Linking the Spin Evolution of Massive Black Holes to Galaxy Kinematics

Abstract

We present the results of a semianalytical model that evolves the masses and spins of massive black holes together with the properties of their host galaxies along the cosmic history. As a consistency check, our model broadly reproduces a number of observations, e.g. the cosmic star formation history, the black hole mass and luminosity function and the galaxy mass function at low redshift, the black hole to bulge mass relation, and the morphological distribution at low redshift. For the first time in a semianalytical investigation, we relax the simplifying assumptions of perfect coherency or perfect isotropy of the gas fueling the black holes. The dynamics of gas is instead linked to the morphological properties of the host galaxies, resulting in different spin distributions for black holes hosted in different galaxy types. We compare our results with the observed sample of spin measurements obtained through broad Kα iron line fitting. The observational data disfavor both accretion along a fixed direction and isotropic fueling. Conversely, when the properties of the accretion flow are anchored to the kinematics of the host galaxy, we obtain a good match between theoretical expectations and observations. A mixture of coherent accretion and phases of activity in which the gas dynamics is similar to that of the stars in bulges (i.e., with a significant velocity dispersion superimposed to a net rotation) best describes the data, adding further evidence in support to the coevolution of massive black holes and their hosts.

Evolution of massive black hole binaries in rotating stellar nuclei: Implications for gravitational wave detection

“…Figure 3 (left) shows V /σ computed at two projected radii: R = r infl , the SBH influence radius; and R = R eff , the effective (projected half-mass) radius. The latter quantity, which is most directly comparable to the V /σ values tabulated by Sesana et al [34], is well described by…”

Selection bias in dynamically measured supermassive black hole samples: scaling relations and correlations between residuals in semi-analytic galaxy formation models

“…While it could be achieved by decreasing black-hole accretion, this would imply a proportional reduction in AGN luminosity, unless a higher radiative efficiency and/or duty cycle are also assumed. The present calibration of our model already predicts rather high radiative efficiencies/black-hole spins (Sesana et al 2014). Duty cycles of active black holes could instead be constrained by comparing with independent AGN clustering measurements (Gatti et al 2016, and references therein).…”

“…Barausse 2012;Sesana et al 2014;Antonini et al 2015a,b). In more detail, as we will show in the following (c.f.…”

“…The full description of the semi-analytic model adopted as a reference in this work can be found in Barausse (2012), with later updates of the prescriptions for the black-hole spin and nuclear star cluster evolution described respectively in Sesana et al (2014) and Antonini et al (2015a,b). Here, we briefly summarise the key points about the growth of the central supermassive black holes, which are the main focus of this paper.…”

Influence of the geometric configuration of accretion flow on the black hole spin dependence of relativistic acoustic geometry

“…This has been accomplished to understand how the value of the acoustic surface gravity, which is one of the primary quantifiers of the analogue gravity phenomena, gets influenced by the matter geometry as well as with the equation of state describing the infalling matter. It is, however, to be noted that most of the astrophysical black holes are believed to be of Kerr type, i.e., they possess non-zero values of the black hole spin parameter (a) Miller et al [2009], Dauser et al [2010], Kato et al [2010], Tchekhovskoy et al [2010], Ziolkowski [2010], Buliga et al [2011], Daly [2011], Martínez-Sansigre and Rawlings [2011], McClintock et al [2011, Nixon et al [2011], Reynolds et al [2012], Tchekhovskoy and McKinney [2012], Brenneman [2013], Dotti et al [2013], McKinney et al [2013], Fabian et al [2014], Healy et al [2014], Jiang et al [2014], Nemmen and Tchekhovskoy [2014], Sesana et al [2014]. Hence, it is necessary to understand how the black hole spin dependence of the prominent features of the acoustic geometry gets influenced by the matter geometry.…”