used as BH mass estimators. In order to overcome this problem, we made use of low-z counterpart spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, which are spectrally matched to the high-z spectra in overlapping wavelengths. We then combined the C iv emission line widths of the counterparts with the continuum luminosity from the SHELLQs data to estimate BH masses. The resulting BH mass distribution has a range of ∼107-10 M ⊙, with most of the quasars having BH masses ∼108 M ⊙ with sub-Eddington accretion. The present study provides not only a new insight into normal quasars in the reionization epoch, but also a new promising way to estimate BH masses of high-z quasars without near-infrared spectroscopy.

We report the discovery of two quasars at a redshift of z = 6.05 in the process of merging. They were serendipitously discovered from the deep multiband imaging data collected by the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) Subaru Strategic Program survey. The quasars, HSC J121503.42−014858.7 (C1) and HSC J121503.55−014859.3 (C2), both have luminous (>1043 erg s−1) Lyα emission with a clear broad component (full width at half maximum >1000 km s−1). The rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) absolute magnitudes are M 1450 = − 23.106 ± 0.017 (C1) and −22.662 ± 0.024 (C2). Our crude estimates of the black hole masses provide log ( M BH / M ⊙ ) = 8.1 ± 0.3 in both sources. The two quasars are separated by 12 kpc in projected proper distance, bridged by a structure in the rest-UV light suggesting that they are undergoing a merger. This pair is one of the most distant merging quasars reported to date, providing crucial insight into galaxy and black hole build-up in the hierarchical structure formation scenario. A companion paper will present the gas and dust properties captured by Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations, which provide additional evidence for and detailed measurements of the merger, and also demonstrate that the two sources are not gravitationally lensed images of a single quasar.

We present bolometric luminosities, black hole masses, and Eddington ratios for 42 luminous quasars at z ≳ 6 using high signal-to-noise ratio VLT/X-shooter spectra, acquired as part of the enlarged ESO Large Programme XQR-30. In particular, we derived the bolometric luminosities from the rest-frame 3000 Å luminosities using a bolometric correction from the literature, as well as the black hole masses by modeling the spectral regions around the C IV 1549 Å and the Mg II 2798 Å emission lines, with scaling relations calibrated in the Local Universe. We find that the black hole masses derived from both emission lines are in the same range and the scatter of the measurements agrees with expectations from the scaling relations. The Mg II-derived masses are between ∼(0.8−12) ×10⁹ M_⊙ and the derived Eddington ratios are within ∼0.13−1.73, with a mean (median) of 0.84(0.72). By comparing the total sample of quasars at z &gt; 5.8, from this work and from the literature, to a bolometric luminosity distribution-matched sample at z ∼ 1.5, we find that quasars at high redshift host slightly less massive black holes, which accrete slightly more rapidly than those at lower z, with a difference in the mean Eddington ratios of the two samples of ∼0.27. These findings are in agreement with the results of recent works in the literature....

In this letter, we report the discovery of the highest redshift, heavily obscured, radio-loud QSO candidate selected using JWST NIRCam/MIRI, mid-IR, sub-mm, and radio imaging in the COSMOS-Web field. Using multi-frequency radio observations and mid-IR photometry, we identify a powerful, radio-loud (RL), growing supermassive black hole (SMBH) with significant spectral steepening of the radio SED ($f_{1.32 \mathrm{GHz } } \sim 2$ mJy, $q_{24\mu m} = -1.1$, $\alpha_{1.32-3\mathrm{GHz } }=-1.2$, $\Delta \alpha = -0.4$). In conjunction with ALMA, deep ground-based observations, ancillary space-based data, and the unprecedented resolution and sensitivity of JWST, we find no evidence of QSO contribution to the UV/optical/NIR data and thus infer heavy amounts of obscuration (N$_{\mathrm{H } } &gt; 10^{23}$ cm$^{-2}$). Using the wealth of deep UV to sub-mm photometric data, we report a singular solution photo-z of $z_\mathrm{phot}$ = 7.65$^{+0.4}_{-0.3}$ and estimate an extremely massive host-galaxy ($\log M_{\star} = 11.92 \pm 0.06\,\mathrm{M}_{\odot}$). This source represents the furthest known obscured RL QSO candidate, and its level of obscuration aligns with the most representative but observationally scarce population of QSOs at these epochs....

Studies of rest-frame optical emission in quasars at z &gt; 6 have historically been limited by the wavelengths accessible by ground-based telescopes. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) now offers the opportunity to probe this emission deep into the reionization epoch. We report the observations of eight quasars at z &gt; 6.5 using the JWST/NIRCam Wide Field Slitless Spectroscopy as a part of the "A SPectroscopic survey of biased halos In the Reionization Era (ASPIRE)" program. Our JWST spectra cover the quasars' emission between rest frame ~4100 and 5100 Å. The profiles of these quasars' broad Hβ emission lines span a full width at half maximum from 3000 to 6000 km s^-1. The Hβ-based virial black hole (BH) masses, ranging from 0.6 to 2.1 billion solar masses, are generally consistent with their Mg II-based BH masses. The new measurements based on the more reliable Hβ tracer thus confirm the existence of a billion solar-mass BHs in the reionization epoch. In the observed [O III] λ λ 4960,5008 doublets of these luminous quasars, broad components are more common than narrow core components (≤ 1200 km s^-1), and only one quasar shows stronger narrow components than broad. Two quasars exhibit significantly broad and blueshifted [O III] emission, thought to trace galactic-scale outflows, with median velocities of -610 and -1430 km s^-1 relative to the [C II] 158 μm line. All eight quasars show strong optical Fe II emission and follow the eigenvector 1 relations defined by low-redshift quasars. The entire ASPIRE program will eventually cover 25 quasars and provide a statistical sample for the studies of the BHs and quasar spectral properties....

