BASS XXXVII: The role of radiative feedback in the growth and obscuration properties of nearby supermassive black holes

Abstract

We study the relation between obscuration and supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth using a large sample of hard X-ray selected Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). We find a strong decrease in the fraction of obscured sources above the Eddington limit for dusty gas ($\log {\lambda }_{\mathrm{Edd}}\gtrsim -2$) confirming earlier results, and consistent with the radiation-regulated unification model. This also explains the difference in the Eddington ratio distribution functions (ERDFs) of type 1 and type 2 AGN obtained by a recent study. The break in the ERDF of nearby AGN is at $\log {\lambda }_{\mathrm{Edd}}^{\ast }=-1.34\pm 0.07$. This corresponds to the ${\lambda }_{\mathrm{Edd}}$ where AGN transition from having most of their sky covered by obscuring material to being mostly devoid of absorbing material. A similar trend is observed for the luminosity function, which implies that most of the SMBH growth in the local Universe happens when the AGN is covered by a large reservoir of gas and dust. These results could be explained with a radiation-regulated growth model, in which AGN move in the $N_{\mathrm{H}}-{\lambda }_{\mathrm{Edd}}$ plane during their life cycle. The growth episode starts with the AGN mostly unobscured and accreting at low ${\lambda }_{\mathrm{Edd}}$. As the SMBH is further fueled, ${\lambda }_{\mathrm{Edd}}$, $N_{\mathrm{H}}$ and covering factor increase, leading AGN to be preferentially observed as obscured. Once ${\lambda }_{\mathrm{Edd}}$ reaches the Eddington limit for dusty gas, the covering factor and $N_{\mathrm{H}}$ rapidly decrease, leading the AGN to be typically observed as unobscured. As the remaining fuel is depleted, the SMBH goes back into a quiescent phase.

Accepted for publication in ApJ

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