Resolving the dynamical mass of a z 1.3 quasi-stellar object host galaxy using sinfoni and laser guide star assisted adaptive optics

Abstract

Recent studies of the tight scaling relations between the masses of supermassive black holes (BHs) and their host galaxies have suggested that in the past BHs constituted a larger fraction of their host galaxies' mass. However, these arguments are limited by selection effects and difficulties in determining robust host galaxy masses at high redshifts. Here we report the first results of a new, complementary diagnostic route: we directly determine a dynamical host galaxy mass for the z = 1.3 luminous quasar J090543.56+043347.3 through high spatial resolution (047, 4kpc FWHM) observations of the host galaxy gas kinematics over 30 × 40kpc using the European Southern Observatory/Very Large Telescope/SINFONI with laser guide star adaptive optics. Combining our result of M dyn = 2.05+1.68- 0.74 × 1011 M⊙ (within a radius 5.25 1.05kpc) with M BH, MgII = 9.02 1.43 × 108 M⊙, M BH, Hα = 2.83+1.93- 1.13 × 108 M⊙, we find that the ratio of BH mass to host galaxy dynamical mass for J090543.56+043347.3 matches the present-day relation for M BH versus M Bulge, Dyn, well within the IR scatter, and deviating at most by a factor of two from the mean. J090543.56+043347.3 displays clear signs of an ongoing tidal interaction and of spatially extended star formation at a rate of 50-100 M⊙ yr-1, above the cosmic average for a galaxy of this mass and redshift. We argue that its subsequent evolution may move J090543.56+043347.3 even closer to the z = 0 relation for M BH versus M Bulge, Dyn. Our results support the picture in which any substantive evolution in these relations must occur prior to z 1.3. Having demonstrated the power of this modeling approach, we are currently analyzing similar data on seven further objects to better constrain such evolution. © 2011 The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.