paper

Ultraluminous Starbursts from SMBH-induced outflows

arXiv:astro-ph/0509149 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.09672.x

Abstract

I argue that there are two modes of global star formation. Disks and smaller spheroids form stars relatively inefficiently as a consequence of supernova-triggered negative feedback via a sequence of ministarbursts (S mode), whereas massive spheroids formed rapidly with high efficiency via the impact of AGN jet-triggered positive feedback (J mode) that generates and enhances ultraluminous starbursts. Supermassive black hole growth by accretion is favoured in the gas-rich protospheroid environment as mergers build up the mass of the host galaxy and provide a centrally concentrated gas supply. Quasi-spherical outflows arise and provide the source of porosity as the energetic jets from the accreting central SMBH are isotropised by the inhomogeneous interstellar medium in the protospheroid core. Super-Eddington outflows occur and help generate both the SMBH at high redshift and the strong positive feedback on protospheroid star formation that occurs as dense interstellar clouds are overpressured and collapse. SMBH form before the bulk of spheroid stars, and the correlation between spheroid velocity dispersion and supermassive black hole mass arises as AGN-triggered outflows limit the gas reservoir for spheroid star formation. The super-Eddington phase plausibly triggers a top-heavy IMF in the region of influence of the SMBH. The Compton-cooled Eddington-limited outflow phase results in a spheroid core whose phase space density scales as the inverse 5/2 power of the core mass, and whose mass scales as the 3/2 power of SMBH mass. This latter scaling suggests that SMBH growth (and hence spheroid formation) is anti-hierarchical.

6 pages. References added, minor corrections, to match published version, MNRAS in press

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