A synthetic view of AGN evolution and Supermassive black holes growth

Leiden 25/11/2009

5GHz, VLA image of Cyg A by R. Perley

Andrea MerloniExcellence Cluster Universe, Garching,

Max-Planck Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik

With Sebastian Heinz (Univ. of Wisconsin)

• Accretion modes

• XRB analogy and scaling laws

• Cosmological evolution (z<3-4)

• Continuity equation, mass and redshift dependence of the fuelling rate

• Kinetic vs. radiative feedback

Outline

The standard view of the AGN-galaxy connection

•Image credit: Aurore Simonnet, Sonoma State University

Log R/RS 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Log R/pc -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4

Risco

Rsub

RB

Bulge

disc

Radio Lobe

Jet[VLBI/-rays]

TOR [IR]

BLR[Opt/UV spec.]

AD [X-rays]

A logarithmic view of the AGN-galaxy connection

[VLA/LOFAR]

Binding EnergiesEb,≈4 1048 ergs

Eb,BH,8≈1061 ergs

Eb,gal,11≈1059 ergs

Eb,Coma≈1064 ergs

Rvir,12

Q: How does the feedback loop close? Or

Is the accretion (and energy release) mode of an AGN dictated by the internal energy of the

accreting gas, or simply by its overall rate?

Hot vs. cold? Low vs. high mdot? XRB examples

GX 339-4Fender et al. 1999

Falcke and Biermann ’96; Heinz and Sunyaev 2003; Merloni et al 2003

•Strong correlation between radio and X-ray emission in low/hard state (Gallo+ 2003)

•Assume jet power LKin~ Accretion rate

•Independent of geometry and jet acceleration mechanisms, it can be shown that LR~M17/12mdot17/12 for flat radio spectra from compact, self-absorbed synchrotron

•The observed radio-X-ray correlation (LR~LX0.7) implies:

• X-ray emission is radiatively inefficient (LX~Mdot2)

• LKin ~ LR1.4

XRB: low/hard state as jet-dominated RIAF

The Fundamental Plane of active black holes

The Fundamental Plane of active black holes

Merloni, Heinz & Di Matteo (2003)Gültekin et al. (2009)

• 1 Msec observation of the core of the Perseus Cluster with Chandra; True color image made from 0.3-1.2 (red), 1.2-2 (green), 2-7 (blue) keV photons

• First direct evidence of ripples, sound waves and shocks in the hot ICM

• Radio maps reveal close spatial coincidence between X-ray morphology and AGN-driven radio jets

(Birzan et al. 2004, 2008; Allen et al. 2006; Rafferty et al. 2006, etc.)

Fabian et al. 2006

AGN feedback: evidence on cluster scale

Merloni and Heinz (2007)

Observed LR (beaming)Derived from FP relation

Monte Carlo simulation:Statistical estimates ofmean Lorentz Factor ~8

Slope=0.81Log Lkin=0.81 Log L5GHz +11.9

Not a distance effect: partial correlation analysis Pnul=2 10-4

Core Radio/LKin relation

Low Power AGN are jet dominated

Log

Log

Merloni and Heinz (2007)

Log Lkin/LEdd=0.49 Log Lbol/Ledd - 0.78

• The observed slope (0.49±0.06) is consistent with radiatively inefficient “jet dominated” models

Kinetic power dominates output

Radiative power dominates output

Powerful jets: Clues from FERMI Blazars

Ghisellini et al. 2009

Basic scaling laws (working hypothesis)

LR LX0.6-0.7 M0.7-0.8

LKIN LR0.7-0.8

LKIN /LEDD LX/LEDD0.5

LLAGN (L/Ledd<0.01)

LKIN,JEt~ Lbol

Powerful Jets (L/Ledd>0.01)

(Blandford & Begelman 1999, Körding et al. 2007, Merloni and Heinz 2008)

Accretion diagram for LMXB & AGN

Model parameter

LK (low-kinetic; LLAGN, FRI)

HK (high-kinetic; RLQ, FRII)

HR (high-radiative; RQQ)

New “Blazar Sequence”Ghisellini and Tavecchio (2009)

A synthetic view of SMBH growth:the “radiative” sector

= 0

Cavaliere et al. (1973); Small & Blandford (1992); Marconi et al. (2004); Merloni (2004)

Continuity equation for SMBH growth

Need to know simultaneously mass function (M,t0) and accretion rate distribution F(dM/dt,M,t) [“Fueling function”]

mass functionluminosity function

Bivariate distributions

Z=0.3

Mass function of Emission Line AGN

NLAGNBLAGN

Greene and Ho 2007

Bivariate distributions

Z=1.0

NLAGNBLAGN

Bivariate distributions

Z=2.0

NLAGNBLAGN

Mass & Fueling functions evolution

Log M=7

Log M=9

z=0.1

z=4

Perez-Gonzalez et al. 2008

Anti-hierarchical growth of structures

1M$ Question:

What (if any) is the physical link between these two apparently related evolutionary paths?

BH

gro

wth

tim

es

[Gyr]

Gal. g

row

th t

imes

[Gyr]

The Kinetic Energy output of SMBH

(Blandford & Begelman 1999, Körding et al. 2007, Merloni and Heinz 2008)

Accretion diagram for LMXB & AGN

Model parameter

LK (low-kinetic; LLAGN, FRI)

HK (high-kinetic; RLQ, FRII)

HR (high-radiative; RQQ)

SMBH growth: weighting modes

Heinz, Merloni and Schwaab (2007)

Körding, Jester and Fender (2007)

Cattaneo and Best (2009)

Log Lkin= 44.1 x 0.4 Log (P1.4 /1025)(Birzan et al. 2004, “cavity power”)

Log Lkin= 44.2 x 0.8 Log (P1.4 /1025)(Willott et al. 1999, “synchrotron power”)

Log Lkin= 45.2 x 0.81 Log (P1.4,core /1025)(Merloni & Heinz 2007)

SMBH growth: weighting modes

Heinz, Merloni and Schwaab (2007)

Körding, Jester and Fender (2007)

Cattaneo and Best (2009)

Log Lkin= 44.1 x 0.4 Log (P1.4 /1025)(Birzan et al. 2004, “cavity power”)

Log Lkin= 44.2 x 0.8 Log (P1.4 /1025)(Willott et al. 1999, “synchrotron power”)

Log Lkin= 45.2 x 0.81 Log (P1.4,core /1025)(Merloni & Heinz 2007)

• AGN obey simple scaling laws, at least for low accretion rates

• Main parameters are M and L/LEdd

• SMBH grow with a broad accretion rate distribution (be very careful when discussing AGN fractions, AGN lifetimes, etc.)

• The anti-hierarchical trend is clearly seen in the low-z evolution of SMBH mass function.

• Physically motivated scaling Lkin ~ Lcore,5GHz0.7-0.8

• Feedback from “Low-luminosity AGN” is most likely dominated by kinetic energy

• The efficiency with which growing black holes convert mass into mechanical energy is 0.3-0.5% (but strongly dependent on BH mass and redshift).

Conclusions