Central black holes in ASTRID and TNG300 follow a tight, redshift-invariant M_BH–M_⋆ relation from z=2 to 0.5; departures mark merger-driven high-mass quenchers, tidally stripped overmassive satellites, and undermassive wanderers.
Off the Beaten Path: A New Approach to Realistically Model The Orbital Decay of Supermassive Black Holes in Galaxy Formation Simulations
5 Pith papers cite this work. Polarity classification is still indexing.
5
Pith papers citing it
abstract
We introduce a force correction term to better model the dynamical friction (DF) experienced by a supermassive black hole (SMBH) as it orbits within its host galaxy. This new approach accurately follows the orbital decay of a SMBH and drastically improves over commonly used advection methods. The force correction introduced here naturally scales with the force resolution of the simulation and converges as resolution is increased. In controlled experiments we show how the orbital decay of the SMBH closely follows analytical predictions when particle masses are significantly smaller than that of the SMBH. In a cosmological simulation of the assembly of a small galaxy, we show how our method allows for realistic black hole orbits. This approach overcomes the limitations of the advection scheme, where black holes are rapidly and artificially pushed toward the halo center and then forced to merge, regardless of their orbits. We find that SMBHs from merging dwarf galaxies can spend significant time away from the center of the remnant galaxy. Improving the modeling of SMBH orbital decay will help in making robust predictions of the growth, detectability, and merger rates of SMBHs, especially at low galaxy masses or at high redshift.
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astro-ph.GA 5years
2026 5representative citing papers
FIRE-3 cosmological simulations of Seyfert galaxies produce episodic AGN feedback and gas clearing but no clear anti-correlation between nuclear gas concentration and AGN luminosity, highlighting timing mismatches with observations.
The paper identifies underproduction of oxygen in low-mass simulated dwarf galaxies as the likely cause of missing OVI in the CGM, based on comparisons across two simulation suites.
Horizon-AGN shows galaxy and black hole merger rates both rise with stellar mass and fall with redshift, peaking near z=2-3, establishing a direct evolutionary link from galaxy interactions to black hole coalescences.
High-resolution cosmological zoom-in simulations find that major mergers do not trigger sustained super-Eddington black hole accretion in low-mass halos when feedback is included; episodes occur only immediately after seeding or with feedback disabled.
citing papers explorer
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Tracing black hole and galaxy growth across environments since cosmic noon
Central black holes in ASTRID and TNG300 follow a tight, redshift-invariant M_BH–M_⋆ relation from z=2 to 0.5; departures mark merger-driven high-mass quenchers, tidally stripped overmassive satellites, and undermassive wanderers.
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Investigating black hole accretion and feedback self-regulation in Seyfert galaxies using the FIRE-3 cosmological hydrodynamic simulations
FIRE-3 cosmological simulations of Seyfert galaxies produce episodic AGN feedback and gas clearing but no clear anti-correlation between nuclear gas concentration and AGN luminosity, highlighting timing mismatches with observations.
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The Simulated Oxygen Shortage (SOS): Mapping the Missing OVI in Simulated Dwarf Galaxies to Subgrid Physics
The paper identifies underproduction of oxygen in low-mass simulated dwarf galaxies as the likely cause of missing OVI in the CGM, based on comparisons across two simulation suites.
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One Merge to Rule Them All: From Galaxy Interactions to Black Hole Mergers Using Horizon-AGN
Horizon-AGN shows galaxy and black hole merger rates both rise with stellar mass and fall with redshift, peaking near z=2-3, establishing a direct evolutionary link from galaxy interactions to black hole coalescences.
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The role of major mergers in triggering super-Eddington accretion
High-resolution cosmological zoom-in simulations find that major mergers do not trigger sustained super-Eddington black hole accretion in low-mass halos when feedback is included; episodes occur only immediately after seeding or with feedback disabled.