Stability of extremely compact stellar clusters proposed for Little Red Dots

Determine whether extremely compact, dense stellar clusters proposed as alternative explanations for JWST-detected Little Red Dots can remain dynamically stable at high redshift, accounting for their internal dynamics, feedback processes, and environmental interactions.

Background

Little Red Dots (LRDs) are a newly identified population of compact, red, high-redshift objects with distinct V-shaped spectra and broad emission lines. While many studies interpret LRDs as dust-obscured AGN, an alternative hypothesis posits that extremely dense, compact stellar clusters could produce similar observational signatures.

The authors note that the physical viability of such clusters as long-lived, stable configurations is uncertain. Establishing their stability would clarify whether stellar-cluster scenarios can plausibly account for LRD properties without invoking active supermassive black holes.

References

Other scenarios, such as extremely dense stellar clusters, have also been proposed to explain LRDs \citep{Leung2024,Guia2024,Perez2024,Baggen2024}, but it is not clear whether such extremely compact stellar configurations could be stable.

— Little Red Dots and their Progenitors from Direct Collapse Black Holes (2508.14155 - Jeon et al., 19 Aug 2025) in Section 1 (Introduction)