Do AGN outflows quench or enhance star formation?
| Autor: | Kastytis Zubovas, Martin A. Bourne |
|---|---|
| Přispěvatelé: | Bourne, Martin [0000-0003-3189-1638], Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository |
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
galaxies: active University faculty FOS: Physical sciences Astrophysics Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics 01 natural sciences ISM: evolution 0103 physical sciences Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics 010303 astronomy & astrophysics Astrophysics::Galaxy Astrophysics Physics stars: formation 010308 nuclear & particles physics Star formation Astronomy Astronomy and Astrophysics Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies Galaxy 13. Climate action Space and Planetary Science Research council Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA) Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics galaxies: evolution |
| Zdroj: | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |
| Popis: | AGN outflows can remove large quantities of gas from their host galaxy spheroids, potentially shutting off star formation. On the other hand, they can compress this gas, potentially enhancing or triggering star formation, at least for short periods. We present a set of idealised simulations of AGN outflows affecting turbulent gas spheres, and investigate the effect of the outflow and the AGN radiation field upon gas fragmentation. We show that AGN outflows of sufficient luminosity shut off fragmentation while the nucleus is active, but gas compression results in a burst of fragmentation after the AGN switches off. Self-shielding of gas against the AGN radiation field allows some fragmentation to occur during outbursts, but too much shielding results in a lower overall fragmentation rate. For our idealised simulation setup, there is a critical AGN luminosity which results in the highest fragmentation rate, with outflows being too efficient at removing gas when $L > L_{\rm crit}$ and not efficient enough to compress the gas to high densities otherwise. These results, although preliminary, suggest that the interaction between AGN and star formation in their host galaxies is particularly complex and requires careful study in order to interpret observations correctly. 13 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS (v2: minor updates to references and acknowledgments) |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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