A first JWST view on Compton Thick AGN in the early Universe

Feedback driven by Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) is thought to play a fundamental role in shaping galaxy properties and in driving the co-evolution of galaxies and their central black holes (BHs). Obscured AGN are thought to represent a crucial phase of BH growth, in which the central BH is hidden in large amounts of gas and dust and undergoes rapid accretion. When the feedback becomes strong enough, it will eventually sweep away the gas and dust, and the obscured AGN will shine as a bright quasar. However, observational constraints on AGN feedback during these obscured phases at z>3 have remained limited so far. Thanks to the unprecedented sensitivity of JWST we can now, for the first time, detect the rest-frame optical emission of obscured AGN at high redshift. I will present the preliminary results from JWST NIRSpec/IFU observations of a sample of Compton-thick AGN at high redshift (z>3), targeting the main rest-frame optical emission lines. These observations reveal ubiquitous ionized gas outflows, indicating that strong feedback is active during these heavily obscured phases. I will describe the properties and energetics of these outflows and discuss their impact on the host galaxies. Finally, I will place these obscured AGN in the broader context of AGN populations by comparing their properties with those of unobscured AGN at similar redshifts, and with the AGN population newly discovered by JWST, providing new insights into the role of feedback during the obscured phases in the co-evolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes.