Supermassive Black Hole Accretion Research Articles

SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE GROWTH IN STARBURST GALAXIES OVER COSMIC TIME: CONSTRAINTS FROM THE DEEPESTCHANDRAFIELDS

We present an analysis of deep multiwavelength data for z ~ 0.3-3 starburst galaxies selected by their 70 um emission in the Extended-Chandra Deep Field-South and Extended Groth Strip. We identify active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in these infrared sources through their X-ray emission and quantify the fraction that host an AGN. We find that the fraction depends strongly on both the mid-infrared color and rest-frame mid-infrared luminosity of the source, rising to ~ 50-70% at the warmest colors and highest mid-infrared luminosities (corresponding to ultraluminous infrared galaxies), similar to the trends found locally. Additionally, we find that the AGN fraction depends strongly on the star formation rate of the host galaxy (inferred from the observed 70 um luminosity after subtracting the estimated AGN contribution), particularly for more luminous AGNs (L_X > 10^43 erg/s). At the highest star formation rates (~ 1000 M_sun/yr), the fraction of galaxies with an X-ray detected AGN rises to ~ 30%, roughly consistent with that found in high-redshift submillimeter galaxies. Assuming that the AGN fraction is driven by the star formation rate (rather than stellar mass or redshift, for which our sample is largely degenerate), this result implies that the duty cycle of luminous AGN activity increases with the star formation rate of the host galaxy: specifically, we find that luminous X-ray detected AGNs are at least ~ 5-10 times more common in systems with high star formation rates (> 300 M_sun/yr) than in systems with lower star formation rates (< 30 M_sun/yr). Lastly, we investigate the ratio between the supermassive black hole accretion rate and the growth rate of the host galaxy and find that, for sources with detected AGNs and star formation, this ratio in distant starbursts agrees well with that expected from the local scaling relation assuming the black holes and bulges grew at the same epoch.

CO (2-1) LINE EMISSION IN REDSHIFT 6 QUASAR HOST GALAXIES

We report new observations of CO (2-1) line emission toward five z~6 quasars using the Ka-band receiver system on the Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA). Strong detections were obtained in two of them, SDSS J092721.82+200123.7 and CFHQS J142952.17+544717.6, and a marginal detection was obtained in another source, SDSS J084035.09+562419.9. Upper limits of the CO (2-1) line emission have been obtained for the other two objects. The CO (2-1) line detection in J0927+2001, together with previous measurements of the CO (6-5) and (5-4) lines, reveals important constraints on the CO excitation in the central ~10 kpc region of the quasar host galaxy. The CO (2-1) line emission from J1429+5447 is resolved into two distinct peaks separated by 1.2" (~6.9 kpc), indicating a possible gas-rich, major merging system, and the optical quasar position is consistent with the west peak. This result is in good agreement with the picture in which intense host galaxy star formation is coeval with rapid supermassive black hole accretion in the most distant universe. The two EVLA detections are ideal targets for further high-resolution imaging (e.g., with ALMA or EVLA observations) to study the gas distribution, dynamics, and SMBH-bulge mass relation in these earliest quasar-host galaxy systems.

FAR-INFRARED AND MOLECULAR CO EMISSION FROM THE HOST GALAXIES OF FAINT QUASARS ATz∼ 6

We present new millimeter and radio observations of nine z~6 quasars discovered in deep optical and near-infrared surveys. We observed the 250 GHz continuum in eight of the nine objects and detected three of them. New 1.4 GHz radio continuum data have been obtained for four sources, and one has been detected. We searched for molecular CO (6-5) line emission in the three 250 GHz detections and detected two of them. We study the FIR and radio emission and quasar-host galaxy evolution with a sample of 18 z~6 quasars that are faint at UV/optical wavelengths (rest-frame 1450A magnitudes of m_1450\ge20.2). The average FIR-to-AGN UV luminosity ratio of this faint quasar sample is about two times higher than that of the bright quasars at z~6 (m_1450<20.2). A fit to the average FIR and AGN bolometric luminosities of both the UV/optically faint and bright z~6 quasars, and the average luminosities of samples of submillimeter /millimeter-observed quasars at z~2 to 5, yields a relationship of L_{FIR} {L_{bol}}^{0.62}. Five of the 18 faint z~6 quasars have been detected at 250 GHz. These 250 GHz detections, as well as most of the millimeter-detected optically bright z~6 quasars, follow a shallower trend of L_{FIR} {L_{bol}}^{0.45} defined by the starburst-AGN systems in local and high-z universe. The millimeter continuum detections in the five objects and molecular CO detections in three of them reveal a few x10^8 M_sun of FIR-emitting warm dust and 10^10 M_sun of molecular gas in the quasar host galaxies. All these results argue for massive star formation in the quasar host galaxies, with estimated star formation rates of a few hundred M_sun yr^{-1}. Additionally, the higher FIR-to-AGN luminosity ratio found in these 250 GHz-detected faint quasars also suggests a higher ratio between star formation rate and supermassive black hole accretion rate than the UV/optically most luminous quasars at z~6.

Feeding supermassive black holes through supersonic turbulence and ballistic accretion

It has long been recognised that the main obstacle to accretion of gas onto supermassive black holes (SMBHs) is large specific angular momentum. It is feared that the gas settles in a large scale disc, and that accretion would then proceed too inefficiently to explain the masses of the observed SMBHs. Here we point out that, while the mean angular momentum in the bulge is very likely to be large, the deviations from the mean can also be significant. Indeed, cosmological simulations show that velocity and angular momentum fields of gas flows onto galaxies are very complex. Furthermore, inside bulges the gas velocity distribution can be further randomised by the velocity kicks due to feedback from star formation. We perform hydrodynamical simulations of gaseous rotating shells infalling onto an SMBH, attempting to quantify the importance of velocity dispersion in the gas at relatively large distances from the black hole. We implement this dispersion by means of a supersonic turbulent velocity spectrum. We find that, while in the purely rotating case the circularisation process leads to efficient mixing of gas with different angular momentum, resulting in a low accretion rate, the inclusion of turbulence increases this accretion rate by up to several orders of magnitude. We show that this can be understood based on the notion of "ballistic" accretion, whereby dense filaments, created by convergent turbulent flows, travel through the ambient gas largely unaffected by hydrodynamical drag. We derive a simple analytical formula that captures the numerical results to within a factor of a few. Rescaling our results to astrophysical bulges, we argue that this "ballistic" mode of accretion could provide the SMBHs with a sufficient supply of fuel without the need to channel the gas via large-scale discs or bars, and therefore that star formation in bulges can be a strong catalyst for SMBH accretion.

Recoiling black holes in merging galaxies: relationship to active galactic nucleus lifetimes, starbursts and the MBH-σ* relation

