Abstract
We study the effects of feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN) on emission from molecular gas in galaxy mergers by combining hydrodynamic simulations which include black holes with a three-dimensional, non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) radiative transfer code. We find that molecular clouds entrained in AGN winds produce an extended CO morphology with significant off-nuclear emission, which may be detectable via contour mapping. Furthermore, kinematic signatures of these molecular outflows are visible in emission line profiles when the outflow has a large line of sight velocity. Our results can help interpret current and upcoming observations of luminous infrared galaxies, as well as provide a detailed test of subresolution prescriptions for supermassive black hole growth in galaxy-scale hydrodynamic simulations.
Highlights
The physical processes giving rise to the birth and sustained fueling of massive starbursts and active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have been of interest since their discovery
The black holes (BHs) accretion rate nears its peak as the BHs merge at T ∼ 1.15 hϪ1 Gyr, and the feedback energy input from the AGN is near its maximum in the model with BHs
Beginning from T ≈ 1.13 hϪ1 Gyr onward, the CO morphology of the galaxy in the BH model undergoes dramatic changes owing to feedback from the buried AGN
Summary
The physical processes giving rise to the birth and sustained fueling of massive starbursts and active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have been of interest since their discovery. Hydrodynamic simulations have shown that mergers can produce strong, galaxy-scale inflows owing to gravitational torques (Barnes & Hernquist 1991, 1996), triggering starbursts (Mihos & Hernquist 1996) This suggests a circumstantial link between starbursts and AGN activity. Recent numerical models by Di Matteo et al (2005), Hopkins et al (2005a, 2005b, 2005c, 2006a), and Springel et al (2005a) have provided a theoretical foundation for the link between starbursts and AGNs. In particular, by modeling the growth of (and feedback from) central BHs, they showed that gas-rich galaxy mergers are a viable candidate to serve as a precursor to the formation of quasars. In this Letter, we describe results in which we find distinct signatures of AGN feedback on cold gas, and we discuss some observational results that may be understood in this context
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