Quasar Radiative Feedback May Suppress Galaxy Growth on Intergalactic Scales at $z = 6.3$

Kavli Affiliate: Roberto Maiolino
| First 5 Authors: Yongda Zhu, Yongda Zhu, , ,

| Summary:
We present observational evidence that intense ionizing radiation from a luminous quasar suppresses nebular emission in nearby galaxies on intergalactic scales at $z=6.3$. Using JWST/NIRCam grism spectroscopy from the SAPPHIRES and EIGER programs, we identify a moderate but statistically significant decline in [O,textsciii],$lambda5008$ luminosity relative to the UV continuum ($L_5008/L_1500$) among galaxies within $sim$ 7 comoving Mpc (cMpc) of the quasar J0100$+$2802, the most UV-luminous quasar known at this epoch ($M_1450=-29.26$). While $L_1500$ remains roughly constant with transverse distance, $L_5008$ increases significantly, suggesting suppression of very recent star formation toward the quasar. The effect persists after controlling for completeness, local density, and UV luminosity, and correlates with the projected photoionization-rate profile $Γ_mathrmqso$. A weaker but directionally consistent suppression in $L_5008/L_1500$ is also observed along the line of sight. The transverse suppression radius ($sim$ 7 cMpc) implies a recent radiative episode with a cumulative duration $sim$ 3.1 Myr, shorter than required for thermal photoheating to dominate and thus more naturally explained by rapid H$_2$ photodissociation and related radiative processes. Environmental effects alone appear insufficient to explain the signal. Our results provide direct, geometry-based constraints on large-scale quasar radiative feedback and recent quasar lifetimes.
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