Formation of the First Black Holes: Current observational status

Abstract

In this chapter, we review the current observational status of the first supermassive black holes. It is clear that such a review can hardly be complete, due to the wealth of surveys that has been pursued, including different wavelengths and different observational techniques. This chapter will focus on the main results that have been obtained, considering the detections of z~6 supermassive black holes in large surveys such as SDSS, CFHQS and Pan-STARRS. In addition, we will discuss upper limits and constraints on the population of the first black holes that can be derived from observational data, in particular in the X-ray regime, as these provide additional relevant information for the comparison with formation scenarios.

Preprint of the chapter "Current Observational Status", to be published in the review volume "Formation of the First Black Holes", Latif, M. and Schleicher, D.R.G., eds., World Scientific Publishing Company, 2018, pp 223-238 [see https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/10652]. Updated based on received comments

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• The Red-Sequence Cluster Surveys

Cited by in corpus (7)

• Gemini GNIRS near-infrared spectroscopy of 50 quasars at z>~5.7
• Formation of supermassive black hole seeds in nuclear star clusters via gas accretion and runaway collisions
• Effect of mass loss due to stellar winds on the formation of supermassive black hole seeds in dense nuclear star clusters
• Cosmological magnetic braking and the formation of high-redshift, super-massive black holes
• Effects of the Hubble Parameter on the Cosmic Growth of the First Quasars
• Formation and Growth of the First Supermassive Black Holes in MOG
• The role of gas fragmentation during the formation of supermassive black holes