Galaxy formation and evolution

Abstract:

© 2019 The Author(s) Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society Stars passing too close to a black hole can produce tidal disruption events (TDEs), when the tidal force across the star exceeds the gravitational force that binds it. TDEs have usually been discussed in relation to massive black holes that reside in the centres of galaxies or lurk in star clusters. We investigate the possibility that triple stars hosting a stellar black hole (SBH) may be sources of TDEs. We start from a triple system made up of three main-sequence stars and model the supernova (SN) kick event that led to the production of an inner binary comprised of an SBH. We evolve these triples with a high-precision N-body code and study their TDEs as a result of Kozai-Lidov oscillations. We explore a variety of distributions of natal kicks imparted during the SN event, various maximum initial separations for the triples, and different distributions of eccentricities. We show that the main parameter that governs the properties of the SBH-MS binaries that produce a TDE in triples is the mean velocity of the natal kick distribution. Smaller σ's lead to larger inner and outer semimajor axes of the systems that undergo a TDE, smaller SBH masses, and longer time-scales. We find that the fraction of systems that produce a TDE is roughly independent of the initial conditions, while estimate a TDE rate of 2.1 × 10−4-4.7 yr−1, depending on the prescriptions for the SBH natal kicks. This rate is almost comparable to the expected TDE rate for massive black holes.

Abstract:

ALMA observations have revealed nuclear dusty molecular disks or tori with characteristic sizes 15−40 pc in the few Seyferts and low -luminosity AGN that have been studied so far. These structures are generally decoupled both morphologically and kinematically from the host galaxy disk. We present ALMA observations of the CO(2–1) and CO(3–2) molecular gas transitions and associated (sub-) millimeter continua of the nearby Seyfert 1.5 galaxy NGC 3227 with angular resolutions 0.085 − 0.21″ (7–15 pc). On large scales, the cold molecular gas shows circular motions as well as streaming motions on scales of a few hundred parsecs that are associated with a large-scale bar. We fit the nuclear ALMA 1.3 mm emission with an unresolved component and an extended component. The 850 μm emission shows at least two extended components, one along the major axis of the nuclear disk, and the other along the axis of the ionization cone. The molecular gas in the central region (1″ ∼ 73 pc) shows several CO clumps with complex kinematics that appears to be dominated by noncircular motions. While we cannot conclusively demonstrate the presence of a warped nuclear disk, we also detected noncircular motions along the kinematic minor axis. They reach line-of-sight velocities of v − vsys = 150 − 200 km s−1. Assuming that the radial motions are in the plane of the galaxy, we interpret them as a nuclear molecular outflow due to molecular gas in the host galaxy that is entrained by the AGN wind. We derive molecular outflow rates of 5 M⊙ yr−1 and 0.6 M⊙ yr−1 at projected distances of up to 30 pc to the northeast and southwest of the AGN, respectively. At the AGN location we estimate a mass in molecular gas of 5 × 105 M⊙ and an equivalent average column density N(H2) = 2 − 3 × 1023 cm−2 in the inner 15 pc. The nuclear CO(2–1) and CO(3–2) molecular gas and submillimeter continuum emission of NGC 3227 do not resemble the classical compact torus. Rather, these emissions extend for several tens of parsecs and appear connected with the circumnuclear ring in the host galaxy disk, as found in other local AGN.

Abstract:

© Astronomical Society of Australia 2019. In recent years, the discovery of massive quasars at has provided a striking challenge to our understanding of the origin and growth of supermassive black holes in the early Universe. Mounting observational and theoretical evidence indicates the viability of massive seeds, formed by the collapse of supermassive stars, as a progenitor model for such early, massive accreting black holes. Although considerable progress has been made in our theoretical understanding, many questions remain regarding how (and how often) such objects may form, how they live and die, and how next generation observatories may yield new insight into the origin of these primordial titans. This review focusses on our present understanding of this remarkable formation scenario, based on the discussions held at the Monash Prato Centre from November 20 to 24, 2017, during the workshop 'Titans of the Early Universe: The Origin of the First Supermassive Black Holes'.