Early Stages of Dusty Tori: The First Infrared Spectra from a Highly Multiscale Quasar Simulation
First IR spectra from a fully self-consistent, cosmological-to-sub-sublimation quasar simulation (post-processed with SKIRT) show that the emission is dominated by a torus-like structure built from a highly magnetized, turbulence-supported outer accretion disk plus dusty gas tidally stripped from the ISM. In this early phase the nucleus is buried and Compton-thick, and the escaping near–mid-IR luminosity varies by nearly an order of magnitude with sightline, driven largely by extinction in an inflowing cold dusty stream. Self-absorption within the torus cools the SED and suppresses silicate emission, while reprocessing by the surrounding ISM imprints prominent silicate absorption; sublimation zones stratified by grain size/composition yield intrinsically varied extinction curves that emerge grayed after multiple scatterings. Clearing biconical cavities in later stages preserves MIR anisotropy and silicate features, implying a buried, IR-bright phase early in dusty starburst quasar evolution.