Gravitational-wave recoil of merging supermassive black holes (SMBHs) may influence the co-evolution of SMBHs and their host galaxies. We examine this possibility using smoothed particle hydrodynamic/N-body simulations of gaseous galaxy mergers, including SMBH accretion, in which the merged BH receives a recoil kick. This enables us to follow the trajectories and accretion of recoiling BHs in self-consistent, evolving merger remnants. In contrast to recent studies on similar topics, we conduct a large parameter study, generating a suite of over 200 simulations with more than 60 merger models and a range of recoil velocities (vk). With this, we can identify systematic trends in the behaviour of recoiling BHs. Our main results are as follows. (1) BHs kicked at nearly the central escape speed (vesc) may oscillate on large orbits for up to a Hubble time, but in gas-rich mergers, BHs kicked with up to ∼0.7vesc may be confined to the central few kpc of the galaxy, owing to gas drag and steep central potentials. (2) vesc in gas-rich mergers may increase rapidly during final coalescence, in which case recoil trajectories may depend sensitively on the timing of the BH merger relative to the formation of the central potential well. Delays of even a few times 107 yr in the BH merger time may substantially suppress recoiling BH motion for a fixed kick speed. (3) Recoil events generally reduce the lifetimes of bright active galactic nuclei (AGNs), but short-period recoil oscillations may actually extend AGN lifetimes at lower luminosities. (4) Bondi–Hoyle accretion dominates recoiling BH growth for vk/vesc≲ 0.6–0.8; for higher vk, the BH accretes primarily from its ejected gas disc, which we model as a time-dependent accretion disc. (5) Kinematically offset AGNs may be observable either immediately after a high-velocity recoil or during pericentric passages through a gas-rich remnant. In either case, AGN lifetimes may be up to ∼10 Myr (for Δv > 800 km s−1), though the latter generally have higher luminosities. (6) Spatially offset AGNs can occur for vk≳ 0.5–0.7vesc (for ΔR > 1 kpc); these generally have low luminosities and lifetimes of ∼1–100 Myr. (7) Rapidly recoiling BHs may be up to approximately five times less massive than their stationary counterparts. These mass deficits lower the normalization of the MBH–σ* relation and contribute to both intrinsic and overall scatter. (8) Finally, the displacement of AGN feedback after a recoil event enhances central star formation rates in the merger remnant, thereby extending the starburst phase of the merger and creating a denser, more massive stellar cusp.

Close binaries containing Supermassive Black Holes

We consider the evolution of binary systems formed by a Supermassive Black Hole (SMBH) residing in the center of a galaxy or a globular cluster and a star in its immediate vicinity. The star is assumed to fill its Roche lobe, and the SMBH accretes primarily the matter of this star. The evolution of such a system is mainly determined by the same processes as for an ordinary binary. The main differences are that the donor star is irradiated by hard radiation emitted during accretion onto the SMBH; in a detached system, nearly all the donor wind is captured by the black hole, which strongly affects the evolution of the semi-major axis; it is not possible for companions of the most massive SMBHs to fill their Roche lobes, since the corresponding orbital separations are smaller than the radius of the last stable orbit in the gravitational field of the SMBH. Moreover, there may not be efficient exchange between the orbital angular momentum and the angular momentum of the overflowing matter in such systems. Our computations assumed that, if the characteristic timescale for mass transfer is smaller than the thermal timescale of the star, no momentum exchange occurs. Absorption of incident external radiation in the stellar envelope was treated using the same formalism that was used when computing the radiative transfer in the stellar atmosphere. Numerical simulations show that Roche-lobe overflow is possible for a broad range of initial system parameters. The evolution of semi-detached systems containing a star and a SMBH nearly always ends with the dynamical disruption of the star. Stars with masses close to the solar mass are destroyed immediately after they fill their Roche lobes. During the accretion of matter of disrupted stars, the SMBH can achieve quasar luminosities. If the SMBH accretes ambient gas as well as gas stripped from stars, the star is subject to additional radiation in the detached phase of its evolution, strengthening its stellar wind. This leads to an increase of the semi-major axis and subsequent decrease of the probability of Roche-lobe overflow during the subsequent evolution of the system.

ON THE HYDRODYNAMIC INTERPLAY BETWEEN A YOUNG NUCLEAR STARBURST AND A CENTRAL SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE

We present 1D numerical simulations, which consider the effects of radiative cooling and gravity on the hydrodynamics of the matter reinserted by stellar winds and supernovae within young nuclear starbursts with a central supermassive black hole (SMBH). The simulations confirm our previous semi-analytic results for low energetic starbursts, evolving in a quasi-adiabatic regime, and extend them to more powerful starbursts evolving in the catastrophic cooling regime. The simulations show a bimodal hydrodynamic solution in all cases. They present a quasi-stationary accretion flow onto the black hole, defined by the matter reinserted by massive stars within the stagnation volume and a stationary starburst wind, driven by the high thermal pressure acquired in the region between the stagnation and the starburst radii. In the catastrophic cooling regime, the stagnation radius rapidly approaches the surface of the starburst region, as one considers more massive starbursts. This leads to larger accretion rates onto the SMBH and concurrently to powerful winds able to inhibit interstellar matter from approaching the nuclear starburst. Our self-consistent model thus establishes a direct physical link between the SMBH accretion rate and the nuclear star formation activity of the host galaxy and provides a good upper limit to the accretion rate onto the central black hole.

