Circumnuclear Disk Research Articles

Black hole feeding and star formation in NGC 1808

We report on Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) observations of CO(3−2) emission in the Seyfert2/starburst galaxy NGC 1808, at a spatial resolution of 4 pc. Our aim is to investigate the morphology and dynamics of the gas inside the central 0.5 kpc and to probe the nuclear feeding and feedback phenomena. We discovered a nuclear spiral of radius 1″ = 45 pc. Within it, we found a decoupled circumnuclear disk or molecular torus of a radius of 0.13″ = 6 pc. The HCN(4−3) and HCO+(4−3) and CS(7−6) dense gas line tracers were simultaneously mapped and detected in the nuclear spiral and they present the same misalignment in the molecular torus. At the nucleus, the HCN/HCO+and HCN/CS ratios indicate the presence of an active galactic nucleus (AGN). The molecular gas shows regular rotation, within a radius of 400 pc, except for the misaligned disk inside the nuclear spiral arms. The computations of the torques exerted on the gas by the barred stellar potential reveal that the gas within a radius of 100 pc is feeding the nucleus on a timescale of five rotations or on an average timescale of ∼60 Myr. Some non-circular motions are observed towards the center, corresponding to the nuclear spiral arms. We cannot rule out that small extra kinematic perturbations could be interpreted as a weak outflow attributed to AGN feedback. The molecular outflow detected at ≥250 pc in the NE direction is likely due to supernovae feedback and it is connected to the kpc-scale superwind.

The MBHBM⋆ Project – II. Molecular gas kinematics in the lenticular galaxy NGC 3593 reveal a supermassive black hole

ABSTRACT As part of the Measuring Black Holes in below Milky Way-mass (M⋆) galaxies (MBHBM⋆) Project, we present a dynamical measurement of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) mass in the nearby lenticular galaxy NGC 3593, using cold molecular gas 12CO(2-1) emission observed at an angular resolution of ≈0${_{.}^{\prime\prime}}$3 (≈10 pc) with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). Our ALMA observations reveal a circumnuclear molecular gas disc (CND) elongated along the galaxy major axis and rotating around the SMBH. This CND has a relatively low-velocity dispersion (≲10 km s−1) and is morphologically complex, with clumps having higher integrated intensities and velocity dispersions (≲25 km s−1). These clumps are distributed along the ridges of a two-arm/bi-symmetric spiral pattern surrounded by a larger ring-like structure (radius r ≈ 10 arcsec or ≈350 pc). This pattern likely plays an important role to bridge the molecular gas reservoirs in the CND and beyond (10 ≲ r ≲ 35 arcsec or 350 pc ≲ r ≲ 1.2 kpc). Using dynamical modelling, the molecular gas kinematics allow us to infer an SMBH mass $M_{\rm BH}=2.40_{-1.05}^{+1.87}\times 10^6$ M⊙ (only statistical uncertainties at the 3σ level). We also detect a massive core of cold molecular gas (CMC) of mass MCMC = (5.4 ± 1.2) × 106 M⊙ and effective (half-mass) radius rCMC,e = 11.2 ± 2.8 pc, co-spatial with a nuclear star cluster (NSC) of mass MNSC = (1.67 ± 0.48) × 107 M⊙ and effective radius rNSC,e = 5.0 ± 1.0 pc (or 0${_{.}^{\prime\prime}}$15 ± 0${_{.}^{\prime\prime}}$03). The mass profiles of the CMC and NSC are well described by Sérsic functions with indices 1−1.4. Our MBH and MNSC estimates for NGC 3593 agree well with the recently compiled MBH–MNSC scaling relation. Although the MNSC uncertainty is twice the inferred MBH, the rapid central rise of the rotation velocities of the CND (as the radius decreases) clearly suggests an SMBH. Indeed, our dynamical models show that even if MNSC is at the upper end of its allowed range, the evidence for a BH does not vanish, but remains with a lower limit of MBH > 3 × 105 M⊙.

