Observing the interstellar medium (ISM) in z≳6 quasars host galaxies is essential for understanding the co-evolution between the supermassive black holes and their hosts. To probe the gas physical conditions and search for imprints of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) on the ISM, we report ALMA observations of the [NII]122μm and [OI]146μm lines and the underlying continuum from the z=6.003 quasar SDSS J231038.88+185519.7. Together with previous [CII]158μm and [OIII]88μm observations, we use the ratios of these fine-structure lines to probe the ISM properties. Similar to other high-z systems, this object exhibits a [CII]158μm/[OI]146μm ratio comparable to the lowest values found in local (Ultra) luminous infrared galaxies, suggesting a "warmer" and "denser" gas component compared to typical local systems. The [OIII]88μm/[OI]146μm ratio is lower than that of other local and high-z systems, indicating a smaller ionized gas fraction in this quasar. The [OIII]88μm/[NII]122μm ratio is comparable to that of local systems, and suggests a metallicity of Z/Z⊙=1.5−2.1. Based on the [NII]122μm detection, we estimate that 17% of the [CII]158μm emission is associated with ionized gas. The [NII]122μm line shows a "flux deficit" comparable to local systems. The [OI]146μm line, with a [OI]146μm/FIR ratio ≥2× than expected from the local relation, indicates no [OI]146μm deficit. The low [CII]158μm/[OI]146μm ratio, together with the high [OI]146μm/FIR ratio in J2310+1855, reveals that the warm and dense gas is likely a result of AGN heating to the ISM.
@article{arxiv.2007.12339,
title = {Ionized and atomic interstellar medium in the z = 6.003 quasar SDSS J2310+1855},
author = {Jianan Li and Ran Wang and Pierre Cox and Yu Gao and Fabian Walter and Jeff Wagg and Karl M. Menten and Frank Bertoldi and Yali Shao and Bram P. Venemans and Roberto Decarli and Dominik Riechers and Roberto Neri and Xiaohui Fan and Alain Omont and Desika Narayanan},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2007.12339},
year = {2020}
}
Comments
Accepted for publication in Apj. 15 pages, 4 figures