{
  "abstract": "We present the discovery and first characterization of $\\textit{Nāpōwawā`enakaulua}$: the most compact known quasar pair candidate in the Epoch of Reionization, with a projected separation of only $0.98^{\\prime\\prime}$ ($\\approx 5.56$ pkpc at $z \\sim 6.08$) and a velocity offset of $Δv \\simeq 15 \\text{ km s}^{-1}$. Using spectroscopy from JWST/NIRSpec IFU, as part of the $\\textit{Aether survey}$, Gemini/GNIRS and GMOS we characterize the continuum and emission line properties of the two quasars, enabling constraints on their black hole masses ($M_{\\text{BH}} \\simeq 1.5 \\times 10^9$ and $4.0 \\times 10^8\\,M_\\odot$), accretion states ($λ_{\\text{Edd}} \\simeq 1.23$ and $1.07$), and systemic redshifts ($z_{\\rm sys} \\simeq 6.0781$ and $6.0785$). We place this pair in the cosmological context by comparing the chance of occurrence to extrapolations of high-$z$ quasar clustering measurements at larger scales, resulting in a $\\sim 2-3$ order of magnitude excess with respect to expectations. This excess hints at an underlying population of merger-triggered quasar pairs at cosmic dawn or to a denser-than-average galactic environment. $\\textit{Nāpōwawā`enakaulua}$ thus represents a crucial signpost to investigate the mass assembly of the first massive galaxies and black holes.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2609.31835",
  "author_total": 35,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Silvia Onorato"
    },
    {
      "name": "Emanuele Paolo Farina"
    },
    {
      "name": "Roberto Decarli"
    },
    {
      "name": "Klaudia Protušová"
    },
    {
      "name": "Elia Pizzati"
    },
    {
      "name": "Debora Pelliccia"
    },
    {
      "name": "Devin S. Chu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Larry Lindsey Kimura"
    },
    {
      "name": "Leinani Lozi"
    },
    {
      "name": "Emily Peavy"
    },
    {
      "name": "Fabrizio Arrigoni-Battaia"
    },
    {
      "name": "Eduardo Bañados"
    },
    {
      "name": "Aaron J. Barth"
    },
    {
      "name": "Silvia Belladitta"
    },
    {
      "name": "Manuela Bischetti"
    },
    {
      "name": "Sarah E. I. Bosman"
    },
    {
      "name": "Hyunseop Choi"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tiago Costa"
    },
    {
      "name": "Anna-Christina Eilers"
    },
    {
      "name": "Xiaohui Fan"
    },
    {
      "name": "Simona Gallerani"
    },
    {
      "name": "Thomas R. Geballe"
    },
    {
      "name": "Anniek J. Gloudemans"
    },
    {
      "name": "Eunchong Kim"
    },
    {
      "name": "Brian C. Lemaux"
    },
    {
      "name": "Weizhe Liu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yoshiki Matsuoka"
    },
    {
      "name": "Chiara Mazzucchelli"
    },
    {
      "name": "Atsuko Nitta"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jan-Torge Schindler"
    },
    {
      "name": "Andrew W. Stephens"
    },
    {
      "name": "Hyewon Suh"
    },
    {
      "name": "Fabian Walter"
    },
    {
      "name": "Feige Wang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jinyi Yang"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c2ztp1xt2qgyw.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2609.31835",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "c2ztp1xt2qgyw",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.31835",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "astro-ph.CO"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "astro-ph.GA"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3103|Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214765603",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2609.31835",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-25",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c2ztp1xt2qgyw.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:25:12Z",
      "native_id": "2609.31835",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.31835"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "arxiv:astro-ph.CO",
      "subfield": "cosmology"
    },
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "arxiv:astro-ph.GA",
      "subfield": "galaxies"
    }
  ],
  "title": "$\\textit{Nāpōwawā`enakaulua}$: a close quasar pair at cosmic dawn in the Aether survey",
  "title_text": "Nāpōwawā`enakaulua: a close quasar pair at cosmic dawn in the Aether survey",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:25:12Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c2ztp1xt2qgyw",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}