Gas Inflow and Star Formation near Supermassive Black Holes: The Role of Nuclear Activity

Abstract

Numerical models of gas inflow towards a supermassive black hole (SMBH) show that star formation may occur in such an environment through the growth of a gravitationally unstable gas disc. We consider the effect of nuclear activity on such a scenario. We present the first three-dimensional grid-based radiative hydrodynamic simulations of direct collisions between infalling gas streams and a $4\times 10^6{\text{M}}_{\odot }$ SMBH, using ray-tracing to incorporate radiation consistent with an active galactic nucleus (AGN). We assume inflow masses of $\approx 10^5{\text{M}}_{\odot }$ and explore radiation fields of 10% and 100% of the Eddington luminosity ($L_{\text{edd}}$). We follow our models to the point of central gas disc formation preceding star formation and use the Toomre Q parameter ($Q_T$) to test for gravitational instability. We find that radiation pressure from UV photons inhibits inflow. Yet, for weak radiation fields, a central disc forms on timescales similar to that of models without feedback. Average densities of $>10^8{\text{cm}}^{-3}$ limit photo-heating to the disc surface allowing for $Q_T\approx 1$. For strong radiation fields, the disc forms more gradually resulting in lower surface densities and larger $Q_T$ values. Mass accretion rates in our models are consistent with 1%--60% of the Eddington limit, thus we conclude that it is unlikely that radiative feedback from AGN activity would inhibit circumnuclear star formation arising from a massive inflow event.

arXiv comment29 pages, 27 figures, accepted by MNRAS

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