MOLECULAR GAS INz∼ 6 QUASAR HOST GALAXIES

We report our new observations of redshifted carbon monoxide emission from six z~6 quasars, using the PdBI. CO (6-5) or (5-4) line emission was detected in all six sources. Together with two other previous CO detections, these observations provide unique constraints on the molecular gas emission properties in these quasar systems close to the end of the cosmic reionization. Complementary results are also presented for low-J CO lines observed at the GBT and the VLA, and dust continuum from five of these sources with the SHARC-II bolometer camera at the CSO. We then present a study of the molecular gas properties in our combined sample of eight CO-detected quasars at z~6. The detections of high-order CO line emission in these objects indicates the presence of highly excited molecular gas, with estimated masses on the order of 10^10 M_sun within the quasar host galaxies. No significant difference is found in the gas mass and CO line width distributions between our z~6 quasars and samples of CO-detected $1.4\leq z\leq5$ quasars and submillimeter galaxies. Most of the CO-detected quasars at z~6 follow the far infrared-CO luminosity relationship defined by actively star-forming galaxies at low and high redshifts. This suggests that ongoing star formation in their hosts contributes significantly to the dust heating at FIR wavelengths. The result is consistent with the picture of galaxy formation co-eval with supermassive black hole (SMBH) accretion in the earliest quasar-host systems. We investigate the black hole--bulge relationships of our quasar sample, using the CO dynamics as a tracer for the dynamical mass of the quasar host. The results place important constraints on the formation and evolution of the most massive SMBH-spheroidal host systems at the highest redshift.

Warm absorber and truncated accretion disc in IRAS 05078+1626

X-ray observations of unabsorbed active galactic nuclei provide an opportunity to explore the innermost regions of supermassive black hole accretion discs. Our goal in this paper is to investigate the central environment of a Seyfert 1.5 galaxy IRAS 05078+1626. We studied the time-averaged spectrum obtained with the EPIC and RGS instruments. A power-law continuum (photon index ~ 1.75) dominates the 2-10 keV energy range. A narrow iron K alpha spectral line is clearly seen, presumably originating in a distant torus, but no broad relativistic component was detected. However, the power law and the iron K alpha line alone do not provide a satisfactory fit in the soft X-ray band whose spectrum can be explained by the combination of three components: a) a cold photoelectric absorber with column density ~ 10^(21) cm^(-2). This gas could be located either in outer parts of the accretion disc, at the rim of the torus or farther out in the host galaxy; b) a warm absorber with high ionization parameter (log(xi) ~ 2.2) and column density ~ 10^(24) cm^(-2); c) an ionized reflection where the reflecting gas could be either in the inner wall of a warm absorber cone or in an ionized accretion disc. The first X-ray spectroscopic measurement of IRAS05078+1626 unveils some of the standard ingredients in Seyfert galaxies, such as a power-law primary continuum, modified by reflection from the accretion disc and by the effect of complex, multi-phase obscuration. However, data constrains the accretion disc, if present, not to extend closer than to 60 gravitational radii from the black hole.

The power output of local obscured and unobscured AGN: crossing the absorption barrier withSwift/ BAT andIRAS

