The MUSE Ultra Deep Field (MUDF). IV. A pair of X-ray weak quasars at the heart of two extended Lyα nebulae

Abstract

We present the results obtained from follow-up observations of the MUSE Ultra Deep Field (MUDF) at X-ray energies with XMM-Newton. The MUDF is centred on a unique field with two bright, physically associated quasars at z ≃ 3.23, separated by ~500 kpc in projection. Both quasars are embedded within extended Lyα nebulae (${\gtrsim}100\,{\rm kpc}$ at a surface brightness flux level of ≈6 × 10<SUP>-19</SUP> ${\rm erg\,s^{-1}\,cm^{-2}\,arcsec^{-2}}$), whose elongated morphology is suggestive of an extended filament connecting the quasar haloes. The new X-ray observations presented here allow us to characterize the physical properties (e.g. X-ray slope, luminosities, gas column densities) in the innermost region of the MUDF quasars. We find that both quasars are X-ray underluminous compared to objects at similar ultraviolet luminosities. Based on our X-ray spectral analysis, absorbing columns of N<SUB>H</SUB>(z) ≳ 10<SUP>23</SUP> cm<SUP>-2</SUP> appear unlikely therefore such a weakness is possibly intrinsic. When also including literature data, we do not observe any detectable trend between the area of the nebulae and nuclear luminosities at both the rest-frame 2 keV and 2500 Å. The area is also not correlated with the X-ray photon index nor with the integrated band flux in the hard band (2-10 keV). We also do not find any trend between the extended Lyα emission of the nebulae and the nuclear X-ray luminosity. Finally, the properties of the MUDF quasars' nebulae are consistent with the observed relation between the Lyα integrated luminosity of the nebulae and their area. Our results suggest that the quasar ionization power is not a strong driver of the morphology and size of the nebulae.