TY - JOUR
T1 - Active galactic nuclei feedback, quiescence and circumgalactic medium metal enrichment in early-type galaxies
AU - Eisenreich, Maximilian
AU - Naab, Thorsten
AU - Choi, Ena
AU - Ostriker, Jeremiah P.
AU - Emsellem, Eric
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 The Authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society.
PY - 2017/6/11
Y1 - 2017/6/11
N2 - We present three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations showing the effect of kinetic and radiative active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback on a model galaxy representing a massive quiescent low-redshift early-type galaxy of M* = 8.41 × 1010M⊙, harbouring an MBH = 4 × 108M⊙ black hole surrounded by a cooling gaseous halo. We show that, for a total baryon fraction of ~20 per cent of the cosmological value, feedback from the AGN can keep the galaxy quiescent for about 4.35 Gyr and with properties consistent with black hole mass and X-ray luminosity scaling relations. However, this can only be achieved if the AGN feedback model includes both kinetic and radiative feedback modes. The simulation with only kinetic feedback fails to keep the model galaxy fully quiescent, while one with only radiative feedback leads to excessive black hole growth. For higher baryon fractions (e.g. 50 per cent of the cosmological value), the X-ray luminosities exceed observed values by at least one order of magnitude, and rapid cooling results in a star-forming galaxy. The AGN plays a major role in keeping the circumgalactic gas at observed metallicities of Z/Z⊙ ≥ 0.3 within the central ~30 kpc by venting nuclear gas enriched with metals from residual star formation activity. As indicated by previous cosmological simulations, our results are consistent with a model for which the black hole mass and the total baryon fraction are set at higher redshifts z > 1 and the AGN alone can keep the model galaxy on observed scaling relations. Models without AGN feedback violate both the quiescence criterion as well as circumgalactic medium metallicity constraints.
AB - We present three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations showing the effect of kinetic and radiative active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback on a model galaxy representing a massive quiescent low-redshift early-type galaxy of M* = 8.41 × 1010M⊙, harbouring an MBH = 4 × 108M⊙ black hole surrounded by a cooling gaseous halo. We show that, for a total baryon fraction of ~20 per cent of the cosmological value, feedback from the AGN can keep the galaxy quiescent for about 4.35 Gyr and with properties consistent with black hole mass and X-ray luminosity scaling relations. However, this can only be achieved if the AGN feedback model includes both kinetic and radiative feedback modes. The simulation with only kinetic feedback fails to keep the model galaxy fully quiescent, while one with only radiative feedback leads to excessive black hole growth. For higher baryon fractions (e.g. 50 per cent of the cosmological value), the X-ray luminosities exceed observed values by at least one order of magnitude, and rapid cooling results in a star-forming galaxy. The AGN plays a major role in keeping the circumgalactic gas at observed metallicities of Z/Z⊙ ≥ 0.3 within the central ~30 kpc by venting nuclear gas enriched with metals from residual star formation activity. As indicated by previous cosmological simulations, our results are consistent with a model for which the black hole mass and the total baryon fraction are set at higher redshifts z > 1 and the AGN alone can keep the model galaxy on observed scaling relations. Models without AGN feedback violate both the quiescence criterion as well as circumgalactic medium metallicity constraints.
KW - Galaxies: evolution
KW - Galaxies: nuclei
KW - Galaxies: star formation
KW - Methods: numerical
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85017203661&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/mnras/stx473
DO - 10.1093/mnras/stx473
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85017203661
SN - 0035-8711
VL - 468
SP - 751
EP - 768
JO - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
JF - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
IS - 1
ER -