摘要:JWST has uncovered a new population of compact objects that show a unique V-shaped SED in the UV and optical wavelength range. These so-called Little Red Dots (LRDs) often exhibit broad Balmer emission lines, indicative of the presence of AGNs. They generally lack detection of X-ray, radio, and mid-IR radiation, which is fundamentally different from typical AGNs. Our team recently made significant progress with the latest JWST data. We discovered a sample narrow-line only LRDs whose SEDs are the same as those of broad-line LRDs. But they do not have detectable broad Balmer lines, which suggests a diversity of the LRD population. We found LRDs with long-period variability behind strong-lensing clusters. The variability is consistent with a scenario in which high-accretion supermassive black holes are enshrouded in dense gas. We also found two LRDs with strong X-ray, radio, and mid-IR radiation that is distinct from other LRDs. Our evidence indicates that the dense gas around their central black holes is dispersing, and dust torus is forming, suggesting that they are evolving into normal AGNs. These findings provide a deep insight into the nature and evolutionary path of LRDs. I will review these findings and their implications for us to better understand LRDs.
简介:Linhua Jiang is a Boya distinguished professor at School of Physics and associate director of the Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University. He obtained his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Peking University, and obtained his Ph.D. degree from University of Arizona, USA. He joined Peking University as a faculty member in late 2014. Professor Jiang has a broad range of research interests in extragalactic astronomy, including quasars, galaxies, and supermassive black holes. His work also probes fundamental physics with astrophysical observations.
