In a groundbreaking study, researchers have explored the potential of the Extremely Large Telescope’s (ELT) first-light instruments, MICADO and HARMONI, to extend the measurement of supermassive black hole (SMBH) masses to galaxies at redshift \(1 \lesssim z \lesssim 2\). This research, led by Dieu D. Nguyen and a team of esteemed scientists, marks a significant leap forward in our ability to understand the co-evolution of supermassive black holes and their host galaxies.
The study focuses on five bright, massive, quiescent galaxies at these redshifts, utilizing their Sérsic profiles from Hubble Space Telescope (HST) photometry as intrinsic surface brightness distributions. Using these models, the team generated mock observations with MICADO and HARMONI. The simulations for HARMONI incorporated stellar kinematics derived from Jeans Anisotropic Models (JAM). These mock observations were then processed to extract stellar mass models and kinematics, which were subsequently used to constrain JAM dynamical models within a Bayesian framework.
The results are promising, demonstrating that SMBH masses can be recovered with an impressive accuracy of approximately 10%. MICADO proved capable of providing detailed stellar mass models with just about one hour of on-source exposure. However, HARMONI required longer integration times for reliable stellar kinematic measurements, ranging from 5 to 7.5 hours for galaxies at \(z \approx 1\) and around 5 hours for galaxies at \(1 < z \lesssim 2\).This research underscores the ELT's potential to push the boundaries of SMBH mass measurements to higher redshifts, enabling crucial tests of SMBH-galaxy co-evolution at the upper end of the galaxy mass function. The findings not only highlight the technological advancements in astronomical instrumentation but also pave the way for deeper insights into the fundamental processes governing the universe. As we stand on the brink of this new era in astronomy, the ELT's capabilities promise to unlock the mysteries of supermassive black holes and their cosmic impact.
