Received February 28, 2024; Revised April 5, 2024; Accepted April 8, 2024 | MAR MEZCUA, FABIO PACUCCI, HYEWON SUH, MALGORZATA SIUDEK, PRIYAMVADA NATARAJAN
This paper reports the first sample of 12 supermassive black holes (SMBHs) hosted by low-mass galaxies at a redshift range of $z \sim 1 - 3$, known as "cosmic noon." These SMBHs are significantly more massive than expected based on the local scaling relations for active galaxies. The properties of these overmassive systems, including their black hole-to-stellar mass ratio, bolometric luminosity, and Eddington ratio, are similar to those found in high-$z$ sources observed by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The authors argue that black hole feedback processes and environmental differences in galactic nuclei at these epochs play a crucial role in the formation of these overmassive systems. This study contributes to our understanding of the co-evolution of SMBHs and their host galaxies across cosmic time, bridging the gap between observations of the early Universe ($z > 4$) and the present-day Universe ($z \lesssim 1$). The findings suggest that overmassive SMBHs may be a common feature in the universe, even at late cosmic epochs, and highlight the importance of studying AGN feedback and environmental effects in shaping the growth of SMBHs and their host galaxies.This paper reports the first sample of 12 supermassive black holes (SMBHs) hosted by low-mass galaxies at a redshift range of $z \sim 1 - 3$, known as "cosmic noon." These SMBHs are significantly more massive than expected based on the local scaling relations for active galaxies. The properties of these overmassive systems, including their black hole-to-stellar mass ratio, bolometric luminosity, and Eddington ratio, are similar to those found in high-$z$ sources observed by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The authors argue that black hole feedback processes and environmental differences in galactic nuclei at these epochs play a crucial role in the formation of these overmassive systems. This study contributes to our understanding of the co-evolution of SMBHs and their host galaxies across cosmic time, bridging the gap between observations of the early Universe ($z > 4$) and the present-day Universe ($z \lesssim 1$). The findings suggest that overmassive SMBHs may be a common feature in the universe, even at late cosmic epochs, and highlight the importance of studying AGN feedback and environmental effects in shaping the growth of SMBHs and their host galaxies.