We present the first results from the JWST program A SPectroscopic survey of biased halos In the Reionization Era (ASPIRE). This program represents an imaging and spectroscopic survey of 25 reionization-era quasars and their environments by utilizing the unprecedented capabilities of NIRCam Wide Field Slitless Spectroscopy (WFSS) mode. ASPIRE will deliver the largest ( $\sim 280\,{\mathrm{arcmin } }^{2}$ ) galaxy redshift survey at 3-4 μm among JWST Cycle 1 programs and provide extensive legacy values for studying the formation of the earliest supermassive black holes, the assembly of galaxies, early metal enrichment, and cosmic reionization. In this first ASPIRE paper, we report the discovery of a filamentary structure traced by the luminous quasar J0305-3150 and 10 [O III] emitters at z = 6.6. This structure has a 3D galaxy overdensity of δ _gal = 12.6 over 637 cMpc³, one of the most overdense structures known in the early universe, and could eventually evolve into a massive galaxy cluster. Together with existing VLT/MUSE and ALMA observations of this field, our JWST observations reveal that J0305-3150 traces a complex environment where both UV-bright and dusty galaxies are present and indicate that the early evolution of galaxies around the quasar is not simultaneous. In addition, we discovered 31 [O III] emitters in this field at other redshifts, 5.3 &lt; z &lt; 6.7, with half of them situated at z ~ 5.4 and 6.2. This indicates that star-forming galaxies, such as [O III] emitters, are generally clustered at high redshifts. These discoveries demonstrate the unparalleled redshift survey capabilities of NIRCam WFSS and the potential of the full ASPIRE survey data set....

Over the last two decades, around 300 quasars have been discovered at z ≳ 6, yet only one has been identified as being strongly gravitationally lensed. We explore a new approach-enlarging the permitted spectral parameter space, while introducing a new spatial geometry veto criterion-which is implemented via image-based deep learning. We first apply this approach to a systematic search for reionization-era lensed quasars, using data from the Dark Energy Survey, the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy Hemisphere Survey, and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. Our search method consists of two main parts: (i) the preselection of the candidates, based on their spectral energy distributions (SEDs), using catalog-level photometry; and (ii) relative probability calculations of the candidates being a lens or some contaminant, utilizing a convolutional neural network (CNN) classification. The training data sets are constructed by painting deflected point-source lights over actual galaxy images, to generate realistic galaxy-quasar lens models, optimized to find systems with small image separations, i.e., Einstein radii of θ _E ≤ 1″. Visual inspection is then performed for sources with CNN scores of P _lens &gt; 0.1, which leads us to obtain 36 newly selected lens candidates, which are awaiting spectroscopic confirmation. These findings show that automated SED modeling and deep learning pipelines, supported by modest human input, are a promising route for detecting strong lenses from large catalogs, which can overcome the veto limitations of primarily dropout-based SED selection approaches....

The space density of X-ray-luminous, blindly selected active galactic nuclei (AGN) traces the population of rapidly accreting super-massive black holes through cosmic time. It is encoded in the X-ray luminosity function, whose bright end remains poorly constrained in the first billion years after the Big Bang as X-ray surveys have thus far lacked the required cosmological volume. With the eROSITA Final Equatorial-Depth Survey (eFEDS), the largest contiguous and homogeneous X-ray survey to date, X-ray AGN population studies can now be extended to new regions of the luminosity-redshift space (L2-10 keV > 1045 erg s-1 and z > 6). Aims. The current study aims at identifying luminous quasars at z > 5:7 among X-ray-selected sources in the eFEDS field in order to place a lower limit on black hole accretion well into the epoch of re-ionisation. A secondary goal is the characterisation of the physical properties of these extreme coronal emitters at high redshifts. Methods. Cross-matching eFEDS catalogue sources to optical counterparts from the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys, we confirm the low significance detection with eROSITA of a previously known, optically faint z = 6:56 quasar from the Subaru High-z Exploration of Low-luminosity Quasars (SHELLQs) survey. We obtained a pointed follow-up observation of the source with the Chandra X-ray telescope in order to confirm the low-significance eROSITA detection. Using new near-infrared spectroscopy, we derived the physical properties of the super-massive black hole. Finally, we used this detection to infer a lower limit on the black hole accretion density rate at z > 6. Results. The Chandra observation confirms the eFEDS source as the most distant blind X-ray detection to date. The derived X-ray luminosity is high with respect to the rest-frame optical emission of the quasar.With a narrow Mgii line, low derived black hole mass, and high Eddington ratio, as well as its steep photon index, the source shows properties that are similar to local narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies, which are thought to be powered by young super-massive black holes. In combination with a previous high-redshift quasar detection in the field, we show that quasars with L2-10 keV > 1045 erg s-1 dominate accretion onto super-massive black holes at z _ 6.

Luminous quasars are powerful targets to investigate the role of feedback from supermassive black holes (BHs) in regulating the growth phases of BHs themselves and of their host galaxies, up to the highest redshifts. Here we investigate the cosmic evolution of the occurrence and kinematics of BH-driven outflows, as traced by broad absorption line (BAL) features, due to the C IV ionic transition. We exploit a sample of 1935 quasars at z = 2.1-6.6 with bolometric luminosity log(L _bol/erg s^-1) ≳ 46.5, drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and from the X-Shooter legacy survey of Quasars at the Reionization Epoch (XQR-30). We consider rest-frame optical bright quasars to minimize observational biases due to quasar selection criteria. We apply a homogeneous BAL-identification analysis, based on employing composite template spectra to estimate the quasar intrinsic emission. We find a BAL quasar fraction close to 20% at z ~ 2-4, while it increases to almost 50% at z ~ 6. The velocity and width of the BAL features also increase at z ≳ 4.5. We exclude the possibility that the redshift evolution of the BAL properties is due to differences in terms of quasar luminosity and accretion rate. These results suggest significant BH feedback occurring in the 1 Gyr old universe, likely affecting the growth of BHs and, possibly, of their host galaxies, as supported by models of early BH and galaxy evolution....