Effects of Turbulence in the Circumnuclear Disk

Abstract A circumnuclear disk (CND) of molecular gas occupies the central few parsecs of the Galactic Center. It is likely subject to turbulent disruptions from violent events in its surrounding environment, but the effect of such perturbations has not yet been investigated in detail. Here we perform 3D, N-body/smoothed particle hydrodynamic simulations with an adapted general turbulence driving method to investigate the CND’s structural evolution, in particular its reaction to varied scales of injected turbulence. We find that, because of shear flow in the disk, transient arcs of gas (streams) naturally arise when turbulence is driven on large scales (up to ∼4 pc), as might occur when a supernova blast wave encounters the CND. Because energetic events arise naturally and often in the central parsecs of our Galaxy, this result suggests that the transient structures that characterize the CND do not imply that the CND itself is a transient structure. We also note that features similar to the density concentrations, or clumps, detailed in the literature emerge when we account for the observed orientation of the disk and for the spatial resolution of observations. As such, clumps could be an artifact of observational limitations.

An ALMA Gas-dynamical Mass Measurement of the Supermassive Black Hole in the Local Compact Galaxy UGC 2698

Abstract We present 0.″14 resolution Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) CO(2−1) observations of the circumnuclear gas disk in UGC 2698, a local compact galaxy. The disk exhibits regular rotation with projected velocities rising to 450 km s−1 near the galaxy center. We fit gas-dynamical models to the ALMA data cube, assuming the CO emission originates from a dynamically cold, thin disk, and measured the mass of the supermassive black hole (BH) in UGC 2698 to be M BH = (2.46 ± 0.07 [1σ statistical] − 0.78 + 0.70 [systematic]) × 109 M ⊙. UGC 2698 is part of a sample of nearby early-type galaxies that are plausible z ∼ 2 red nugget relics. Previous stellar-dynamical modeling for three galaxies in the sample found BH masses consistent with the BH mass−stellar velocity dispersion (M BH − σ ⋆) relation but over-massive relative to the BH mass−bulge luminosity (M BH − L bul) correlation, suggesting that BHs may gain the majority of their mass before their host galaxies. However, UGC 2698 is consistent with both M BH − σ ⋆ and M BH − L bul. As UGC 2698 has the largest stellar mass and effective radius in the local compact galaxy sample, it may have undergone more recent mergers that brought it in line with the BH scaling relations. Alternatively, given that the three previously measured compact galaxies are outliers from M BH − L bul, while UGC 2698 is not, there may be significant scatter at the poorly sampled high-mass end of the relation. Additional gas-dynamical M BH measurements for the compact galaxy sample will improve our understanding of BH−galaxy co-evolution.

The Galaxy Activity, Torus, and Outflow Survey (GATOS)

We present the first results of the Galaxy Activity, Torus, and Outflow Survey (GATOS), a project aimed at understanding the properties of the dusty molecular tori and their connection to the host galaxy in nearby Seyfert galaxies. Our project expands the range of active galactic nuclei (AGN) luminosities and Eddington ratios covered by previous surveys of Seyferts conducted by the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), allowing us to study the gas feeding and feedback cycle in a combined sample of 19 Seyferts. We used ALMA to obtain new images of the emission of molecular gas and dust using the CO(3–2) and HCO+(4–3) lines as well as their underlying continuum emission at 870 μm with high spatial resolutions (0.1″ ∼ 7 − 13 pc) in the circumnuclear disks (CND) of ten nearby (D < 28 Mpc) Seyfert galaxies selected from an ultra-hard X-ray survey. Our new ALMA observations detect 870 μm continuum and CO line emission from spatially resolved disks located around the AGN in all the sources. The bulk of the 870 μm continuum flux can be accounted for by thermal emission from dust in the majority of the targets. For most of the sources, the disks show a preponderant orientation perpendicular to the AGN wind axes, as expected for dusty molecular tori. The median diameters and molecular gas masses of the tori are ∼42 pc and ∼6 × 105 M⊙, respectively. We also detected the emission of the 4–3 line of HCO+in four GATOS targets. The order of magnitude differences found in the CO/HCO+ratios within our combined sample point to a very different density radial stratification inside the dusty molecular tori of these Seyferts. We find a positive correlation between the line-of-sight gas column densities responsible for the absorption of X-rays and the molecular gas column densities derived from CO toward the AGN in our sources. Furthermore, the median values of both column densities are similar. This suggests that the neutral gas line-of-sight column densities of the dusty molecular tori imaged by ALMA significantly contribute to the obscuration of X-rays. The radial distributions of molecular gas in the CND of our combined sample show signs of nuclear-scale molecular gas deficits. We also detect molecular outflows in the sources that show the most extreme nuclear-scale gas deficits in our sample. These observations find for the first time supporting evidence that the imprint of AGN feedback is more extreme in higher luminosity and/or higher Eddington ratio Seyfert galaxies.

