FEEDBACK FROM CENTRAL BLACK HOLES IN ELLIPTICAL GALAXIES: TWO-DIMENSIONAL MODELS COMPARED TO ONE-DIMENSIONAL MODELS

Journal Article · Wed Aug 10 00:00:00 EDT 2011 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/737/1/26· OSTI ID:21579985

Novak, Gregory S; Ostriker, Jeremiah P ^[1]; Ciotti, Luca ^[2]

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1. Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Peyton Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States)
2. Department of Astronomy, University of Bologna, via Ranzani 1, I-40127, Bologna (Italy)

We extend the black hole (BH) feedback models of Ciotti, Ostriker, and Proga to two dimensions. In this paper, we focus on identifying the differences between the one-dimensional and two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations. We examine a normal, isolated L{sub *} galaxy subject to the cooling flow instability of gas in the inner regions. Allowance is made for subsequent star formation, Type Ia and Type II supernovae, radiation pressure, and inflow to the central BH from mildly rotating galactic gas which is being replenished as a normal consequence of stellar evolution. The central BH accretes some of the infalling gas and expels a conical wind with mass, momentum, and energy flux derived from both observational and theoretical studies. The galaxy is assumed to have low specific angular momentum in analogy with the existing one-dimensional case in order to isolate the effect of dimensionality. The code then tracks the interaction of the outflowing radiation and winds with the galactic gas and their effects on regulating the accretion. After matching physical modeling to the extent possible between the one-dimensional and two-dimensional treatments, we find essentially similar results in terms of BH growth and duty cycle (fraction of the time above a given fraction of the Eddington luminosity). In the two-dimensional calculations, the cool shells forming at 0.1-1 kpc from the center are Rayleigh-Taylor unstable to fragmentation, leading to a somewhat higher accretion rate, less effective feedback, and a more irregular pattern of bursting compared with the one-dimensional case.

• OSTI ID: 21579985
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 737, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/737/1/26; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
BLACK HOLES
FEEDBACK
GALAXIES
GALAXY NUCLEI
HYDRODYNAMICS
INSTABILITY
ONE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
RADIATION PRESSURE
SIMULATION
STAR EVOLUTION
SUPERNOVAE
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
BINARY STARS
ERUPTIVE VARIABLE STARS
EVOLUTION
FLUID MECHANICS
MECHANICS
STARS
VARIABLE STARS