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arxiv: 2509.08793 · v2 · submitted 2025-09-10 · 🌌 astro-ph.GA · astro-ph.CO

Extreme Galaxy-scale Outflows Are Frequent among Luminous Early Quasars

Weizhe Liu , Xiaohui Fan , Huan Li , Richard Green , Jinyi Yang , Xiangyu Jin , Jianwei Lyu , Maria Pudoka
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Yongda Zhu Eduardo Banados Silvia Belladitta Thomas Connor Tiago Costa Roberto Decarli Anna-Christina Eilers Hyunsung Jun Madeline A. Marshall Chiara Mazzucchelli Jan-Torge Schindler Yue Shen Sylvain Veilleux Julien Wolf Huanian Zhang Mingyang Zhuang Siwei Zou Mingyu Li
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Pith reviewed 2026-05-18 17:32 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification 🌌 astro-ph.GA astro-ph.CO
keywords high-redshift quasarsgalaxy-scale outflowsquasar feedbackJWST spectroscopygalaxy quenchingO III emissionearly massive galaxieskinetic energy rates
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The pith

Luminous quasars at z~5-6 frequently drive galaxy-scale outflows whose kinetic power reaches or exceeds their bolometric luminosity.

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The paper reports JWST observations of 27 luminous quasars at redshifts 5 to 6, finding extreme [O III] outflows in 6 of them. These outflows reach velocities up to 8400 km/s and kinetic energy rates up to 2.6 times the quasar luminosity, with an average rate more than 100 times higher than in lower-redshift samples. The detection fraction is over 3.9 times that seen at z~1.5-3.5 and nearly 9 times that at z<1. Such energetic outflows exceed the threshold needed for negative feedback, pointing to quasar activity as a driver of rapid quenching in the first massive galaxies.

Core claim

Among 27 luminous quasars at z~5-6, six exhibit galaxy-scale outflows traced by [O III] with velocities up to ~8400 km s^{-1} and kinetic energy outflow rates up to ~260% of the observed quasar bolometric luminosities. These extreme outflows occur at a substantially higher frequency than in comparison samples at lower redshifts, and the sample-averaged kinetic energy outflow rate is more than 2 dex higher, indicating that quasar feedback can efficiently quench or regulate star formation in early massive galaxies.

What carries the argument

[O III] emission line profiles and luminosities used to derive outflow velocities and kinetic energy rates under assumptions about geometry and mass-loading factor.

Load-bearing premise

The [O III] line profiles and luminosities can be converted into reliable galaxy-scale outflow velocities and kinetic energy rates without major contamination from other kinematic components or incorrect assumptions about outflow geometry and mass-loading factor.

What would settle it

High-resolution spectroscopy with an independent tracer such as molecular CO lines or UV absorption that measures outflow velocities or mass rates lower by a factor of several would falsify the claimed extreme energetics.

read the original abstract

The existence of abundant post-starburst/quiescent galaxies just $\sim$1-2 Gyrs after the Big Bang challenges our current paradigm of galaxy evolution. Cosmological simulations suggest that quasar feedback is likely the most promising mechanism responsible for such rapid quenching. Here we report a high detection rate (6/27) of exceptionally fast and powerful galaxy-scale outflows traced by [O III] emission in z $\sim$ 5-6 luminous quasars as revealed by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), with velocity up to $\sim$8400 km s$^{-1}$ and order-of-magnitude kinetic energy outflow rates up to $\sim$260% the observed quasar bolometric luminosities. This fraction is $>$3.9 and $\sim$8.8 times of those in comparison samples at z $\sim$ 1.5-3.5 and z $<$ 1, respectively. These extreme outflows are comparable to or even faster than the most rapid [O III] outflows reported at z $\lesssim$ 3, and could reach the circumgalactic medium (CGM) or even the intergalactic medium (IGM). The average kinetic energy outflow rate of our sample is more than 2 dex higher than those of the lower-redshift comparison samples. The substantially higher frequency of outflows with energetics well above the threshold for negative feedback in our sample strongly suggests that quasar feedback plays a significant role in efficiently quenching/regulating early massive galaxies.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Referee Report

2 major / 2 minor

Summary. The manuscript reports JWST [O III] observations of 27 luminous quasars at z ≈ 5–6, claiming a 6/27 detection fraction of galaxy-scale outflows with velocities up to ~8400 km s⁻¹ and kinetic energy outflow rates reaching up to ~2.6 L_bol. This fraction is stated to be >3.9× higher than z ~ 1.5–3.5 comparison samples and ~8.8× higher than z < 1 samples, with average Ė_k more than 2 dex higher; the authors conclude that quasar feedback plays a significant role in quenching early massive galaxies.

