Exploring the Active Galactic Nucleus Fraction of a Sample of JWST’s Little Red Dots at 4 < <i>z</i> < 8: Overmassive Black Holes Are Strongly Favored
Emmanuel Durodola, Fabio Pacucci, Ryan C. Hickox
Abstract
Abstract JWST is revolutionizing our view of the early Universe by pushing the boundaries of detectable galaxies and black holes in redshift (upward) and mass (downward). The little red dots (LRDs), detected by several surveys at z > 4, present a significant interpretational challenge, as their spectral energy distributions (SEDs) can mimic both active galactic nucleus (AGN) and stellar population templates. This study analyzes 19 LRDs from the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey survey, utilizing NIRCam and MIRI photometry. By performing SED fitting across a vast parameter space, we explore a broad range of AGN fractions, defined as the ratio of the monochromatic luminosities (AGN, galaxy, and dust) over a specified wavelength range, 0.4–0.7 μ m rest frame. We find that 17 of the 19 LRDs investigated are consistent with having significant AGN contributions, with best-fitting AGN fractions ranging between 20% and 70%, while one galaxy shows a low AGN contribution (2%) and another appears to be purely star forming. Moreover, assuming these LRDs do indeed host AGN, we can place limits on their black hole masses using the inferred AGN bolometric luminosities and adopting the Eddington limit. We find that, independent of the specific AGN fraction adopted, the LRDs’ black holes are significantly overmassive relative to their host galaxies—by ∼1 dex, and up to ∼4 dex in the most extreme cases—compared to the local M • – M ⋆ relation. The presence of overmassive black holes in the high- z Universe may provide the strongest evidence yet of heavy black hole seeding occurring during the cosmic dark ages.