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Register a new userSemi-analytic modelling of AGNs: auto-correlation function and halo occupation
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The spatial clustering of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is considered to be one of the important diagnostics for the understanding of the underlying processes behind their activities complementary to measurements of the luminosity function (LF). We analyse the AGN clustering from a recent semi-analytic model performed on a large cosmological $N$-body simulation covering a cubic gigaparsec comoving volume. We have introduced a new time-scale of gas accretion on to the supermassive black holes to account for the loss of the angular momentum on small scales, which is required to match the faint end of the observed X-ray LF. The large simulation box allows us accurate determination of the auto-correlation function of the AGNs. The model prediction indicates that this time-scale plays a significant role in allowing massive haloes to host relatively faint population of AGNs, leading to a higher bias factor for those AGNs. The model predictions are in agreement with observations of X-ray selected AGNs in the luminosity range $10^{41.5}~mathrm{erg} mathrm{s}^{-1} leq L_{2-10mathrm{keV}} leq 10^{44.5}~mathrm{erg} mathrm{s}^{-1}$, with the typical host halo mass of $10^{12.5-13.5} h^{-1},{rm M}_{odot}$ at $z lesssim 1$. This result shows that the observational clustering measurements impose an independent constraint on the accretion time-scale complementary to the LF measurements. Moreover, we find that not only the effective halo mass corresponding to the overall bias factor, but the extended shape of the predicted AGN correlation function shows remarkable agreement with those from observations. Further observational efforts towards the low luminosity end at $z sim 1$ would give us stronger constraints on the triggering mechanisms of AGN activities through their clustering.
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Motivated by recent inferred form of the halo occupation distribution (HOD) of X-ray selected AGNs, in the COSMOS field by Allevato et al. (2012), we investigate the HOD properties of moderate X-ray luminosity Active Galactic Nuclei (mXAGNs) using a simple model based on merging activity between dark matter halos (DMHs) in a $Lambda$-CDM cosmology. The HODs and number densities of the simulated mXAGNs at $z=0.5$, under the above scenarios to compare with Allevato et al. (2012) results. We find that the simulated HODs of major and minor mergers, and the observed for mXAGNs are consistent among them. Our main result is that minor mergers, contrary to what one might expect, can play an important role in activity mAGNs.
This is the second paper of a series that reports on our investigation of the clustering properties of AGNs in the ROSAT All-Sky Survey (RASS) through cross-correlation functions (CCFs) with Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) galaxies. In this paper, we apply the Halo Occupation Distribution (HOD) model to the CCFs between the RASS Broad-line AGNs with SDSS Luminous Red Galaxies (LRGs) in the redshift range 0.16<z<0.36 that was calculated in paper I. In our HOD modeling approach, we use the known HOD of LRGs and constrain the HOD of the AGNs by a model fit to the CCF. For the first time, we are able to go beyond quoting merely a `typical AGN host halo mass, M_h, and model the full distribution function of AGN host dark matter halos. In addition, we are able to determine the large-scale bias and the mean M_h more accurately. We explore the behavior of three simple HOD models. Our first model (Model A) is a truncated power-law HOD model in which all AGNs are satellites. With this model, we find an upper limit to the slope (alpha) of the AGN HOD that is far below unity. The other two models have a central component, which has a step function form, where the HOD is constant above a minimum mass, without (Model B) or with (Model C) an upper mass cutoff, in addition to the truncated power-law satellite component, similar to the HOD that is found for galaxies. In these two models we find the upper limits of alpha < 0.95 and alpha < 0.84 for Model B and C respectively. Our analysis suggests that the satellite AGN occupation increases slower than, or may even decrease with, M_h, in contrast to the satellites HODs of luminosity-threshold samples of galaxies, which, in contrast, grow approximately as propto M_h^alpha with alphaapprox 1. These results are consistent with observations that the AGN fraction in groups and clusters decreases with richness.