Revealing the Physical Conditions around Sgr A* Using Bayesian Inference. I. Observations and Radiative Transfer

Abstract We report subarcsecond Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations between 272 and 375 GHz toward Sgr A*'s circumnuclear disk (CND). Our data comprise eight individual pointings, with significant SiO (87–76) and SO (7–6) emission detected toward 98 positions within these pointings. Additionally, we identify H2CS (91,9–81,8), OCS (25–24), and CH3OH (21,1–20,2) toward a smaller subset of positions. By using the observed peak line flux density, together with a Bayesian inference technique informed by radiative transfer models, we systematically recover the physical gas conditions toward each of these positions. We estimate that the bulk of the surveyed gas has temperature T kin < 500 K and density n H ⪅ 106 cm−3, consistent with previous studies of similar positions as traced by HCN clumps. However, we identify an uncharacteristically hot (T kin ≈ 600 K) and dense (n H ≈ 106 cm−3) source in the Northeastern Arm. This position is found to be approximately consistent with a gravitationally bound region dominated by turbulence. We also identify a nearby cold (T kin ≈ 60 K) and extremely dense (n H ≈ 107 cm−3) position that is again potentially bound and dominated by turbulence. We also determine that the total gas mass contained within the CND is M CND ≲ 4 × 104 M ⊙. Furthermore, we qualitatively note that the observed chemical enrichment across large scales within the CND is consistent with bulk grain processing, though multiple desorption mechanisms are plausibly responsible. Further chemical modeling is required to identify the physical origin of the grain processing, as well as the localized H2CS and OCS emission.

Atomic Carbon in the Central Molecular Zone of the Milky Way: Possible Cosmic-Ray Induced Chemistry or Time-dependent Chemistry Associated with SNR Sagittarius A East

Abstract Atomic carbon (C0), being one of the most abundant atomic/molecular species observed in dense molecular gas, is potentially a good tracer of molecular gas mass in many chemical/physical environments, though the variation in C0 abundance outside the Galactic disk region is not yet fully known. This paper presents a wide-field 500 GHz [C i] map of the Galactic central molecular zone (CMZ) obtained with the ASTE 10 m telescope. Principal component analysis and non-LTE multi-transition analysis have shown that [C i] emission predominantly originates from the low-excitation gas component with a temperature of 20–50 K and density of ∼103 cm−3, whereas C0 abundance is likely suppressed in the high-excitation gas component. The average N(C0)/N(CO) abundance ratio in the CMZ is 0.3–0.4, which is 2–3 times that in the Galactic disk. The N(C0)/N(CO) ratio increases to 0.7 in the innermost 10 pc region and to ∼2 in the circumnuclear disk. We discovered C0-rich regions distributed in a ring shape encircling the supernova remnant (SNR) Sgr A East, indicating that the C0 enrichment in the central 10 pc region is a consequence of a molecular cloud–SNR interaction. In the 15 atoms/molecules included in principal component analysis, CN is the only other species that increases in the [C i]-bright ring. The origin of the [C i]-bright ring is likely a cosmic-ray-dominated region created by low-energy cosmic-ray particles accelerated by Sgr A East or primitive molecular gas collected by the SNR in which the conversion from C0 to CO has not reached equilibrium.

Diffuse Synchrotron Emission Associated with the Starburst in the Circumnuclear Disk of NGC 1275

Abstract Recent Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations found a positive correlation between the mass of dense molecular gas in the circumnuclear disks (CNDs) and accretion rate to the active galactic nuclei (AGNs). This indicates that star formation activity in the CNDs is essential for triggering the accretion of mass to AGNs. Although the starburst-driven turbulence is a key mechanism for the transfer of angular momentum and the resultant mass accretion from the CND scale to the inner radius, the observational evidence is lacking. We report the very-long-baseline-interferometry detection of the diffuse synchrotron emission on a scale of several tens of parsecs coinciding spatially with the molecular gas disk recently discovered by ALMA observations in NGC 1275. The synchrotron emissions most likely resulted from the relativistic electrons produced by the supernova explosions. This is unambiguous evidence of the star formation activity in a CND. The turbulent velocity and the scale height of the CND predicted from the supernova-driven turbulence model agree with the observations, although the model-predicted accretion rate disagrees with the bolometric luminosity. This might indicate that additional mechanisms to enhance the turbulence are required for the inner disk. We discuss the multiphase nature of the CND by combining the information of the CO emission, synchrotron emission, and free–free absorption.

