BlackTHUNDER strikes twice: Balmer-line absorption in an overmassive Little Red Dot at z = 7.04

Journal article

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed a population of ‘Little Red Dots’ (LRDs): compact, red objects at redshifts with ‘v’-shaped spectral energy distributions, broad permitted lines, and, often, hydrogen Balmer absorption. We use NIRSpec/IFS data from the BlackTHUNDER survey to study the H α line in the LRD Abell2744-QSO1 at , which is a confirmed active galactic nucleus (AGN) due to time-variable equivalent width (EW) in its broad emission lines. The H α spectral profile is non-Gaussian, requiring at least two Gaussian components. We also detect a narrow-line Gaussian component, and strong H α absorption (EW relative to the continuum ), confirming a connection between the strong Balmer break and line absorption. The absorber is at rest with respect to broad H α , suggesting that the gas cannot be interpreted as an inflow or outflow, forming instead a long-lived structure. Its velocity dispersion is , consistent with the value inferred from the analysis of the Balmer break. Based on H α , we infer a black hole mass of , smaller but close to the previous estimates based on H β . The Eddington ratio is 0.09. Combining the high signal-to-noise ratio of the narrow H α line with the spectral resolution of the G395H grating, we infer a narrow-line intrinsic dispersion , which places a stringent constraint on the black hole-to-dynamical mass ratio of this system to be , confirming the overmassive nature of the black hole and potentially leaving little room for a host galaxy.

Authors: D’Eugenio, F; Maiolino, R; Perna, M; Übler, H; Ji, X

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Journal: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• Volume: 547
• Issue: 4
• Pages: stag401
• Article number: stag401
• Publication date: 2026-02-26
• Acceptance date: 2026-02-20
• DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stag401
• EISSN: 1365-2966
• ISSN: 0035-8711
• Language: English
• Keywords: quasars: supermassive black holes; galaxies: high-redshift; galaxies: active