2026ApJ...997..218A


Query : 2026ApJ...997..218A

2026ApJ...997..218A - Astrophys. J., 997, 218 (2026/February-1)

Tentative Detection of Neutral Gas in a Little Red Dot at z = 4.46.

AKINS H.B., CASEY C.M., CHISHOLM J., BERG D.A., COOPER O., FRANCO M., FUJIMOTO S., LAMBRIDES E., LONG A.S. and McKINNEY J.

Abstract (from CDS):

JWST has revealed a population of broad-line active galactic nuclei at z > 4 with remarkably red colors, so-called “Little Red Dots” (LRDs). Ubiquitous Balmer breaks suggest that they harbor old stellar populations in massive, compact host galaxies. We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations of three LRDs at z = 3.10, 4.46, and 7.04, targeting molecular and neutral gas via CO(7-6) and [C I](2-1), respectively. We do not detect CO in any target, placing conservative limits on the host molecular gas mass of ≲(1-5) × 1010M⊙. We report the tentative (∼3.5σ) detection of the [C I](2-1) line in A2744-45924 (z = 4.46), one of the brightest known LRDs. The [C I] line is narrow (FWHM ∼ 80 km s–1), implying a dynamical mass ≲1010M⊙, adopting conservative limits for the size of the galaxy. The dynamical mass limit is significantly lower than expected from the local MBH-Mdyn relation, and is an order of magnitude below the stellar mass derived from spectral energy distribution fitting, potentially supporting a nonstellar origin of the Balmer break. These results, while tentative, paint a picture of LRDs that is markedly different than typical high-z quasars, which live in massive, gas-rich, and actively star-forming host galaxies.

Abstract Copyright: © 2026. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.

Journal keyword(s): AGN host galaxies - Galaxy evolution - High-redshift galaxies - Supermassive black holes - Active galactic nuclei

Simbad objects: 4

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Number of rows : 4
N Identifier Otype ICRS (J2000)
RA
ICRS (J2000)
DEC
Mag U Mag B Mag V Mag R Mag I Sp type #ref
1850 - 2026
#notes
1 [FZP2023] A2744-QSO1 AGN 00 14 19.159 -30 24 05.65           ~ 37 0
2 UNCOVER DR2 46803 EmG 00 14 20.342 -30 20 37.07           ~ 27 0
3 CANDELS UDS F160W J021658.60-051444.9 AGN 02 16 58.6075 -05 14 44.949   27.627 27.056 26.958   ~ 26 0
4 NAME Centaurus A BLL 13 25 27.61521044 -43 01 08.8050291   8.18 6.84 6.66   ~ 4774 3

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