The Circumnuclear Disk Revealed by ALMA. I. Dense Clouds and Tides in the Galactic Center

Abstract Utilizing the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, we present CS line maps in five rotational lines (J u = 7, 5, 4, 3, 2) toward the circumnuclear disk (CND) and streamers of the Galactic center. Our primary goal is to resolve the compact structures within the CND and the streamers, in order to understand the stability conditions of molecular cores in the vicinity of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) Sgr A*. Our data provide the first homogeneous high-resolution (1.″3 = 0.05 pc) observations aiming at resolving density and temperature structures. The CS clouds have sizes of 0.05–0.2 pc with a broad range of velocity dispersion (σ FWHM = 5–40 km s−1). The CS clouds are a mixture of warm (T k ≥ 50–500 K, n H 2 = 103–105 cm−3) and cold gas (T k ≤ 50 K, n H 2 = 106–108 cm−3). A stability analysis based on the unmagnetized virial theorem including tidal force shows that 84 − 37 + 16 % of the total gas mass is tidally stable, which accounts for the majority of gas mass. Turbulence dominates the internal energy and thereby sets the threshold densities 10–100 times higher than the tidal limit at distance ≥1.5 pc to Sgr A*, and therefore it inhibits the clouds from collapsing to form stars near the SMBH. However, within the central 1 pc, the tidal force overrides turbulence and the threshold densities for a gravitational collapse quickly grow to ≥ 108 cm−3.

A giant molecular cloud catalogue in the molecular disc of the elliptical galaxy NGC 5128 (Centaurus A)

ABSTRACT We present the first census of giant molecular clouds (GMCs) complete down to 106 M⊙ and within the inner 4 kpc of the nearest giant elliptical and powerful radio galaxy, Centaurus A. We identified 689 GMCs using CO(1–0) data with 1 arcsec spatial resolution (∼20 pc) and 2 km s−1 velocity resolution obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. The I(CO)-N(H2) conversion factor based on the virial method is XCO = (2 ± 1) × 1020 cm−2(K km s−1)−1 for the entire molecular disc, consistent with that of the discs of spiral galaxies including the Milky Way, and XCO = (5 ± 2) × 1020 cm−2(K km s−1)−1 for the circumnuclear disc (CND; within a galactocentric radius of 200 pc). We obtained the GMC mass spectrum distribution and find that the best truncated power-law fit for the whole molecular disc, with index γ ≃ −2.41 ± 0.02 and upper cut-off mass $\sim \! 1.3\times 10^{7}\, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$, is also in agreement with that of nearby disc galaxies. A trend is found in the mass spectrum index from steep to shallow as we move to inner radii. Although the GMCs are in an elliptical galaxy, the general GMC properties in the molecular disc are as in spiral galaxies. However, in the CND, large offsets in the line-width-size scaling relations (∼0.3 dex higher than those in the GMCs in the molecular disc), a different XCO factor, and the shallowest GMC mass distribution shape (γ = −1.1 ± 0.2) all suggest that there the GMCs are most strongly affected by the presence of the active galactic nucleus and/or shear motions.

Black hole mass measurement using ALMA observations of [CI] and CO emissions in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 7469

