Speaker
Description
Extremely red quasars provide crucial insights into galaxy evolution, as they represent an obscured phase of quasar growth and a potential early blowout stage driven by quasar feedback. However, directly studying their host galaxies is challenging because the intense quasar emission often outshines the underlying stellar populations. Understanding these hosts is essential for constraining the connection between quasars and their galaxies during cosmic noon, the peak of galaxy and black hole growth. With JWST’s high angular resolution and unprecedented infrared sensitivity, we can now investigate quasar feedback with spatially resolved spectroscopy. In this talk, I will present our efforts to model the host galaxy continuum of obscured quasars using JWST NIRSpec Integral Field Unit data. I will introduce our new method for quasar subtraction and discuss our findings on host galaxy properties—including stellar mass, morphology, and star formation history—in these extremely red and obscured quasars. Finally, I will examine the broader implications of this finding for galaxy evolution and quasar feedback.