A large fraction of the accreting supermassive black hole population is shrouded by copious amounts of gas and dust, particularly in the distant (z ≳ 1) universe. While much of the obscuration is attributed to a parsec-scale torus, there is a known contribution from the larger-scale host galaxy. Using JWST/NIRCam imaging from the COSMOS-Web survey, we probe the galaxy-wide dust distribution in X-ray selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) up to z ~ 2. Here, we focus on a sample of three AGNs with their host galaxies exhibiting prominent dust lanes, potentially due to their edge-on alignment. These represent 27% (3 out of 11 with early NIRCam data) of the heavily obscured (N _H &gt; 10²³ cm^-2) AGN population. With limited signs of a central AGN in the optical and near-infrared, the NIRCam images are used to produce reddening maps E(B - V) of the host galaxies. We compare the mean central value of E(B - V) to the X-ray obscuring column density along the line of sight to the AGN (N _H ~ 10^23-23.5 cm^-2). We find that the extinction due to the host galaxy is present (0.6 ≲ E(B - V) ≲ 0.9; 1.9 ≲ A _V ≲ 2.8) and significantly contributes to the X-ray obscuration at a level of N _H ~ 10^22.5 cm^-2 assuming an SMC gas-to-dust ratio that amounts to ≲30% of the total obscuring column density. These early results, including three additional cases from CEERS, demonstrate the ability to resolve such dust structures with JWST and separate the different circumnuclear and galaxy-scale obscuring structures....

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will open a new window into the most distant universe and unveil the early growth of supermassive black holes (BHs) in the first galaxies. In preparation for deep JWST imaging surveys, it is crucial to understand the color selection of high-redshift accreting seed BHs. We model the spectral energy distribution of super-Eddington accreting BHs with millions of solar masses in metal-poor galaxies at z ≳ 8, applying postprocess line transfer calculations to radiation hydrodynamical simulation results. Exposures of 10 ks with the NIRCam and MIRI broadband filters are sufficient to detect the radiation flux from the seed BHs with bolometric luminosities of L bol ≃ 1045 erg s-1. While the continuum colors are similar to those of typical low-z quasars, strong Hα line emission with a rest-frame equivalent width EWrest ≃ 1300 Å is so prominent that the line flux affects the broadband colors significantly. The unique colors, for instance, F356W - F560W 3 1 at 7 < z < 8 and F444W - F770W 3 1 at 9 < z < 12, provide robust criteria for photometric selection of rapidly growing seed BHs. Moreover, NIRSpec observations of low-ionization emission lines can test whether the BH is fed via a dense accretion disk at super-Eddington rates.

The James Webb Space Telescope will have the power to characterize high-redshift quasars at z ≥ 6 with an unprecedented depth and spatial resolution. While the brightest quasars at such redshift (i.e. with bolometric luminosity $L {\rm bol}\geqslant 10 {46}\, \rm erg/s$) provide us with key information on the most extreme objects in the Universe, measuring the black hole (BH) mass and Eddington ratios of fainter quasars with $L_{\rm bol}= 10 {45}-10 {46}\, \rm erg\,s { -1}$ opens a path to understand the build-up of more normal BHs at z ≥ 6. In this paper, we show that the Illustris, TNG100, TNG300, Horizon-AGN, EAGLE, and SIMBA large-scale cosmological simulations do not agree on whether BHs at z ≥ 4 are overmassive or undermassive at fixed galaxy stellar mass with respect to the MBH - M scaling relation at z = 0 (BH mass offsets). Our conclusions are unchanged when using the local scaling relation produced by each simulation or empirical relations. We find that the BH mass offsets of the simulated faint quasar population at z ≥ 4, unlike those of bright quasars, represent the BH mass offsets of the entire BH population, for all the simulations. Thus, a population of faint quasars with $L {\rm bol}= 10 {45}-10 {46}\, \rm erg\,s { -1}$ observed by JWST can provide key constraints on the assembly of BHs at high redshift. Moreover, this will help constraining the high-redshift regime of cosmological simulations, including BH seeding, early growth, and co-evolution with the host galaxies. Our results also motivate the need for simulations of larger cosmological volumes down to z ∼6, with the same diversity of subgrid physics, in order to gain statistics on the most extreme objects at high redshift.

We present X-SHOOTER near-IR spectroscopy of a large sample of 38 luminous (M 1450 =-29.0 to-24.4) quasars at 5.78 < z < 7.54, which have complementary [C ii] 158μm observations from ALMA. This X-SHOOTER/ALMA sample provides us with the most comprehensive view of reionization-era quasars to date, allowing us to connect the quasar properties with those of its host galaxy. In this work we introduce the sample, discuss data reduction and spectral fitting, and present an analysis of the broad emission line properties. The measured Fe ii/Mg ii flux ratio suggests that the broad-line regions of all quasars in the sample are already enriched in iron. We also find the Mg ii line to be on average blueshifted with respect to the [C ii] redshift with a median of-391 km s-1. A significant correlation between the Mg ii-[C ii] 158μm and C iv-[C ii] 158μm velocity shifts indicates a common physical origin. Furthermore, we fRequently detect large C iv-Mg ii emission line velocity blueshifts in our sample with a median value of-1848 km s-1. While we find all other broad emission line properties not to be evolving with redshift, the median C iv-Mg ii blueshift is much larger than found in low-redshift, luminosity-matched quasars (-800 km s-1). Dividing our sample into two redshift bins, we confirm an increase of the average C iv-Mg ii blueshift with increasing redshift. Future observations of the rest-frame optical spectrum with the James Webb Space Telescope will be instrumental in further constraining the possible evolution of quasar properties in the epoch of reionization.

