A Moderate Cooling Flow Phase at Galaxy Formation

TL;DR

This paper explores a moderate cooling flow phase during galaxy formation, where hot gas cooling and AGN feedback regulate SMBH growth, star formation, and gas expulsion, potentially explaining SMBH-bulge correlations.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of a moderate cooling flow phase during galaxy formation, emphasizing the role of hot gas and AGN feedback in regulating SMBH growth and galaxy evolution.

Findings

Hot gas cooling leads to a CF that is moderated by AGN heating.

Cold blobs from hot phase instabilities feed SMBH and form jets.

Star formation rate is lower due to heating effects.

Abstract

I study the possibility that a cooling flow (CF) exists at the main phase of super massive black hole (SMBH) growth during galaxy formation. To ensure that jets launched by the SMBH efficiently expel gas from the galaxy, as is required by recent results, the gas should be in the hot phase, rather than in cold clouds. The short radiative cooling time of the hot gas leads to the formation of a CF, but heating by the active galactic nucleus (AGN) prevents catastrophic cooling. Cold blobs that start as instabilities in the hot phase feed the SMBH from an extended region, form an accretion disk, and lead to the formation of jets. These jets can expel large quantities of gas out of the galaxy. This cycle, that is termed cold feedback mechanism in CFs in clusters of galaxies, might explain the correlation of SMBH to bulge masses. Stars are formed, but at a lower rate than what is expected when heating is not included. Such a CF is termed a moderate CF.