No Arabic abstract
Recent observations provide evidence that some cool-core clusters (CCCs) host quasars in their brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs). Motivated by these findings we use 3D radiation-hydrodynamic simulations with the code Enzo to explore the joint role of the kinetic and radiative feedback from supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in BCGs. We implement kinetic feedback as sub-relativistic plasma outflows and model radiative feedback using the ray-tracing radiative transfer or thermal energy injection. In our simulations the central SMBH transitions between the radiatively efficient and radiatively inefficient states on timescales of a few Gyr, as a function of its accretion rate. The timescale for this transition depends primarily on the fraction of power allocated to each feedback mode, and to a lesser degree on the overall feedback luminosity of the active galactic nucleus (AGN). Specifically, we find that (a) kinetic feedback must be present at both low and high accretion rates in order to prevent the cooling catastrophe, and (b) its contribution likely accounts for > 10% of the total AGN feedback power, since below this threshold simulated BCGs tend to host radio-loud quasars most of the time, in apparent contrast with observations. We also find a positive correlation between the AGN feedback power and the mass of the cold gas filaments in the cluster core, indicating that observations of H$alpha$ filaments can be used as a measure of AGN feedback.
Here we introduce GAMESH, a novel pipeline which implements self-consistent radiative and chemical feedback in a computational model of galaxy formation. By combining the cosmological chemical-evolution model GAMETE with the radiative transfer code CRASH, GAMESH can post process realistic outputs of a N-body simulation describing the redshift evolution of the forming galaxy. After introducing the GAMESH implementation and its features, we apply the code to a low-resolution N-body simulation of the Milky Way formation and we investigate the combined effects of self-consistent radiative and chemical feedback. Many physical properties, which can be directly compared with observations in the Galaxy and its surrounding satellites, are predicted by the code along the merger-tree assembly. The resulting redshift evolution of the Local Group star formation rates, reionisation and metal enrichment along with the predicted Metallicity Distribution Function of halo stars are critically compared with observations. We discuss the merits and limitations of the first release of GAMESH, also opening new directions to a full implementation of feedback processes in galaxy formation models by combining semi-analytic and numerical methods.
Radiative feedback (RFB) from stars plays a key role in galaxies, but remains poorly-understood. We explore this using high-resolution, multi-frequency radiation-hydrodynamics (RHD) simulations from the Feedback In Realistic Environments (FIRE) project. We study ultra-faint dwarf through Milky Way mass scales, including H+He photo-ionization; photo-electric, Lyman Werner, Compton, and dust heating; and single+multiple scattering radiation pressure (RP). We compare distinct numerical algorithms: ray-based LEBRON (exact when optically-thin) and moments-based M1 (exact when optically-thick). The most important RFB channels on galaxy scales are photo-ionization heating and single-scattering RP: in all galaxies, most ionizing/far-UV luminosity (~1/2 of lifetime-integrated bolometric) is absorbed. In dwarfs, the most important effect is photo-ionization heating from the UV background suppressing accretion. In MW-mass galaxies, meta-galactic backgrounds have negligible effects; but local photo-ionization and single-scattering RP contribute to regulating the galactic star formation efficiency and lowering central densities. Without some RFB (or other rapid FB), resolved GMCs convert too-efficiently into stars, making galaxies dominated by hyper-dense, bound star clusters. This makes star formation more violent and bursty when SNe explode in these hyper-clustered objects: thus, including RFB smoothes SFHs. These conclusions are robust to RHD methods, but M1 produces somewhat stronger effects. Like in previous FIRE simulations, IR multiple-scattering is rare (negligible in dwarfs, ~10% of RP in massive galaxies): absorption occurs primarily in normal GMCs with A_v~1.
Recent observations have found that many $zsim 6$ quasar fields lack galaxies. This unexpected lack of galaxies may potentially be explained by quasar radiation feedback. In this paper I present a suite of 3D radiative transfer cosmological simulations of quasar fields. I find that quasar radiation suppresses star formation in low mass galaxies, mainly by photo-dissociating their molecular hydrogen. Photo-heating also plays a role, but only after $sim$100 Myr. However, galaxies which already have stellar mass above $10^5 M_odot$ when the quasar turns on will not be suppressed significantly. Quasar radiative feedback suppresses the faint end of the galaxy luminosity function (LF) within $1$ pMpc, but to a far lesser degree than the field-to-field variation of the LF. My study also suggests that by using the number of bright galaxies ($M_{1500}<-16$) around quasars, we can potentially recover the underlying mass overdensity, which allows us to put reliable constraints on quasar environments.
We present results from multifrequency radiative hydrodynamical chemistry simulations addressing primordial star formation and related stellar feedback from various populations of stars, stellar energy distributions (SEDs) and initial mass functions. Spectra for massive stars, intermediate-mass stars and regular solar-like stars are adopted over a grid of 150 frequency bins and consistently coupled with hydrodynamics, heavy-element pollution and non-equilibrium species calculations. Powerful massive population III stars are found to be able to largely ionize H and, subsequently, He and He$^+$, causing an inversion of the equation of state and a boost of the Jeans masses in the early intergalactic medium. Radiative effects on star formation rates are between a factor of a few and 1 dex, depending on the SED. Radiative processes are responsible for gas heating and photoevaporation, although emission from soft SEDs has minor impacts. These findings have implications for cosmic gas preheating, primordial direct-collapse black holes, the build-up of cosmic fossils such as low-mass dwarf galaxies, the role of AGNi during reionization, the early formation of extended disks and angular-momentum catastrophe.
Recent observations of giant ellipticals and brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) provide tentative evidence for a correlation between the luminosity of the H$alpha$ emitting gas filaments and the strength of feedback associated with the active galactic nucleus (AGN). Motivated by this, we use 3D radiation-hydrodynamic simulations with the code Enzo to examine and quantify the relationship between the observable properties of the H$alpha$ filaments and the kinetic and radiative feedback from supermassive black holes in BCGs. We find that the spatial extent and total mass of the filaments show positive correlations with AGN feedback power and can therefore be used as probes of the AGN activity. We also examine the relationship between the AGN feedback power and velocity dispersion of the H$alpha$ filaments and find that the kinetic luminosity shows statistically significant correlation with the component of the velocity dispersion along the jet axis but not the components perpendicular to it.