We present the quasar luminosity function at z ∼ 5 derived from the optical wide-field survey data obtained as a part of the Subaru strategic program (SSP) with the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC). From a ∼81.8 deg2 area in the Wide layer of the HSC-SSP survey, we selected 224 candidates of low-luminosity quasars at z ∼ 5 by adopting the Lyman-break method down to i = 24.1 mag. Based on our candidates and spectroscopically confirmed quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), we derived the quasar luminosity function at z ∼ 5, covering a wide luminosity range of-28.76 < M 1450 <-22.32 mag. We found that the quasar luminosity function is fitted by a double power-law model with a break magnitude of mag. The inferred number density of low-luminosity quasars is lower, and the derived faint-end slope, is flatter than those of previous studies at z ∼ 5. A compilation of the quasar luminosity function at 4 ≤ z ≤ 6 from the HSC-SSP suggests that there is little redshift evolution in the break magnitude and in the faint-end slope within this redshift range, although previous studies suggest that the faint-end slope becomes steeper at higher redshifts. The number density of low-luminosity quasars decreases more rapidly from z ∼ 5 to z ∼ 6 than from z ∼ 4 to z ∼ 5.

We analyze relative abundances and ionization conditions in a strong absorption system at z=6.84, seen in the spectrum of the z=7.54 background quasar ULAS J134208.10+092838.61. Singly ionized C, Si, Fe, Mg, and Al measurements are consistent with a warm neutral medium that is metal-poor but not chemically pristine. Firm non-detections of C IV and Si IV imply that any warm ionized phase of the IGM or CGM has not yet been enriched past the ultra-metal-poor regime (&lt;0.001Z_{solar}), unlike lower redshift DLAs where these lines are nearly ubiquitous. Relative abundances of the heavy elements 794 Myr after the Big Bang resemble those of metal-poor damped Lyman Alpha systems at intermediate redshift and Milky Way halo stars, and show no evidence of enhanced [alpha/Fe], [C/Fe] or other signatures of yields dominated by massive stars. A detection of the CII* fine structure line reveals local sources of excitation from heating, beyond the level of photo-excitation supplied by the CMB. We estimate the total and [CII] cooling rates, balancing against ISM heating sources to develop an heuristic two-phase model of the neutral medium. The implied heating requires a surface density of star formation slightly exceeding that of the Milky Way but not at the level of a strong starburst. For a typical (assumed) NHI=10^{20.6}, an abundance of [Fe/H]=-2.2 matches the columns of species in the neutral phase. To remain undetected in C IV, a warm ionized phase would either need much lower [C/H]&lt;-4.2 over an absorption path of 1 kpc, or else a very small absorption path (a few pc). While still speculative, these results suggest a significant reduction in heavy element enrichment outside of neutral star forming regions of the ISM, as would be expected in early stages of galactic chemical evolution....

We present measurements of the size of the quasar proximity zone (Rp) for 11 low-luminosity (-26.16 ≤ M1450 ≤ -22.83) quasars at z ∼ 6, discovered by the Subaru High-z Exploration of Low-Luminosity Quasars project. Our faint quasar sample expands the Rp measurement down to M1450 = -22.83 mag, where more common quasar populations dominate at the epoch. We restrict the sample to quasars whose systemic redshifts have been precisely measured by [C II] 158 μm or Mg II λ2798 emission lines. We also update the Rp measurements for 26 luminous quasars presented in Eilers et al. by using the latest systemic redshift results. The luminosity dependence on Rp is found to be consistent with the theoretical prediction assuming a highly ionized intergalactic medium. We find a shallow redshift evolution of the luminosity-corrected Rp, Rp-,corr25 (Rp-,corr25 µ (1 + z)-3.79±1.72) over 5.8 ≤ z ≤ 6.6. This trend is steeper than that of Eilers et al., but significantly shallower than those of the earlier studies. Our results suggest that Rp,corr is insensitive to the neutral fraction of the universe at z ∼ 6. Four quasars show exceptionally small Rp-,corr25 (≤0.90 proper Mpc), which could be the result of their young age (<104 yr) in the reionization epoch, though statistics on this are still scarce.

We present the discovery of PSO J083.8371+11.8482, a weak emission line quasar with extreme star formation rate at z = 6.3401. This quasar was selected from Pan-STARRS1, UHS, and unWISE photometric data. Gemini/ GNIRS spectroscopy follow-up indicates a Mg II-based black hole mass of MBH = (2.0-+0.40.7) ´ 109 Me and an Eddington ratio of Lbol LEdd = 0.5-+0.20.1, in line with an actively accreting supermassive black hole (SMBH) at z ≥ 6. Hubble Space Telescope imaging sets strong constraint on lens boosting, showing no relevant effect on the apparent emission. The quasar is also observed as a pure point source with no additional emission component. The broad-line region (BLR) emission is intrinsically weak and not likely caused by an intervening absorber. We found rest-frame equivalent widths of EW (Lya + N V)rest = 5.7 ± 0.7 Å, EW (C IV)rest ≤ 5.8 Å (3σ upper limit), and EW (Mg II)rest = 8.7 ± 0.7 Å. A small proximity zone size (Rp = 1.2 ± 0.4 pMpc) indicates a lifetime of only tQ = 103.4±0.7 years from the last quasar phase ignition. ALMA shows extended [C II] emission with a mild velocity gradient. The inferred far-infrared luminosity (LFIR = (1.2 ± 0.1) ´ 1013 L◦) is one of the highest among all known quasar hosts at z ≥ 6. Dust and [C II] emissions put a constraint on the star formation rate of SFR = 900–4900 M◦ yr-1, similar to that of a hyperluminous infrared galaxy. Considering the observed quasar lifetime and BLR formation timescale, the weak-line profile in the quasar spectrum is most likely caused by a BLR that is not yet fully formed rather than by continuum boosting by gravitational lensing or a soft continuum due to super-Eddington accretion.