We combine the six high-resolution Aquarius dark matter simulations with a semi-analytic galaxy formation model to investigate the properties of the satellites of Milky Way-like galaxies. We find good correspondence with the observed luminosity function, luminosity-metallicity relation and radial distribution of the Milky Way satellites. The star formation histories of the dwarf galaxies in our model vary widely, in accordance with what is seen observationally. Ram-pressure stripping of hot gas from the satellites leaves a clear imprint of the environment on the characteristics of a dwarf galaxy. We find that the fraction of satellites dominated by old populations of stars matches observations well. However, the internal metallicity distributions of the model satellites appear to be narrower than observed. This may indicate limitations in our treatment of chemical enrichment, which is based on the instantaneous recycling approximation. Our model works best if the dark matter halo of the Milky Way has a mass of ~8 x 10^11 Msun, in agreement with the lower estimates from observations. The galaxy that resembles the Milky Way the most also has the best matching satellite luminosity function, although it does not contain an object as bright as the SMC or LMC. Compared to other semi-analytic models and abundance matching relations we find that central galaxies reside in less massive haloes, but the halo mass-stellar mass relation in our model is consistent both with hydrodynamical simulations and with recent observations.
We investigate the clustering of Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs) at $zsim4$. Using the hierarchical galaxy formation model GALFORM, we predict, for the first time using a semi-analytical model with feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN), the angular correlation function (ACF) of LBGs and find agreement within $3,sigma$ with new measurements of the ACF from surveys including the Hubble eXtreme Deep Field (XDF) and CANDELS field. Our simulations confirm the conclusion reached using independent models that although the predicted ACFs reproduce the trend of increased clustering with luminosity, the dependence is less strong than observed. We find that for the detection limits of the XDF field central LBGs at $zsim 4$ predominantly reside in haloes of mass $sim 10^{11}-10^{12}h^{-1}M_{rm odot}$ and that satellites reside in larger haloes of mass $sim 10^{12}-10^{13}h^{-1}M_{rm odot}$. The model predicts fewer bright satellite LBGs at $zsim4$ than is inferred from measurements of the ACF at small scales. By analysing the halo occupation distribution (HOD) predicted by the model, we find evidence that AGN feedback affects the HOD of central LBGs in massive haloes. This is a new high-redshift test of this important feedback mechanism. We investigate the effect of photometric errors in the observations on the ACF predictions. We find that the observational uncertainty in the galaxy luminosity reduces the clustering amplitude and that this effect increases towards faint galaxies, particularly on small scales. To compare properties of model with observed LBGs this uncertainty must be considered.
Galaxy models predict a tight relation between the clustering of galaxies and dark matter on cosmological scales, but predictions differ notably in the details. We used this opportunity and tested two semi-analytic models by the Munich and Durham groups with data from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Lensing Survey (CFHTLenS). For the test we measured the scale-dependent galaxy bias factor $b(k)$ and correlation factor $r(k)$ from linear to non-linear scales of $kapprox10,h,rm Mpc^{-1}$ at two redshifts $bar{z}=0.35,0.51$ for galaxies with stellar mass between $5times10^9$ and $3times10^{11},h_{rm 70}^{-2},{rm M}_odot$. Our improved gravitational lensing technique accounts for the intrinsic alignment of sources and the magnification of lens galaxies for better constraints for the galaxy-matter correlation $r(k)$. Galaxy bias in CFHTLenS increases with $k$ and stellar mass, it is colour-dependent, revealing the individual footprints of galaxy types. Despite a reasonable model agreement for the relative change with both scale and galaxy properties, there is a clear conflict for $b(k)$ with no model preference: the model galaxies are too weakly clustered. This may flag a model problem at $zgtrsim0.3$ for all stellar masses. As in the models, however, there is a high correlation $r(k)$ between matter and galaxy density on all scales, and galaxy bias is typically consistent with a deterministic bias on linear scales. Only our blue and low-mass galaxies of about $7times10^9,h_{rm 70}^{-2},{rm M}_odot$ at $bar{z}=0.51$ show, contrary to the models, a weak tendency towards a stochastic bias on linear scales where $r_{rm ls}=0.75pm0.14,{rm(stat.)}pm0.06,{rm(sys.)}$. This result is of interest for cosmological probes, such as $E_{rm G}$, that rely on a deterministic galaxy bias.
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