Molecular Outflows from z6 QSO hosts Driven by Star Formation - Kirsty Butler - Quasars and Galaxies through Cosmic Time

Massive quiescent galaxies found at z∼4 are predicted to have already quenched by z∼5. Feedback and outflows associated with a quasar phase are expected to be critical in quenching the most massive galaxies. Observations targeting the molecular outflow phase, which dominates the mass and momentum of outflows and removes the direct fuel for star formation, are however, severely limited in high-z quasar hosts. I will present two new unambiguous ALMA detections of molecular outflows, traced by blue-shifted absorption of the OH 119 μm doublet, from a sample of three z>6 infrared luminous quasars: J2310+185514, P183+05 and P183+05. We find no evidence and no requirement for input from the central unobscured quasar to drive the mass outflow rates and energetics of the outflows, which are instead consistent with those found in high-z Dusty Star-Forming Galaxies (DSFG). We propose that the molecular outflows are driven by star formation activity and that differences in the spectral properties of the blue-shifted absorption between the quasar and DSFG outflows may be caused by the more compact and/or inclined background dust continuum of the quasar hosts.