We report the rest-frame ultraviolet luminosity function of g-dropout galaxies in 177 protocluster candidates (PC UVLF) at z ∼ 4 selected in the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program. Comparing it with the UVLF of field galaxies at the same redshift, we find that the PC UVLF shows a significant excess toward the bright end. This excess cannot be explained by the contribution of only active galactic nuclei, and we also find that this excess is more significant in higher density regions. Assuming that all protocluster members are located on the star formation main sequence, the PC UVLF can be converted into a stellar mass function. Consequently, our protocluster members are inferred to have a 2.8 times more massive characteristic stellar mass than that of the field Lyman break galaxies at the same redshift. This study, for the first time, clearly shows that the enhancement in star formation or stellar mass in overdense regions can generally be seen as early as at z ∼ 4. We also estimate the star formation rate density (SFRD) in protocluster regions as ≃6%-20% of the cosmic SFRD, based on the measured PC UVLF after correction for the selection incompleteness in our protocluster sample. This high value suggests that protoclusters make a nonnegligible contribution to the cosmic SFRD at z ∼ 4, as previously suggested by simulations. Our results suggest that protoclusters are essential components for galaxy evolution at z ∼ 4.

We present deep (9 hr) Gemini-N/Gemini Near-InfraRed Spectrograph near-infrared spectroscopic observations of ULAS J1342+0928, a luminous quasar at z = 7.54. Various broad emission lines were detected, as well as the underlying continuum and iron forests over the rest-frame wavelength 970-2930 Å. There is a clear trend that higher-ionization emission lines show larger blueshifts with C IV λ 1549 exhibiting 5510110240 km s-1 blueshift with respect to the systematic redshift from the far-infrared [C ii] 158μm emission line. Those high-ionization lines have wide profiles with FWHM more than 10,000 km s-1. A modest blueshift of 34080110 km s-1 is also seen in Mg ii, the lowest-ionization line identified in the spectrum. The updated Mg ii-based black hole mass of MBH=9.1-1.31.4 × 108M⊙ and the Eddington ratio of Lbol/LEdd = 1.1-0.2+0.2 confirm that ULAS J1342+0928 is powered by a massive and actively accreting black hole. There is no significant difference in the emission-line ratios such as Si iv/C iv and Al iii/C iv when compared to lower-redshift quasars in a similar luminosity range, which suggests early metal pollution of the broad-line-region clouds. This trend also holds for the Fe ii/Mg ii line ratio, known as a cosmic clock that traces the iron enrichment in the early universe. Different iron templates and continuum fitting ranges were used to explore how the Fe ii/Mg ii measurement changes as a function of spectral modeling. Quasars at even higher redshift or at fainter luminosity range (Lbol/LEdd≲ 1046 erg s-1) are needed to probe the sites of early metal enrichment and a corresponding change in the Fe ii/Mg ii ratio.

We present ALMA [C II] line and far-infrared (FIR) continuum observations of three z > 6 low-luminosity quasars (M1450 > –25 mag) discovered by our Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) survey. The [C II] line was detected in all three targets with luminosities of (2.4–9.5) × 108 L⊙, about one order of magnitude smaller than optically luminous (M1450 ≲ –25 mag) quasars. The FIR continuum luminosities range from < 9 × 1010 L⊙ (3 σ limit) to ∼2 × 1012 L⊙, indicating a wide range in star formation rates in these galaxies. Most of the HSC quasars studied thus far show [C II]/FIR luminosity ratios similar to local star-forming galaxies. Using the [C II]-based dynamical mass (Mdyn) as a surrogate for bulge stellar mass (Mbulge), we find that a significant fraction of low-luminosity quasars are located on or even below the local MBH–Mbulge relation, particularly at the massive end of the galaxy mass distribution. In contrast, previous studies of optically luminous quasars have found that black holes are overmassive relative to the local relation. Given the low luminosities of our targets, we are exploring the nature of the early co-evolution of supermassive black holes and their hosts in a less biased way. Almost all of the quasars presented in this work are growing their black hole mass at a much higher pace at z ∼ 6 than the parallel growth model, in which supermassive black holes and their hosts grow simultaneously to match the local MBH–Mbulge relation at all redshifts. As the low-luminosity quasars appear to realize the local co-evolutionary relation even at z ∼ 6, they should have experienced vigorous starbursts prior to the currently observed quasar phase to catch up with the relation.

We report the discovery of 28 quasars and 7 luminous galaxies at 5.7 ≤ z ≤ 7.0. This is the tenth in a series of papers from the Subaru High-z Exploration of Low-Luminosity Quasars (SHELLQs) project, which exploits the deep multiband imaging data produced by the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) Subaru Strategic Program survey. The total number of spectroscopically identified objects in SHELLQs has now grown to 93 high-z quasars, 31 high-z luminous galaxies, 16 [O iii] emitters at z ∼ 0.8, and 65 Galactic cool dwarfs (low-mass stars and brown dwarfs). These objects were found over 900 deg2, surveyed by HSC between 2014 March and 2018 January. The full quasar sample includes 18 objects with very strong and narrow Lyα emission, whose stacked spectrum is clearly different from that of other quasars or galaxies. While the stacked spectrum shows N v λ1240 emission and resembles that of lower-z narrow-line quasars, the small Lyα width may suggest a significant contribution from the host galaxies. Thus, these objects may be composites of quasars and star-forming galaxies.