ABSTRACT We present a supermassive black hole (SMBH) mass measurement in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 7469 using Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of the atomic-[CI](1–0) and molecular-12CO(1–0) emission lines at the spatial resolution of ≈0${_{.}^{\prime\prime}}$3 (or ≈100 pc). These emissions reveal that NGC 7469 hosts a circumnuclear gas disc (CND) with a ring-like structure and a two-arm/bi-symmetric spiral pattern within it, surrounded by a starbursting ring. The CND has a relatively low σgas/V ≈ 0.35 (r ≲ 0${_{.}^{\prime\prime}}$5) and ≈0.19 (r > 0${_{.}^{\prime\prime}}$5), suggesting that the gas is dynamically settled and suitable for dynamically deriving the mass of its central source. As is expected from X-ray dominated region (XDR) effects that dramatically increase an atomic carbon abundance by dissociating CO molecules, we suggest that the atomic [CI](1–0) emission is a better probe of SMBH masses than CO emission in active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Our dynamical model using the [CI](1–0) kinematics yields a $M_{\rm BH}=1.78^{+2.69}_{-1.10}\times 10^7$ M⊙ and $M/L_{\rm F547M}=2.25^{+0.40}_{-0.43}$ (M⊙/L⊙). The model using the 12CO(1–0) kinematics also gives a consistent MBH with a larger uncertainty, up to an order of magnitude, i.e. $M_{\rm BH}=1.60^{+11.52}_{-1.45}\times 10^7$ M⊙. This newly dynamical MBH is ≈2 times higher than the mass determined from the reverberation mapped (RM) method using emissions arising in the unresolved broad-line region (BLR). Given this new MBH, we are able to constrain the specific RM dimensionless scaling factor of $f=7.2^{+4.2}_{-3.4}$ for the AGN BLR in NGC 7469. The gas within the unresolved BLR thus has a Keplerian virial velocity component and the inclination of $i\approx {11.0^\circ }_{-2.5}^{+2.2}$, confirming its face-on orientation in a Seyfert 1 AGN by assuming a geometrically thin BLR model.

Blandford–Znajek jets in galaxy formation simulations: method and implementation

ABSTRACT Jets launched by active galactic nuclei (AGN) are believed to play a significant role in shaping the properties of galaxies and provide an energetically viable mechanism through which galaxies can become quenched. Here, we present a novel AGN feedback model, which we have incorporated into the arepo code, that evolves the black hole mass and spin as the accretion flow proceeds through a thin α-disc that we self-consistently couple to a Blandford–Znajek jet. We apply our model to the central region of a typical radio-loud Seyfert galaxy embedded in a hot circumgalactic medium (CGM). We find that jets launched into high-pressure environments thermalize efficiently due to the formation of recollimation shocks and the vigorous instabilities that these shocks excite increase the efficiency of the mixing of CGM and jet material. The beams of more overpressured jets, however, are not as readily disrupted by instabilities so the majority of the momentum flux at the jet base is retained out to the head, where the jet terminates in a reverse shock. All jets entrain a significant amount of cold circumnuclear disc material that, while energetically insignificant, dominates the lobe mass together with the hot, entrained CGM material. The jet power evolves significantly due to effective self-regulation by the black hole, fed by secularly driven, intermittent mass flows. The direction of jets launched directly into the circumnuclear disc changes considerably due to effective Bardeen–Petterson torquing. Interestingly, these jets obliterate the innermost regions of the disc and drive large-scale, multiphase, turbulent, bipolar outflows.

The obstructed jet in Mrk 231

ABSTRACT Mrk 231 is the closest radio-quiet quasar known and one of the most luminous infrared galaxies in the local Universe. It is characterized by the co-existence of a radio jet and powerful multiphase multiscale outflows, making it an ideal laboratory to study active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback. We analyse the multi-epoch very long baseline interferometry data of Mrk 231 and estimate the jet head advance speed to be ≲0.013 c, suggesting a sub-relativistic jet flow. The jet position angle changes from −113○ in the inner parsec to −172○ at a projected distance of 25 pc. The jet structure change might result from either a jet bending following the rotation of the circum-nuclear disc or the projection of a helical jet on the plane of the sky. In the large opening angle (∼60○) cone, the curved jet interacts with the interstellar medium and creates wide-aperture-angle shocks that subsequently dissipate a large portion of the jet power through radiation and contribute to powering the large-scale outflows. The low power and bent structure of the Mrk 231 jet, as well as extensive radiation dissipation, are consistent with the obstruction of the short-length jet by the host galaxy’s environment.

