The formation of supermassive black holes in the first galaxies

TL;DR

This paper explores the formation and early evolution of supermassive black holes in the first galaxies, emphasizing chemical, magnetic, and observational aspects relevant to upcoming ALMA observations.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the chemical, magnetic, and radiative conditions influencing black hole formation in the early universe, and discusses observational strategies with ALMA.

Findings

Turbulence may enable magnetic dynamo action supporting black hole formation.

Chemical signatures can distinguish between starburst and black hole X-ray activity.

Magnetic fields and turbulence play crucial roles in early black hole growth.

Abstract

We discuss the formation of supermassive black holes in the early universe, and how to probe their subsequent evolution with the upcoming mm/sub-mm telescope ALMA. We first focus on the chemical and radiative conditions for black hole formation, in particular considering radiation trapping and molecular dissociation effects. We then turn our attention towards the magnetic properties in the halos where the first black holes form, and show that the presence of turbulence may lead to a magnetic dynamo, which could support the black hole formation process by providing an efficient means of transporting the angular momentum. We finally focus on observable properties of high-redshift black holes with respect to ALMA, and discuss how to distinguish between chemistry driven by the starburst and chemistry driven by X-rays from the black hole.