We present the results of a survey of the brightest UV-selected galaxies in protoclusters. These proto-brightest cluster galaxy (proto-BCG) candidates are drawn from 179 overdense regions of g-dropout galaxies at z ∼ 4 from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program identified previously as good protocluster candidates. This study is the first to extend the systematic study of the progenitors of BCGs from z ∼ 2 to z ∼ 4. We carefully remove possible contaminants from foreground galaxies and, for each structure, select the brightest galaxy that is at least 1 mag brighter than the fifth-brightest galaxy. We select 63 proto-BCG candidates and compare their properties with those of galaxies in the field and those of other galaxies in overdense structures. The proto-BCG candidates and their surrounding galaxies have different rest-UV color (i - z) distributions to field galaxies and other galaxies in protoclusters that do not host proto-BCGs. In addition, galaxies surrounding proto-BCGs are brighter than those in protoclusters without proto-BCGs. The image stacking analysis reveals that the average effective radius of proto-BCGs is ∼28% larger than that of field galaxies. The i - z color differences suggest that proto-BCGs and their surrounding galaxies are dustier than other galaxies at z ∼ 4. These results suggest that specific environmental effects or assembly biases have already emerged in some protoclusters as early as z ∼ 4, and we suggest that proto-BCGs have different star formation histories than other galaxies in the same epoch.

We report the discovery of a quasar at z = 7.07, which was selected from the deep multi-band imaging data collected by the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) Subaru Strategic Program survey. This quasar, HSC J124353.93+010038.5, has an order of magnitude lower luminosity than do the other known quasars at z > 7. The rest-frame ultraviolet absolute magnitude is M 1450 = -24.13 0.08 mag and the bolometric luminosity is erg s -1 . Its spectrum in the optical to near-infrared shows strong emission lines, and shows evidence for a fast gas outflow, as the C iv line is blueshifted and there is indication of broad absorption lines. The Mg ii-based black hole mass is , thus indicating a moderate mass accretion rate with an Eddington ratio . It is the first z > 7 quasar with sub-Eddington accretion, besides being the third most distant quasar known to date. The luminosity and black hole mass are comparable to, or even lower than, those measured for the majority of low-z quasars discovered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and thus this quasar likely represents a z > 7 counterpart to quasars commonly observed in the low-z universe.

We have carried out deep and wide field imaging observations with narrow bands, targeting 11 quasar fields to systematically study the possible photoevaporation effect of quasar radiation on surrounding low mass galaxies at z ∼ 2-3. We focused on Lyα emitters (LAEs) at the same redshifts as quasars that lie within the quasar proximity zones, where the UV radiation from the quasars is higher than the average background at that epoch. We found that LAEs with high rest-frame equivalent width of Lyα emission (EW0) of ≳150 Å with low stellar mass (≲108 M o) are predominantly scarce in the quasar proximity zones, suggesting that quasar photoevaporation effects may be taking place. The halo mass of LAEs with EW0 > 150 Å is estimated to be either from spectral energy distribution fitting or the main sequence. Based on a hydrodynamical simulation, the predicted delay in star formation under a local UV background intensity with erg s-1 cm-2 Hz-1 sr-1 for galaxies having less than this halo mass is about >20 Myr, which is longer than the expected age of LAEs with EW0 > 150 Å. On the other hand, photoevaporation seems to be less effective around very luminous quasars, which is consistent with the idea that these are still in an early stage of activity.

We present new measurements of the quasar luminosity function (LF) at z ∼ 6 over an unprecedentedly wide range of the rest-frame ultraviolet luminosity M 1450 from -30 to -22 mag. This is the fifth in a series of publications from the Subaru High-z Exploration of Low-Luminosity Quasars (SHELLQs) project, which exploits the deep multiband imaging data produced by the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program survey. The LF was calculated with a complete sample of 110 quasars at 5.7 ≤ z ≤ 6.5, which includes 48 SHELLQs quasars discovered over 650 deg2 and 63 brighter quasars discovered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the Canada-France-Hawaii Quasar Survey (including one overlapping object). This is the largest sample of z ∼ 6 quasars with a well-defined selection function constructed to date, which has allowed us to detect significant flattening of the LF at its faint end. A double power-law function fit to the sample yields a faint-end slope , a bright-end slope , a break magnitude , and a characteristic space density Gpc-3 mag-1. Integrating this best-fit model over the range -18 < M 1450 < -30 mag, quasars emit ionizing photons at the rate of s-1 Mpc-3 at z = 6.0. This is less than 10% of the critical rate necessary to keep the intergalactic medium ionized, which indicates that quasars are not a major contributor to cosmic reionization.

We report the discovery of 41 new high-z quasars and luminous galaxies that were spectroscopically identified at 5.7 ≤ z ≤ 6.9. This is the fourth in a series of papers from the Subaru High-z Exploration of Low-Luminosity Quasars (SHELLQs) project, based on the deep multi-band imaging data collected by the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) Subaru Strategic Program survey. We selected the photometric candidates using a Bayesian probabilistic algorithm and then carried out follow-up spectroscopy with the Gran Telescopio Canarias and the Subaru Telescope. Combined with the sample presented in the previous papers, we have now spectroscopically identified 137 extremely red HSC sources over about 650 deg2, which includes 64 high-z quasars, 24 high-z luminous galaxies, 6 [O iii] emitters at z ∼ 0.8, and 43 Galactic cool dwarfs (low-mass stars and brown dwarfs). The new quasars span in luminosity range from M 1450 ∼ -26 to -22 mag, and continue to populate luminosities a few magnitudes lower than have been probed by previous wide-field surveys. In a companion paper, we derive the quasar luminosity function at z ∼ 6 over an unprecedentedly wide range of M 1450 ∼ -28 to -21 mag, exploiting the SHELLQs and other survey outcomes.