Formation of “Blanets” from Dust Grains around the Supermassive Black Holes in Galaxies

Abstract In Wada et al. (2019), we proposed for the first time that a new class of planets, blanets, can be formed around supermassive black holes in the galactic center. Here, we investigate the dust coagulation processes and physical conditions of the blanet formation outside the snowline (r snow ∼ several parsecs) in more detail, especially considering the effect of the radial drift of the dust aggregates. We found that a dimensionless parameter , where v t is the turbulent velocity and c s is the sound velocity, describing the turbulent viscosity should be smaller than 0.04 in the circumnuclear disk to prevent the destruction of the aggregates due to collision. The formation timescale of blanets τ GI at r snow is, τ GI ≃ 70–80 Myr for α = 0.01 − 0.04 and M BH = 106 M ⊙. The mass of the blanets ranges from ∼20M E to 3000M E in r < 4 pc for α = 0.02 (M E is the Earth mass), which is in contrast with 4M E–6M E for the case without the radial drift. Our results suggest that blanets could be formed around relatively low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (L bol ∼ 1042 erg s−1) during their lifetime (≲108 yr).

Vibrationally excited HC3N emission in NGC 1068: tracing the recent star formation in the starburst ring

ABSTRACT Using the ALMA data, we have studied the HC3N and continuum emission in the starburst pseudo-ring (SB pseudo-ring) and the circumnuclear disc (CND) of the SB/active galactic nucleus (AGN) composite galaxy NGC 1068. We have detected emission from vibrationally excited HC3N (HC3N*) only towards one star-forming region of the SB pseudo-ring. Remarkably, HC3N* was not detected towards the CND despite its large HC3N v = 0 column density. From local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) and non-LTE modelling of HC3N*, we obtained a dust temperature (Tdust) of ∼250 K and a density $(n_{\text{H}_2}) \text{ of }6\times 10^5$ cm−3 for this star-forming region. The estimated infrared (IR) luminosity of 5.8 × 108 L⊙ is typical of proto-superstar clusters (proto-SSCs) observed in the SB galaxy NGC 253. We use the continuum emissions at 147 and 350 GHz, along with CO and Pa α, to estimate the ages of other 14 SSCs in the SB pseudo-ring. We find the SSCs to be associated with the region connecting the nuclear bar with the SB pseudo-ring, supporting the inflow scenario. For the CND, our analysis yields Tdust ≤ 100 K and $n_{\text{H}_2}\sim (3\!-\!6)\times 10^5$ cm−3. The very different dust temperatures found for the CND and the proto-SSC indicate that, while the dust in the proto-SSC is being efficiently heated from the inside by the radiation from massive protostars, the CND is being heated externally by the AGN, which in the IR optically thin case can only heat the dust to 56 K. We discuss the implications of the non-detection of HC3N* near the luminous AGN in NGC 1068 on the interpretation of the HC3N* emission observed in the SB/AGN composite galaxies NGC 4418 and Arp 220.

Time evolution simulations for the galactic centre circumnuclear disc

The supermassive black hole at the Galactic Centre is surrounded by the so-called Circumnuclear Disc (CND) with a sharp inner edge at 1.5 pc. Both its outer extent and the total mass contained within it are somewhat unknown making it difficult to conclude on its long term stability. In this work we report the results of our simulations for the orbital evolution of the CND taking into account its warped shape, its self-gravity and the torques induced by the surrounding flattened nuclear star cluster. Assuming different values for the outer radius of the CND and different masses and flattening values for the star cluster we first find steadily precessing warped disc solutions for parameters relevant to the CND and the nuclear star cluster. In order to study the long term stability of the CND, we then follow the orbital evolution of the CND. Our results suggest that beyond 2 pc the CND is a stable structure on timescales of about a few Myr.

Supernova Explosions in Accretion Disks in Active Galactic Nuclei: Three-dimensional Models

Abstract Supernova (SN) explosions can potentially affect the structure and evolution of circumnuclear disks in active galactic nuclei (AGN). Some previous studies have suggested that a relatively low rate of SN explosions can provide an effective value of alpha viscosity between 0.1 and 1 in AGN accretion disks within a 1 pc scale. In order to test this possibility, we provide some analytic scalings of the evolution of an SN remnant embedded in a differentially rotating smooth disk. We calibrate our estimates using three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations where the gas is modeled as adiabatic with index γ. Our simulations are suited to include the fact that a fraction of the momentum injected by the SN escapes from the disk into the corona. Based on these results, we calculate the contribution of SN explosions to the effective alpha viscosity, denoted by α SNe, in a model AGN accretion disk, where accretion is driven by the local viscosity α. We find that for AGN galaxies with a central black hole of and a disk with viscosity α = 0.1, the contribution of SN explosions may be as large as , provided that . On the other hand, in the momentum conservation limit, which is valid when the push by the internal pressure of the SN remnant is negligible, we find .