The Swift/BAT 9-month catalogue of active galactic nuclei (AGN) provides an unbiased census of local supermassive black hole accretion, and probes to all but the highest levels of absorption in AGN. We explore a method for characterising the bolometric output of both obscured and unobscured AGN by combining the hard X-ray data from Swift/BAT (14-195keV) with the reprocessed IR emission as seen with the IRAS all-sky surveys. This approach bypasses the complex modifications to the SED introduced by absorption in the optical, UV and 0.1-10 keV regimes and provides a long-term, average picture of the bolometric output of these sources. We broadly follow the approach of Pozzi et al. for calculating the bolometric luminosities by adding nuclear IR and hard X-ray luminosities, and consider different approaches for removing non-nuclear contamination in the large-aperture IRAS fluxes. Using mass estimates from the M_BH-L_bulge relation, we present the Eddington ratios \lambda_Edd and 2-10 keV bolometric corrections for a subsample of 63 AGN (35 obscured and 28 unobscured) from the Swift/BAT catalogue, and confirm previous indications of a low Eddington ratio distribution for both samples. Importantly, we find a tendency for low bolometric corrections (typically 10-30) for the obscured AGN in the sample (with a possible rise from ~15 for \lambda_Edd<0.03 to ~32 above this), providing a hitherto unseen window onto accretion processes in this class of AGN. This finding is of key importance in calculating the expected local black hole mass density from the X-ray background since it is composed of emission from a significant population of such obscured AGN. Analogous studies with high resolution IR data and a range of alternative models for the torus emission will form useful future extensions to this work. (Abridged)

FEEDBACK FROM CENTRAL BLACK HOLES IN ELLIPTICAL GALAXIES. II. CAN PURELY MECHANICAL ENERGY FEEDBACK MODELS WORK?

By using high-resolution 1D hydrodynamical simulations, we investigate the effects of purely mechanical feedback from super massive black holes (SMBHs) in the evolution of elliptical galaxies for a broad range of feedback efficiencies and compare the results to four major observational constraints. In particular, we focus on 1) the central black hole to stellar mass ratio of the host galaxy, 2) the lifetime of the luminous quasar phase, 3) the mass of stars formed in the host galaxy within the last Gyr, and 4) the X-ray luminosity of the hot diffuse gas. As a result, we try to pin down the most successful range of mechanical feedback efficiencies. We find that while low feedback efficiencies result in too much growth of the SMBH, high efficiencies totally blow out the hot interstellar gas, and the models are characterized by very low thermal X-ray luminosity well below the observed range. The net lifetime of the quasar phase is strongly coupled to the mass ratio between SMBH and its host galaxy, while the X-ray luminosity is generally correlated to the recent star formation within the last Gyr. When considering the popularly adopted model of the constant feedback efficiency, the feedback energy deposited into the ambient medium should be more than 0.01% of the SMBH accretion energy to be consistent with the SMBH mass to stellar mass ratio in the local universe. Yet, the X-ray luminosity of the hot gas favors about 0.005% of the accretion energy as the mechanical AGN feedback energy. We conclude that the purely mechanical feedback mode is unlikely to be simultaneously compatible with all four observable tests, even allowing a broad range of feedback efficiencies, and that including both radiative and mechanical feedback together may be a solution to comply the observational constraints. [abridged]

Galaxy morphology, kinematics and clustering in a hydrodynamic simulation of a �� cold dark matter universe

We explore galaxy properties and their link with environment and clustering using a population of ∼1000 galaxies formed in a high-resolution hydrodynamic simulation of the Λ cold dark matter cosmology. At the redshift we concentrate on, z= 1, the spatial resolution is 1.4 proper h−1 kpc and the mass resolution is such that Milky Way sized disc galaxies contain ∼105 particles within their virial radii. The simulations include supermassive black hole accretion and feedback as well as a multiphase model for star formation. Overall, we find that a number of familiar qualitative relationships hold approximately between galaxy properties, for example we observe galaxies as lying between two broad extremes of type, where ‘late’ types tend to be smaller in size, have lower circular velocities, younger stars, higher star formation rates, larger disc to bulge ratios and lower Sersic indices than ‘early types’. We find that as in previous studies of small numbers of resimulated galaxies the stellar component of disc galaxies is not as rotationally supported as in observations. Bulges contain too much of the stellar mass, although exponential discs do have scalelengths compatible with observations, and the stellar mass Tully–Fisher relation at z= 1 is reproduced. The addition of black hole physics to the simulations does not appear to have made a large impact on the angular momentum results compared to these other studies, nor do we find that running an identical simulation with significantly lower mass resolution affects this aspect (although we are unable to test higher mass resolution, which other authors have shown can alleviate the problem). Despite this, we can profitably use the rank order of either disc-to-total ratio, Sersic index, or galaxy age to separate galaxies into morphological classes and examine the density–morphology relation and morphology dependence of clustering. We find that while at redshift z= 0 the well-known preponderance of early types in dense environments is seen, at z= 1 the density–morphology relation becomes flatter and late-type galaxies are even seen to have a higher clustering amplitude than early types.

