The recent Chandra-JWST discovery of a quasar in the z = 10.1 galaxy UHZ1
reveals that accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs) were already in place
470 million years after the Big Bang. The Chandra X-ray source detected in UHZ1
is a Compton-thick quasar with a bolometric luminosity of Lbol​∼5×1045 erg s−1, which corresponds to an estimated BH
mass of ∼4×107 M⊙​ assuming accretion at the Eddington
rate. JWST NIRCAM and NIRSpec data yield a stellar mass estimate for UHZ1
comparable to its BH mass. These characteristics are in excellent agreement
with prior theoretical predictions for a unique class of transient,
high-redshift objects, Over-massive Black Hole Galaxies [OBGs] by Natarajan et
al. that harbor a heavy initial black hole seed that likely formed from the
direct collapse of the gas. Based on the excellent agreement between the
observed multi-wavelength properties of UHZ1 with theoretical model template
predictions, suggests that UHZ1 is the first detected OBG candidate. Our
assertion rests on multiple lines of concordant evidence between model
predictions and the following observed properties of UHZ1: its X-ray detection
and the estimated ratio of the X-ray flux to the IR flux that is consistent
with theoretical expectations for a heavy initial BH seed; its high measured
redshift of z = 10.1, as predicted for the transient OBG stage (9 < z< 12); the
amplitude and shape of the detected JWST Spectral Energy Distribution (SED)
between 1 - 5 microns, which is in very good agreement with simulated template
SEDs for OBGs; and the extended JWST morphology of UHZ1 that is suggestive of a
recent merger, also expected for the formation of transient OBGs. As the first
OBG candidate, UHZ1 provides compelling evidence for the formation of heavy
initial seeds from direct collapse in the early Universe.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, accepted ApJ Letter