Which Came First: Supermassive Black Holes or Galaxies? Insights from JWST

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Abstract

Insights from JWST observations suggest that active galactic nuclei feedback evolved from a short-lived, high-redshift phase in which radiatively cooled turbulence and/or momentum-conserving outflows stimulated vigorous early star formation (“positive” feedback), to late, energy-conserving outflows that depleted halo gas reservoirs and quenched star formation. The transition between these two regimes occurred at z ∼ 6, independently of galaxy mass, for simple assumptions about the outflows and star formation process.

Year of Publication
2024
Date Published
2024-01
Journal Title
The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Volume
961
Issue
2
Start Page or Article ID (correct)
L39
ISSN Number
2041-8205, 2041-8213
DOI
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