THE STAR FORMATION AND NUCLEAR ACCRETION HISTORIES OF NORMAL GALAXIES IN THE AGES SURVEY

We combine IR, optical, and X-ray data from the overlapping, 9.3 deg2 NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey, AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey (AGES), and XBoötes Survey to measure the X-ray evolution of 6146 normal galaxies as a function of absolute optical luminosity, redshift, and spectral type over the largely unexplored redshift range 0.1 ≲ z ≲ 0.5. Because only the closest or brightest of the galaxies are individually detected in X-rays, we use a stacking analysis to determine the mean properties of the sample. Our results suggest that X-ray emission from spectroscopically late-type galaxies is dominated by star formation, while that from early-type galaxies is dominated by a combination of hot gas and active galactic nucleus (AGN) emission. We find that the mean star formation and supermassive black hole accretion rate densities evolve like ∼(1 + z)3±1, in agreement with the trends found for samples of bright, individually detectable starburst galaxies and AGN. Our work also corroborates the results of many previous stacking analyses of faint source populations, with improved statistics.

CO-EVOLUTION OF SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE AND HOST GALAXY FROMz∼ 1 TOz= 0

Stellar masses of bulges in hosts of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and black hole masses in the AGNs are derived at z = 0.5-1.15 to study evolution of the black hole-to-bulge mass relation. In order to derive bulge stellar masses, we use a sample of type-2 AGNs to avoid the bright nuclear light. 34 type-2 AGNs are selected from the spectroscopically identified X-ray sources in the Chandra Deep Field South. We use optical images from the Hubble Space Telescope, and near- and mid-infrared photometry from the Very Large Telescope and the Spitzer Space Telescope. The bulge components are derived by fitting the two-dimensional surface brightness model consisting of a bulge and a disk component to the optical images. We derive stellar masses (M bulge) and star formation rates (SFRs) of the bulge components by spectral energy distribution fitting. The derived M bulge ranges over 109-1011 M ☉, and the estimated SFR is 0.01-100 M ☉ yr-1. Masses of supermassive black holes (SMBHs; M •) and black hole accretion rates (BHARs) are estimated with the absorption-corrected X-ray luminosities in the 2-10 keV band under an assumption of the constant Eddington ratio of 0.1 and the constant energy conversion factor of 0.1. Resulting black hole masses and BHARs range over 105.5-108 M ☉ and 0.001-1 M ☉ yr-1, respectively. For luminous AGNs, the estimated M •/M bulge ratio is ~4 × 10–4 in the median, which is lower than that for local galaxies and for type-2 AGNs at z ~ 0.2. However, these differences are within uncertainty and are not significant. This can imply that SMBHs and their host galaxies are evolving almost holding the constant M •/M bulge ratio from z ~ 1.0 to 0 in a cosmological timescale. Meanwhile, the estimated BHAR/SFR ratio is about 60 times larger than the M •/M bulge ratio in the median value. This indicates that growths of SMBHs and their host bulges do not proceed simultaneously in a shorter timescale such as an AGN phase.

DO MODERATE-LUMINOSITY ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI SUPPRESS STAR FORMATION?

