Abstract
Abstract Outflows driven by active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are an important channel for accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs) to interact with their host galaxies and clusters. Properties of the outflows are however poorly constrained due to the lack of kinetically resolved data of the hot plasma that permeates the circumgalactic and intracluster space. In this work, we use a single parameter, outflow-to-accretion mass-loading factor m = M ̇ jet / M ̇ BH , to characterize the outflows that mediate the interaction between SMBHs and their hosts. By modeling both M87 and Perseus, and comparing the simulated thermal profiles with the X-ray observations of these two systems, we demonstrate that m can be constrained between 200 and 500. This parameter corresponds to a bulk flow speed between 4000 and 7000 km s−1 at around 1 kpc, and a thermalized outflow temperature between 108.7 and 109 K. Our results indicate that the dominant outflow speeds in giant elliptical galaxies and clusters are much lower than in the close vicinity of the SMBH, signaling an efficient coupling with and deceleration by the surrounding medium on length scales below 1 kpc. Consequently, AGNs may be efficient at launching outflows ∼10 times more massive than previously uncovered by measurements of cold, obscuring material. We also examine the mass and velocity distribution of the cold gas, which ultimately forms a rotationally supported disk in simulated clusters. The rarity of such disks in observations indicates that further investigations are needed to understand the evolution of the cold gas after it forms.
Highlights
Studies of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their host galaxies have revealed a correlation between black hole mass and galaxy properties such as bulge mass, luminosity, and velocity dispersion (Magorrian et al 1998; Ferrarese & Merritt 2000; Gebhardt et al 2000), suggesting a coevolution scenario (Kormendy & Ho 2013)
Outflows driven by active galactic nuclei (AGN) are an important channel for accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs) to interact with their host galaxies and clusters
In an inside-out fashion, we use the following three subsections to present our simulation results on (i) the SMBH accretion rate and AGN luminosity evolution, (ii) the outflow properties at r < 20 kpc driven by jets, and (iii) the thermal properties of the X-ray emitting plasma regulated by AGN feedback
Summary
Studies of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their host galaxies have revealed a correlation between black hole mass and galaxy properties such as bulge mass, luminosity, and velocity dispersion (Magorrian et al 1998; Ferrarese & Merritt 2000; Gebhardt et al 2000), suggesting a coevolution scenario (Kormendy & Ho 2013). The dissipation of FR I jets (Fanaroff & Riley 1974), as well as X-ray cavities filled with radio plasma (Bırzan et al 2004), indicates that the jets are decelerated by baryons along their paths This process involves interaction between the jet material and the stellar wind or gas clouds surrounding the central AGN (e.g., Komissarov 1994; Bowman et al 1996; Hubbard & Blackman 2006; Wagner & Bicknell 2011; Bosch-Ramon et al 2012; Wagner et al 2012; Morganti et al 2013; Walg et al 2013; Perucho et al 2014; Cielo et al 2014; Mukherjee et al 2016, 2018; Cielo et al 2018; Angles-Castillo et al 2021). The resulting outflows are mass-loaded, and provide a channel for SMBHs to interact with their hosts
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