Appreciating mergers for understanding the non-linear $M_{\rm bh}$-$M_{\rm *,spheroid}$ and $M_{\rm bh}$-$M_{\rm *,galaxy}$ relations, updated herein, and the implications for the (reduced) role of AGN feedback

TL;DR

This paper revises black hole mass scaling relations with galaxy and spheroid stellar masses, highlighting the role of mergers over AGN feedback and revealing distinct evolutionary paths for different galaxy types.

Contribution

It introduces updated, color-dependent mass-to-light ratios and demonstrates how mergers influence black hole-galaxy relations, challenging previous assumptions about AGN feedback.

Findings

Elliptical galaxies follow a steeper M_bh-M_{*,ellip} relation than lenticulars.

Mergers explain the offset in black hole mass ratios between galaxy types.

The near-linear M_bh-M_{*,sph} sequence is an artifact of sample selection.

Abstract

We present revised (black hole mass)-(spheroid stellar mass) and (black hole mass)-(galaxy stellar mass) scaling relations based on colour-dependent stellar mass-to-light ratios. Our 3.6 micron luminosities were obtained from multicomponent decompositions, which accounted for bulges, discs, bars, ansae, rings, nuclear components, etc. The lenticular galaxy bulges (not associated with recent mergers) follow a steep M_bh~M_{*,bulge}^{1.53+/-0.15} relation, offset by roughly an order of magnitude in black hole mass from the M_bh~M_{*,ellip}^{1.64+/-0.17} relation defined by the elliptical (E) galaxies which, in Darwinian terms, are shown to have evolved by punctuated equilibrium rather than gradualism. We use the spheroid, i.e., bulge and elliptical, size-mass relation to reveal how disc-galaxy mergers explain this offset and the dramatically lower M_bh/M_{*,sph} ratios in the elliptical galaxies. The popular but deceptive near-linear M_bh-M_{*,sph} `red sequence', followed by neither the bulge population nor the elliptical galaxies, is shown to be an artefact of sample selection, combining bulges and elliptical galaxies from disparate M_bh-M_{*,sph} sequences. Moreover, both small bulges with `undermassive' black holes and big lenticular galaxies (including relic `red nuggets') with `overmassive' black holes - relative to the near-linear M_bh-M_{*,sph} sequence - are no longer viewed as outliers. We confirm a steep M_bh~M_{*,bulge}^{2.25+/-0.39} relation for spiral galaxies and discuss numerous implications of this work, including how mergers, rather than (only) feedback from active galactic nuclei, have shaped the high-mass end of the galaxy mass function. We also explain why there may be no useful M_bh-M_{*,sph}-R_{e,sph} plane due to M_{*,sph} scaling nearly linearly with R_{e,sph}.