The growth of supermassive black holes and their host galaxies are thought to be linked, but the precise nature of this symbiotic relationship is still poorly understood. Both observations and simulations of galaxy formation suggest that the energy input from active galactic nuclei (AGN), as the central supermassive black hole accretes material and grows, heats the interstellar material and suppresses star formation. In this Letter, we show that most host galaxies of moderate-luminosity supermassive black holes in the local universe have intermediate optical colors that imply the host galaxies are transitioning from star formation to quiescence, the first time this has been shown to be true for all AGN independent of obscuration. The intermediate colors suggest that star formation in the host galaxies ceased roughly 100 Myr ago. This result indicates that either the AGN are very long-lived, accreting for more than 1 Gyr beyond the end of star formation, or there is a ~100 Myr time delay between the shutdown of star formation and detectable black hole growth. The first explanation is unlikely given current estimates for AGN lifetimes, so low-lumiosity AGN must shut down star formation before substantial black hole accretion activity is detected. The scarcity of AGN host galaxies in the blue cloud reported here challenges scenarios where significant star formation and black hole growth are coeval. Lastly, these observations also strongly support the `Unified Model' of AGN as the host galaxy colors are independent of obscuration towards the central engine.

Limits on the Position Wander of Sgr A*

We present measurements with the Very Long Baseline Array of the variability in the centroid position of Sgr A* relative to a background quasar at 7 mm wavelength. We find an average centroid wander of 71 ± 45 μ as for timescales between 50 and 100 minutes and 113 ± 50 μ as for timescales between 100 and 200 minutes, with no secular trend. These are sufficient to begin constraining the viability of the accretion hot spot model for the radio variability of Sgr A*. It is possible to rule out hot spots with orbital radii above 15GMSgr A*/c2 that contribute more than 30% of the total 7 mm flux. However, closer or less luminous hot spots remain unconstrained. Since the fractional variability of Sgr A* during our observations was ~20% on timescales of hours, the hot spot model for Sgr A*'s radio variability remains consistent with these limits. Improved monitoring of Sgr A*'s centroid position has the potential to place significant constraints on the existence and morphology of inhomogeneities in a supermassive black hole accretion flow.

X-ray selected starbursts in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey-North

We investigate claims that recent ultra-deep X-ray surveys are detecting starbursts at cosmologically interesting redshifts (z= 0–1). We combine X-ray data from the 2 Ms Chandra Deep Field-North and multiwavelength observations obtained as part of the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS)-North to build the Spectral Energy Distributions (UV, optical, infrared) of X-ray sources in this field. These are fit with model templates providing an estimate of the total infrared luminosity (3–1000 μm) of each source. We then exploit the tight correlation between infrared and X-ray luminosities for star-forming galaxies, established in the local Universe, to select sources that are dominated by star formation rather than supermassive black hole accretion. This approach is efficient in discriminating normal galaxies from active galactic nuclei (AGN) over a wide range of star formation rates, from quiescent systems to starbursts. The above methodology results in a sample of 45 X-ray selected star-forming systems at a median redshift z≈ 0.5, the majority of which (60 per cent) are either luminous or ultraluminous infrared galaxies. This sample is least affected by incompleteness and residual AGN contamination and is therefore well suited for cosmological studies. We quantify the X-ray evolution of these sources by constructing their differential X-ray counts, dN/dS, and comparing them with evolving luminosity function models. The results are consistent with luminosity evolution of the form (1 +z)p with p≈ 2.4. This is similar to the evolution rate of star-forming galaxies selected at other wavelengths, suggesting that the deep X-ray surveys, like the Chandra Deep Field-North, are indeed finding the starburst galaxy population that drives the rapid evolution of the global star formation rate density in the range z≈ 0–1. Our analysis also reveals a separate population of infrared-faint X-ray sources at moderate z. These include old galaxies but also systems that are X-ray luminous for their stellar mass compared to local ellipticals. We argue that these may be post-starbursts that will, over time, become fainter at X-ray wavelengths and will eventually evolve into early-type systems (i.e. E/S0).

How Much Mass Do Supermassive Black Holes Eat in Their Old Age?

