Rapid radio variability in the $z\sim7$ blazar VLASS J0410$-$0139: Indication of a hidden population of weak radio jets at Cosmic Dawn

RESUMO

Doppler boosting allows blazars to be detected out to high-$z$, making them promising probes of the intergalactic medium through the 21 cm forest. We report 0.144$-$11 GHz observations of the most distant known blazar, VLASS J041009.05$-$013919.88 at z$\sim$7, obtained with the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT), the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) and the Very Large Array (VLA). The first uGMRT epoch (300$-$820 MHz, April 2023) revealed an inverted radio spectrum which, combined with earlier (2021$-$2022) VLA data (1.5$-$11 GHz), unveiled a double-peaked spectrum potentially indicative of multi-epoch jet activity. A second uGMRT campaign (August 2023), simultaneous with new VLA observations (1.5$-$11 GHz), instead revealed a flat low-frequency and a peaked high-frequency spectrum, ruling out this interpretation. While limited by the two uGMRT epochs, variability analysis favors intrinsic jet processes, indicating a highly relativistic, closely aligned jet ($\theta<3$ deg, $\delta>19.3$, $\Gamma>9.7$). The equipartition magnetic field ($> 1$ mG) exceeds the equivalent Cosmic Microwave Background field at $z\sim7$ (0.2 mG), indicating synchrotron losses dominate. The inferred Doppler boosting ($\delta>19.3$) implies that J0410$-$0139 is intrinsically radio-weak. As a blazar, it traces a much larger parent population of radio quasars at $z\sim7$, detectable only with deep ($\leq \mu$Jy) next-generation radio observations. LOFAR 144 MHz observations (April and July 2024) yielded $\sim$2 mJy, well below the $\sim$8 mJy predicted from uGMRT epochs, confirming strong variability at rest-frame $\sim$1 GHz. Low-frequency monitoring will be crucial for identifying high radio intensity states suitable for future 21 cm forest studies.