Description
There is an evidence for significant evolution in the gaseous and dust properties of galaxies since the era of cosmic noon (z~2). It is also well known that supermassive black holes co-evolve with their host galaxies, suggesting a constant connection between the small-scale (nuclear) and large-scale regions of galaxies. A fundamental component of AGN is the ``torus'' -- a dense, dusty structure that acts as the interface between the accretion disc and the ISM of the host galaxy. One may speculate that the transitional nature of the torus makes it a prime subject to search for evolution since cosmic noon. In this work, we use high resolution near- and mid-IR imaging from the JWST's CEERS to disentangle the emission from the torus in unprecedented detail in 88 X-ray selected AGN at z~2. Combining low-resolution multi-band photometry at UV to FIR wavelengths, from CANDELS and HELP, with the high-resolution JWST photometry, we employ a novel SED fitting method to constrain essential AGN and torus parameters, such as accretion disc luminosity and torus covering fraction. Despite the well-known evolution of the ISM and structural properties of AGN hosts from these redshifts, our population-level analysis finds no clear evidence for the corresponding evolution of the torus when compared to similar local AGN.