We consider the distribution of local supermassive black hole Eddington ratios and accretion rates, accounting for the dependence of radiative efficiency and bolometric corrections on the accretion rate. We find that black hole mass growth, both of the integrated mass density and the masses of most individual objects, must be dominated by an earlier, radiatively efficient, high accretion rate stage, and not by the radiatively inefficient low accretion rate phase in which most local supermassive black holes are currently observed. This conclusion is particularly true of supermassive black holes in elliptical host galaxies, as expected if they have undergone merger activity in the past that would fuel quasar activity and rapid growth. We discuss models of the time evolution of accretion rates and show that they all predict significant mass growth in a prior radiatively efficient state. The only way to avoid this conclusion is through careful fine-tuning of the accretion/quasar timescale to a value that is inconsistent with observations. Our results agree with a wide range of observational inferences drawn from the quasar luminosity function and X-ray background synthesis models, but our approach has the virtue of being independent of the modeling of source populations. Models in which black holes spend the great majority of their time in low accretion rate phases are thus completely consistent both with observations implying mass gain in relatively short, high accretion rate phases and with the local distribution of accretion rates.

Finding the Electromagnetic Counterparts of Cosmological Standard Sirens

The gravitational waves (GWs) emitted during the coalescence of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in the mass range ~104-107 M?/(1 + z) will be detectable out to high redshifts with the future Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). The distance and direction to these standard sirens can be inferred directly from the GW signal, with a precision that depends on the masses, spins, and geometry of the merging system. In a given cosmology, the LISA-measured luminosity distance translates into a redshift shell. We calculate the size and shape of the corresponding three-dimensional error volume in which an electromagnetic counterpart to a LISA event could be found, taking into account errors in the background cosmology (as expected by the time LISA flies), weak gravitational lensing (de)magnification due to inhomogeneities along the line of sight, and potential source-peculiar velocities. Weak-lensing errors largely exceed other sources of uncertainties (by a factor of ~7 for typical sources at z = 1). Under the plausible assumption that SMBH-SMBH mergers are accompanied by gas accretion leading to Eddington-limited quasar activity, we then compute the number of quasars that would be found in a typical three-dimensional LISA error volume, as a function of BH mass and event redshift. Low redshifts offer the best opportunities to identify quasar counterparts to cosmological standard sirens. For mergers of ~4 ? (105-107) M? SMBHs, the LISA error volume will typically contain a single near-Eddington quasar at z ~ 1. If SMBHs are spinning rapidly, the error volume is smaller and may contain a unique quasar out to redshift z ~ 3. This will allow a straightforward test of the hypothesis that GW events are accompanied by bright quasar activity and, if the hypothesis proves correct, will guarantee the identification of a unique quasar counterpart to a LISA event, with a B-band luminosity of LB ~ (1010-1011) L?. Robust counterpart identifications would allow unprecedented tests of the physics of SMBH accretion, such as precision measurements of the Eddington ratio. They would clarify the role of gas as a catalyst in SMBH coalescences and would also offer an alternative method to constrain cosmological parameters.

AGN‐driven Convection in Galaxy‐Cluster Plasmas

This paper describes how active galactic nuclei can heat galaxy-cluster plasmas by driving convection in the intracluster medium. A model is proposed in which a central supermassive black hole accretes intracluster plasma at the Bondi rate Bondi and powers a radio source. The central radio source produces cosmic rays, which mix into the thermal plasma. The cosmic-ray luminosity Lcr is ∝Bondic2. The cosmic-ray pressure gradient drives convection, which causes plasma heating. It is assumed that plasma heating balances radiative cooling. The plasma heating rate is self-regulating because Bondi is a decreasing function of the specific entropy near the cluster center s0; if heating exceeds cooling, then s0 increases, Bondi and Lcr decrease, and the convective heating rate is reduced. This paper focuses on the role of intracluster magnetic fields, which affect convection by causing heat and cosmic rays to diffuse primarily along magnetic field lines. A new stability criterion is derived for convection in a thermal-plasma/cosmic-ray fluid, and equations for the average fluid properties in a convective cluster are obtained with the use of a nonlocal two-fluid mixing-length theory. Numerical solutions of the model equations compare reasonably well with observations without requiring fine-tuning of the model parameters.