Physical origin of JWST Little Red Dots (LRDs)

Ascertain the physical origin of the compact, red sources known as Little Red Dots observed at redshifts z ≈ 6–10, determining whether they are heavily dust-enshrouded star-forming galaxies or black holes accreting via geometrically thick super-Eddington flows (including quasi-stars as a possible subset).

Background

JWST has revealed a population of faint, red, compact sources at high redshift (LRDs) whose spectral energy distributions exhibit a V-shaped continuum with a turnover near the Balmer break and often lack X-ray emission. These properties are consistent with multiple interpretations, including dusty star-forming galaxies and super-Eddington accreting black holes.

The authors explicitly state that the physical origin of LRDs is uncertain. Determining the true nature of LRDs is important for understanding early black hole growth and assessing whether quasi-stars contribute to this observed population.