We present our ALMA Cycle 4 measurements of the [C II] emission line and the underlying far-infrared (FIR) continuum emission from four optically low-luminosity (M1450 > -25) quasars at z ≳ 6 discovered by the Subaru Hyper Suprime Cam (HSC) survey. The [C II] line and FIR continuum luminosities lie in the ranges L[C II] = (3.8-10.2) × 108 L· and LFIR = (1.2-2.0) × 1011 L·, which are at least one order of magnitude smaller than those of optically-luminous quasars at z ≳ 6. We estimate the star formation rates (SFRs) of our targets as ≲ 23-40 M· yr-1. Their line and continuum-emitting regions are marginally resolved, and found to be comparable in size to those of optically-luminous quasars, indicating that their SFR or likely gas mass surface densities (key controlling parameter of mass accretion) are accordingly different. The L[C II]/LFIR ratios of the hosts, ≲ (2.2- 8.7) × 10-3, are fully consistent with local star-forming galaxies. Using the [C II] dynamics, we derived their dynamical masses within a radius of 1.5-2.5 kpc as ≲ (1.4-8.2) × 1010 M·. By interpreting these masses as stellar ones, we suggest that these faint quasar hosts are on or even below the star-forming main sequence at z ∼ 6, i.e., they appear to be transforming into quiescent galaxies. This is in contrast to the optically-luminous quasars at those redshifts, which show starburst-like properties. Finally, we find that the ratios of black hole mass to host galaxy dynamical mass of most of the low-luminosity quasars, including the HSC ones, are consistent with the local value. The mass ratios of the HSC quasars can be reproduced by a semi-analytical model that assumes merger-induced black hole host galaxy evolution.

We present the cross-correlation between 151 luminous quasars (MUV < -26) and 179 protocluster candidates at z ∼ 3.8, extracted from the Wide imaging survey (∼121 deg2) performed as part of the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP). We find that only two out of 151 quasars reside in regions that are more overdense compared to the average field at >4 σ. The distributions of the distances between quasars and the nearest protoclusters and the significance of the overdensity at the positions of quasars are statistically identical to those found for g-dropout galaxies, suggesting that quasars tend to reside in almost the same environment as star-forming galaxies at this redshift. Using stacking analysis, we find that the average density of g-dropout galaxies around quasars is slightly higher than that around g-dropout galaxies on 1.0-2.5 pMpc scales, while at <0.5 pMpc that around quasars tends to be lower. We also find that quasars with higher UV luminosity or with more massive black holes tend to avoid the most overdense regions, and that the quasar near-zone sizes are anti-correlated with overdensity. These findings are consistent with a scenario in which luminous quasars at z ∼ 4 reside in structures that are less massive than those expected for the progenitors of today's rich clusters of galaxies, and possibly that luminous quasarsmay be suppressing star formation in their close vicinity.

We examine the clustering of quasars over a wide luminosity range, by utilizing 901 quasars at zphot ∼ 3.8 with -24.73 < M1450 < -22.23 photometrically selected from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP) S16A Wide2 date release and 342 more luminous quasars at 3.4 < zspec < 4.6 with -28.0 < M1450 < -23.95 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey that fall in the HSC survey fields. We measure the bias factors of two quasar samples by evaluating the cross-correlation functions (CCFs) between the quasar samples and 25790 bright z ∼ 4 Lyman break galaxies in M1450 < -21.25 photometrically selected from the HSC dataset. Over an angular scale of 10.0 to 1000.0, the bias factors are 5.93+1.34 -1.43 and 2.73+2.44 -2.55 for the low- and high-luminosity quasars, respectively, indicating no significant luminosity dependence of quasar clustering at z ∼ 4. It is noted that the bias factor of the luminous quasars estimated by the CCF is smaller than that estimated by the auto-correlation function over a similar redshift range, especially on scales below 40.0. Moreover, the bias factor of the less-luminous quasars implies the minimal mass of their host dark matter halos is 0.3-2 × 1012 h-1M, corresponding to a quasar duty cycle of 0.001-0.06.

We present the luminosity function of z ∼ 4 quasars based on the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program Wide layer imaging data in the g, r, i, z, and y bands covering 339.8 deg2. From stellar objects, 1666 z ∼ 4 quasar candidates are selected via the g-dropout selection down to i = 24.0mag. Their photometric redshifts cover the redshift range between 3.6 and 4.3, with an average of 3.9. In combination with the quasar sample from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey in the same redshift range, a quasar luminosity function covering the wide luminosity range of M1450 = -22 to -29mag is constructed. The quasar luminosity function is well described by a double power-law model with a knee at M1450 = -25.36±0.13mag and a flat faint-end slope with a power-law index of -1.30±0.05. The knee and faint-end slope show no clear evidence of redshift evolution from those seen at z ∼ 2. The flat slope implies that the UV luminosity density of the quasar population is dominated by the quasars around the knee, and does not support the steeper faint-end slope at higher redshifts reported at z > 5. If we convert the M1450 luminosity function to the hard X-ray 2-10 keV luminosity function using the relation between the UV and X-ray luminosity of quasars and its scatter, the number density of UV-selected quasars matches well with that of the X-ray-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) above the knee of the luminosity function. Below the knee, the UV-selected quasars show a deficiency compared to the hard X-ray luminosity function. The deficiency can be explained by the lack of obscured AGNs among the UV-selected quasars.