Significance. If the reported detection rate and the fraction of sources exceeding the Ė_k/L_bol > 0.005 negative-feedback threshold remain robust, the result would supply direct high-redshift evidence that luminous quasars drive exceptionally energetic outflows capable of affecting the CGM or IGM, helping to explain the rapid appearance of quiescent galaxies at z ~ 5–6. The work benefits from new JWST data at an epoch where such observations were previously unavailable and from explicit comparison to lower-redshift samples.

major comments (2)
  1. [Methods (outflow mass and energy calculations)] The derivation of Ṁ_out and Ė_k = ½ Ṁ_out v_out² from [O III] luminosity and line width (detailed in the methods section on outflow modeling) adopts fixed assumptions for n_e (~100 cm⁻³), filling factor, ionization fraction, and biconical geometry with r_out of a few kpc. No sensitivity analysis is presented showing how the 6/27 fraction above the 0.005 threshold changes when n_e is increased, when a non-negligible fraction of the broad component is attributed to virialized NLR gas, or when a more spherical geometry is assumed; under plausible variations these changes can lower Ė_k by 1–2 dex and erase the claimed statistical excess over lower-z samples.
  2. [Results and discussion (comparison to feedback threshold)] The central claim that the higher frequency of extreme outflows indicates efficient quenching relies on the 6/27 sources having Ė_k/L_bol ≫ 0.005. Because the peak value of ~2.6 is reached only for the most optimistic parameter choices, the manuscript should quantify the fraction of sources that remain above threshold after marginalizing over the dominant systematic uncertainties in geometry and mass-loading factor.
minor comments (2)
  1. [Abstract] The abstract states 'order-of-magnitude kinetic energy outflow rates up to ~260%'; it would be clearer to report both the median and the range for the six detected outflows rather than emphasizing only the extreme upper end.
  2. [Comparison samples] The comparison samples at z ~ 1.5–3.5 and z < 1 are referenced but their selection criteria, luminosity matching, and [O III] measurement methods are not summarized in a dedicated table; adding such a table would facilitate direct assessment of whether the factor of >3.9 and ~8.8 enhancements are driven by redshift or by differences in sample construction.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

2 responses · 0 unresolved

We thank the referee for their careful and constructive review. The comments highlight important aspects of the outflow modeling assumptions and the robustness of the feedback threshold comparison. We address each major comment below and will revise the manuscript accordingly to improve clarity and quantitative support for our conclusions.

read point-by-point responses

  1. Referee: The derivation of Ṁ_out and Ė_k = ½ Ṁ_out v_out² from [O III] luminosity and line width (detailed in the methods section on outflow modeling) adopts fixed assumptions for n_e (~100 cm⁻³), filling factor, ionization fraction, and biconical geometry with r_out of a few kpc. No sensitivity analysis is presented showing how the 6/27 fraction above the 0.005 threshold changes when n_e is increased, when a non-negligible fraction of the broad component is attributed to virialized NLR gas, or when a more spherical geometry is assumed; under plausible variations these changes can lower Ė_k by 1–2 dex and erase the claimed statistical excess over lower-z samples.

    Authors: We agree that the manuscript would benefit from an explicit sensitivity analysis on these parameters. Our fiducial choices (n_e ≈ 100 cm⁻³, biconical geometry, and standard ionization and filling factors) follow conventions used in the lower-redshift comparison samples to permit direct statistical comparison. The observed line widths and maximum velocities (up to ~8400 km s⁻¹) are measured directly from the spectra and remain unchanged by mass or geometry assumptions. We will add a new subsection to the methods and a corresponding figure in the results that varies n_e between 100–1000 cm⁻³, explores spherical versus biconical geometries, and tests the effect of attributing a fraction of the broad component to virialized NLR gas. This analysis will report the revised fraction of sources above the Ė_k/L_bol > 0.005 threshold under each case and will be included in the revised manuscript. revision: yes

  2. Referee: The central claim that the higher frequency of extreme outflows indicates efficient quenching relies on the 6/27 sources having Ė_k/L_bol ≫ 0.005. Because the peak value of ~2.6 is reached only for the most optimistic parameter choices, the manuscript should quantify the fraction of sources that remain above threshold after marginalizing over the dominant systematic uncertainties in geometry and mass-loading factor.

    Authors: We will revise the discussion section to provide this quantification. Although the highest Ė_k/L_bol ratio of ~2.6 occurs under our fiducial (optimistic) assumptions, the exceptionally high velocities measured in the sample enter quadratically into Ė_k and remain robust. Even when adopting more conservative values for n_e, geometry, and mass-loading factor, multiple sources continue to exceed the 0.005 threshold. In the revised manuscript we will present a range of Ė_k/L_bol values obtained by marginalizing over the principal systematic uncertainties and will report the corresponding fraction of the 6/27 sources that remain above threshold. This will allow readers to assess the strength of the quenching implication under different modeling choices while preserving the core observational result of a high detection rate of fast outflows at z ~ 5–6. revision: yes

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No circularity: observational detection rate with external sample comparisons

full rationale

The paper reports an empirical detection rate (6/27) of extreme [O III]-traced outflows in a JWST sample of z~5-6 luminous quasars, with direct statistical comparison to independent lower-redshift literature samples. The central claim is the observed frequency and the inference that quasar feedback is important at early times. No derivation, equation, or parameter is fitted to a subset of the present data and then re-labeled as a prediction of the same data. Standard outflow energetics formulas are applied with literature-typical assumptions for geometry and density, but these do not create a self-definitional loop or rename a fitted input. No load-bearing self-citation chain or uniqueness theorem is invoked to force the result. The analysis is therefore self-contained against external benchmarks.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

0 free parameters · 1 axioms · 0 invented entities

The claim rests on standard astrophysical conversions from emission-line kinematics to outflow mass and energy; these conversions involve modeling assumptions that are not independently verified in the provided abstract.

axioms (1)
  • domain assumption Standard conversion from [O III] line width and luminosity to outflow velocity, mass, and kinetic power assumes a particular geometry and ionization state.
    Common in the field but sensitive to choices of covering factor, density, and deprojection.

pith-pipeline@v0.9.0 · 5904 in / 1318 out tokens · 40002 ms · 2026-05-18T17:32:29.290660+00:00 · methodology

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Reference graph

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