RESOLVING THE OPTICAL EMISSION LINES OF Ly{alpha} BLOB ''B1'' AT z = 2.38: ANOTHER HIDDEN QUASAR
- Department of Astronomy, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station C1400, Austin, TX 78712 (United States)
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, CNRS, Universite Paris-Sud, F-91405 Orsay (France)
- Max-Planck-Institut fuer Astrophysik, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1, D-85741 Garching (Germany)
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD (United Kingdom)
- GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, UMR 8111, CNRS, Universite Paris Diderot, 5 place Jules Janssen, F-92190 Meudon (France)
- Centro de Astrobioloia (INTA-CSIC), Carretera de Ajalvir, km 4, E-28850 Torrejon de Ardoz, Madrid (Spain)
- Department of Physics, University of Durham, South Road, Durham DH13LE (United Kingdom)
We have used the SINFONI near-infrared integral field unit on the Very Large Telescope to resolve the optical emission line structure of one of the brightest (L{sub Ly{alpha}} Almost-Equal-To 10{sup 44} erg s{sup -1}) and nearest (z Almost-Equal-To 2.38) of all Ly{alpha} blobs (LABs). The target, known in the literature as object {sup B}1{sup ,} lies at a redshift where the main optical emission lines are accessible in the observed near-infrared. We detect luminous [O III] {lambda}{lambda}4959, 5007 and H{alpha} emission with a spatial extent of at least 32 Multiplication-Sign 40 kpc (4'' Multiplication-Sign 5''). The dominant optical emission line component shows relatively broad lines (600-800 km s{sup -1}, FWHM) and line ratios consistent with active galactic nucleus (AGN) photoionization. The new evidence for AGN photoionization, combined with previously detected C IV and luminous, warm infrared emission, suggest that B1 is the site of a hidden quasar. This is confirmed by the fact that [O II] is relatively weak compared with [O III] (extinction-corrected [O III]/[O II] of about 3.8), which is indicative of a high, Seyfert-like ionization parameter. From the extinction-corrected [O III] luminosity we infer a bolometric AGN luminosity of {approx}3 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 46} erg s{sup -1}, and further conclude that the obscured AGN may be Compton-thick given existing X-ray limits. The large line widths observed are consistent with clouds moving within the narrow-line region of a luminous QSO. The AGN scenario is capable of producing sufficient ionizing photons to power the Ly{alpha}, even in the presence of dust. By performing a census of similar objects in the literature, we find that virtually all luminous LABs harbor obscured quasars. Based on simple duty-cycle arguments, we conclude that AGNs are the main drivers of the Ly{alpha} in LABs rather than the gravitational heating and subsequent cooling suggested by cold stream models. We also conclude that the empirical relation between LABs and overdense environments at high redshift must be due to a more fundamental correlation between AGNs (or massive galaxies) and environment.
- OSTI ID:
- 22140162
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 771, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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