We present spectroscopic identification of 32 new quasars and luminous galaxies discovered at 5.7 < z ≤ 6.8. This is the second in a series of papers presenting the results of the Subaru High-z Exploration of Low-Luminosity Quasars (SHELLQs) project, which exploits the deep multi-band imaging data produced by the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) Subaru Strategic Program survey. The photometric candidates were selected by a Bayesian probabilistic algorithm, and then observed with spectrographs on the Gran Telescopio Canarias and the Subaru Telescope. Combined with the sample presented in the previous paper of this series, we have now identified 64 HSC sources over about 430 deg2, which include 33 high-z quasars, 14 high-z luminous galaxies, two [OIII] emitters at z ∼ 0.8, and 15 Galactic brown dwarfs. The new quasars have considerably lower luminosity (M1450 ∼ -25 to -22 mag) than most of the previously known high-z quasars. Several of these quasars have luminous (>1043 erg s-1) and narrow (< 500kms-1) Lyα lines, and also a possible mini broad-absorption-line system of N V λ1240 in the composite spectrum, which clearly separate them from typical quasars. On the other hand, the high-z galaxies have extremely high luminosities (M1450 ∼ -24 to -22 mag) compared to other galaxies found at similar redshifts. With the discovery of these new classes of objects, we are opening up new parameter spaces in the high-z Universe. Further survey observations and follow-up studies of the identified objects, including the construction of the quasar luminosity function at z ∼ 6, are ongoing.

We investigate the galaxy overdensity around proto-cluster scale quasar pairs at high (z > 3) and low (z ∼ 1) redshift based on the unprecedentedly wide and deep optical survey of the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP). Using the firstyear survey data covering effectively ∼121 deg2 with the 5σ depth of i ∼ 26.4 and the SDSS DR12Q catalog, we find two luminous pairs at z ∼ 3.3 and 3.6 which reside in >5σ overdensity regions of g-dropout galaxies at i < 25. The projected separations of the two pairs are R = 1.75 and 1.04 proper Mpc (pMpc), and their velocity offsets are ΔV = 692 and 1448kms-1, respectively. This result is in clear contrast to the average z ∼ 4 quasar environments as discussed in Uchiyama et al. (2018, PASJ 70, S32) and implies that the quasar activities of the pair members are triggered via major mergers in proto-clusters, unlike the vast majority of isolated quasars in general fields that may turn on via non-merger events such as bar and disk instabilities. At z ∼ 1, we find 37 pairs with R < 2pMpc and ΔV < 2300kms-1 in the current HSC-Wide coverage, including four from Hennawi et al. (2006, AJ, 131, 1). The distribution of the peak overdensity significance within two arcminutes around the pairs has a long tail toward high-density (>4σ) regions. Thanks to the large sample size, we find statistical evidence that this excess is unique to the pair environments when compared to single-quasar and randomly selected galaxy environments at the same redshift range.Moreover, there are nine smallscale (R < 1 pMpc) pairs, two of which are found to reside in cluster fields. Our results demonstrate that <2 pMpc scale quasar pairs at both redshift ranges tend to occur in massive haloes, although perhaps not the most massive ones, and that they are useful in searching for rare density peaks.

We conduct a systematic search for galaxy protoclusters at z ∼ 3.8 based on the latest internal data release (S16A) of the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru strategic program (HSCSSP). In the Wide layer of the HSC-SSP, we investigate the large-scale projected sky distribution of g-dropout galaxies over an area of 121 deg2, and identify 216 large-scale overdense regions (>4 σ overdensity significance) that are likely protocluster candidates. Of these, 37 are located within 8 (3.4 physical Mpc) of other protocluster candidates of higher overdensity, and are expected to merge into a single massive structure by z = 0. Therefore, we find 179 unique protocluster candidates in our survey. A cosmological simulation that includes projection effects predicts that more than 76% of these candidates will evolve into galaxy clusters with halo masses of at least 1014 M by z = 0. The unprecedented size of our protocluster candidate catalog allows us to perform, for the first time, an angular clustering analysis of the systematic sample of protocluster candidates. We find a correlation length of 35.0 h-1 Mpc. The relation between correlation length and number density of z ∼ 3.8 protocluster candidates is consistent with the prediction of the ΣCDM model, and the correlation length is similar to that of rich clusters in the local universe. This result suggests that our protocluster candidates are tracing similar spatial structures to those expected from the progenitors of rich clusters, and enhances the confidence that our method for identifying protoclusters at high redshifts is robust. In years to come, our protocluster search will be extended to the entire HSC-SSP Wide sky coverage of ∼1400 deg2 to probe cluster formation over a wide redshift range of z ∼ 2-6.

We report the discovery of 15 quasars and bright galaxies at 5.7 < z < 6.9. This is the initial result from the Subaru High-z Exploration of Low-Luminosity Quasars project, which exploits the exquisite multiband imaging data produced by the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) Strategic Program survey. The candidate selection is performed by combining several photometric approaches including a Bayesian probabilistic algorithm to reject stars and dwarfs. The spectroscopic identification was carried out with the Gran Telescopio Canarias and the Subaru Telescope for the first 80 deg2 of the survey footprint. The success rate of our photometric selection is quite high, approaching 100% at the brighter magnitudes (zAB < 23.5 mag). Our selection also recovered all the known high-z quasars on the HSC images. Among the 15 discovered objects, six are likely quasars, while the other six with interstellar absorption lines and in some cases narrow emission lines are likely bright Lyman-break galaxies. The remaining three objects have weak continua and very strong and narrow Lyα lines, which may be excited by ultraviolet light from both young stars and quasars. These results indicate that we are starting to see the steep rise of the luminosity function of z ≥ 6 galaxies, compared with that of quasars, at magnitudes fainter than M1450 ∼ -22 mag or zAB ∼ 24 mag. Follow-up studies of the discovered objects as well as further survey observations are ongoing.