Non-isotropic feedback from accreting spinning black holes

ABSTRACT Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are massive black holes (BHs) caught in the act of accreting gas at the centre of their host galaxies. Part of the accreting mass is converted to energy and released into the surrounding medium, in a process loosely referred to as AGN feedback. Most numerical simulations include AGN feedback as a sub-grid model, wherein energy or momentum (or both) is coupled to the nearby gas. In this work, we implement a new momentum-driven model in the hydrodynamics code gizmo, in which accretion from large scales is mediated by a sub-grid accretion disc model, and gas particles are stochastically kicked over a bi-conical region, to mimic observed kinetic winds. The feedback cone’s axis can be set parallel either to the angular momentum of the gas surrounding the BH or to the BH spin direction, which is self-consistently evolved within the accretion-disc model. Using a circumnuclear disc (CND) as a test bed, we find that (i) the conical shape of the outflow is always visible and is weakly dependent on the launching orientation and aperture, resulting in comparable mass inflows and outflows; (ii) the cone’s orientation is also similar amongst our tests, and it is not always the same as the initial value, due to the interaction with the CND playing a crucial role in shaping the outflow; and (iii) the velocity of the outflow, instead, differs and strongly depends on the interplay with the CND.

Black hole spin evolution in warped accretion discs

ABSTRACT Massive black holes (BHs) inhabiting galactic nuclei can be described by two parameters only, i.e. mass and spin, that change through cosmic time in response to accretion and merger events. While most numerical simulations accurately track the BH mass, spin evolution is rarely taken into account. In this work, we implement and validate a self-consistent sub-grid model for the evolution of the BH mass and spin via gas accretion in the hydrodynamics code gizmo. The model assumes that accretion from resolved scales does not occur instantaneously but is mediated by a sub-grid geometrically thin α-disc. After validating our model semi-analytically, we test it in an idealized environment consisting of a circumnuclear disc, where gas accretion on to the accretion disc is consistently determined by gizmo. In the absence of any accretion-related feedback, the spin evolution closely traces that observed in the semi-analytical models, and depends on the free parameters of our implementation, such as the initial BH spin, angular momentum of the accretion disc, and radius at which the gas inflow circularizes. In gizmo, we also couple our model with the biconical-outflow model presented in a companion paper, wherein the feedback axis is always aligned with the BH spin. In this last case, the evolution of the central BH differs significantly from the previous cases, since the feedback process modifies the gas dynamics and its inflow rates from resolved scales. Such an interaction cannot be modelled by simple semi-analytical models and should be treated using full N-body hydrodynamical simulations.

Simulations of the Milky Way’s central molecular zone – I. Gas dynamics

ABSTRACT We use hydrodynamical simulations to study the Milky Way’s central molecular zone (CMZ). The simulations include a non-equilibrium chemical network, the gas self-gravity, star formation, and supernova feedback. We resolve the structure of the interstellar medium at sub-parsec resolution while also capturing the interaction between the CMZ and the bar-driven large-scale flow out to $R\sim 5\, {\rm kpc}$. Our main findings are as follows: (1) The distinction between inner (R ≲ 120 pc) and outer (120 ≲ R ≲ 450 pc) CMZ that is sometimes proposed in the literature is unnecessary. Instead, the CMZ is best described as single structure, namely a star-forming ring with outer radius R ≃ 200 pc which includes the 1.3° complex and which is directly interacting with the dust lanes that mediate the bar-driven inflow. (2) This accretion can induce a significant tilt of the CMZ out of the plane. A tilted CMZ might provide an alternative explanation to the ∞-shaped structure identified in Herschel data by Molinari et al. (3) The bar in our simulation efficiently drives an inflow from the Galactic disc (R ≃ 3 kpc) down to the CMZ (R ≃ 200 pc) of the order of $1\rm \, M_\odot \, yr^{-1}$, consistent with observational determinations. (4) Supernova feedback can drive an inflow from the CMZ inwards towards the circumnuclear disc of the order of ${\sim}0.03\, \rm M_\odot \, yr^{-1}$. (5) We give a new interpretation for the 3D placement of the 20 and 50 km s−1 clouds, according to which they are close (R ≲ 30 pc) to the Galactic Centre, but are also connected to the larger scale streams at R ≳ 100 pc.