Coevolution of the galactic cores and spiral galaxies

Abstract

Using high-resolution N-body/SPH simulations with $2\times 10^6$ particles, we investigate the evolution of stellar and gaseous galactic cores during the hierarchical formation of a spiral galaxy. We find that the galactic core ($r<300$ pc) coevolves with the host galaxy. The average mass ratio between the baryonic core and the halo is nearly constant, $\sim$ 0.04 from $z\sim 10$ to $z\sim 2$. However, there are several `rapid-growing phases' during the evolution, in which the rate of mass accretion to the central sub-kpc region is ten times higher ($\sim 1M_{\odot }$ yr pc${}^{-1}$) than the average accretion rate. The rapid growth of the inner core is associated with the major merger events with a time-delay. We also find that the spin-axis of the gas core frequently changes. As a result, the angular momentum vector of the central part of the galaxy is independent of the rotation of the outer part. Our results suggest that if a constant fraction of the baryonic mass in the central several 100 pc of a galaxy is converted into a massive black hole, the black hole mass should correlate with the total mass of the galaxies.

4 pages, 4 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJL