Black hole feedback and the evolution of massive early-type galaxies

TL;DR

This paper provides observational evidence that black hole feedback influences the hot gas temperature in massive galaxies, supporting models where black holes regulate galaxy evolution through baryonic processes.

Contribution

It presents new observational data linking black hole mass to hot gas temperature, supporting the role of black hole feedback in galaxy evolution models.

Findings

Higher hot gas temperatures are associated with more massive black holes at fixed velocity dispersion.

The observed relations align with predictions from the EAGLE cosmological simulation.

Black hole feedback plays a significant role in regulating baryonic processes in massive galaxies.

Abstract

Observationally, constraining the baryonic cycle within massive galaxies has proven to be quite difficult. In particular, the role of black hole feedback in regulating star formation, a key process in our theoretical understanding of galaxy formation, remains highly debated. We present here observational evidence showing that, at fixed stellar velocity dispersion, the temperature of the hot gas is higher for those galaxies hosting more massive black holes in their centers. Analyzed in the context of well-established scaling relations, particularly the mass-size plane, the relation between the mass of the black hole and the temperature of the hot gas around massive galaxies provides further observational support to the idea that baryonic processes within massive galaxies are regulated by the combined effects of the galaxy halo virial temperature and black hole feedback, in agreement with the expectations from the EAGLE cosmological numerical simulation.