Accretion History of AGN III: Radiative Efficiency and AGN Contribution to Reionization

TL;DR

This paper estimates the radiative efficiency of supermassive black holes and their contribution to cosmic reionization using new X-ray survey data, finding that AGN contribute about 23% to reionization at redshift 6 and black holes are likely rapidly spinning.

Contribution

It provides new estimates of SMBH accretion efficiency and AGN contribution to reionization based on recent X-ray luminosity functions and obscuration data.

Findings

AGN contribute approximately 23% to reionization at z~6.

Estimated SMBH radiative efficiency is about 0.3-0.34.

Supermassive black holes are likely spinning rapidly, near the theoretical maximum.

Abstract

The cosmic history of supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth is important for understanding galaxy evolution, reionization and the physics of accretion. Recent NuSTAR, Swift-BAT and \textit{Chandra} hard X-ray surveys have provided new constraints on the space density of heavily obscured Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). Using the new X-ray luminosity function derived from these data, we here estimate the accretion efficiency of SMBHs and their contribution to reionization. We calculate the total ionizing radiation from active galactic nuclei (AGN) as a function of redshift, based on the X radiation and distribution of obscuring column density, converted to UV wavelengths. Limiting the luminosity function to unobscured AGN only, our results agree with current UV luminosity functions of unobscured AGN. For realistic assumptions about the escape fraction, the contribution of all AGN to cosmic reionization is $\sim4$ times lower than the galaxy contribution (23% at $z\sim6$). Our results also offer an observationally constrained prescription that can be used in simulations or models of galaxy evolution. To estimate the average efficiency with which supermassive black holes convert mass to light, we compare the total radiated energy, converted from X-ray light using a bolometric correction, to the most recent local black hole mass density. The most likely value, $\eta \sim 0.3-0.34$, approaches the theoretical limit for a maximally rotating Kerr black hole, $\eta=0.42$, implying that on average growing supermassive black holes are spinning rapidly.