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ABSTRACT Without additional heating, radiative cooling of the halo gas of massive galaxies (Milky Way-mass and above) produces cold gas or stars exceeding that observed. Heating from active galactic nucleus (AGN) jets is likely required, but the jet properties remain unclear. This is particularly challenging for galaxy simulations, where the resolution is orders-of-magnitude insufficient to resolve jet formation and evolution. On such scales, the uncertain parameters include the jet energy form [kinetic, thermal, cosmic ray (CR)]; energy, momentum, and mass flux; magnetic fields; opening angle; precession; and duty cycle. We investigate these parameters in a $$10^{14}\, {\rm M}_{\odot }$$ halo using high-resolution non-cosmological magnetohydrodynamic simulations with the FIRE-2 (Feedback In Realistic Environments) stellar feedback model, conduction, and viscosity. We explore which scenarios qualitatively meet observational constraints on the halo gas and show that CR-dominated jets most efficiently quench the galaxy by providing CR pressure support and modifying the thermal instability. Mildly relativistic (∼MeV or ∼1010K) thermal plasma jets work but require ∼10 times larger energy input. For fixed energy flux, jets with higher specific energy (longer cooling times) quench more effectively. For this halo mass, kinetic jets are inefficient at quenching unless they have wide opening or precession angles. Magnetic fields also matter less except when the magnetic energy flux reaches ≳ 1044 erg s−1 in a kinetic jet model, which significantly widens the jet cocoon. The criteria for a successful jet model are an optimal energy flux and a sufficiently wide jet cocoon with a long enough cooling time at the cooling radius.
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Chaotic cold accretion in giant elliptical galaxies heated by AGN cosmic rays
ABSTRACT Black hole feedback plays a central role in shaping the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of elliptical galaxies. We systematically study the impact of plasma physics on the evolution of ellipticals by performing three-dimensional non-ideal magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the interactions of active galactic nucleus (AGN) jets with the CGM including magnetic fields, and cosmic rays (CRs) and their transport processes. We find that the physics of feedback operating on large galactic scales depends very sensitively on plasma physics operating on small scales. Specifically, we demonstrate that (i) in the purely hydrodynamical case, the AGN jets initially maintain the atmospheres in global thermal balance. However, local thermal instability generically leads to the formation of massive cold discs in the vicinity of the central black hole in disagreement with observations; (ii) including weak magnetic fields prevents the formation of the discs because local B-field amplification in the precipitating cold gas leads to strong magnetic breaking, which quickly extracts angular momentum from the accreting clouds. The magnetic fields transform the cold clouds into narrow filaments that do not fall ballistically; (iii) when plasma composition in the AGN jets is dominated by CRs, and CR transport is neglected, the atmospheres exhibit cooling catastrophes due to inefficient heat transfer from the AGN to CGM despite Coulomb/hadronic CR losses being present; (iv) including CR streaming and heating restores agreement with the observations, i.e. cooling catastrophes are prevented and massive cold central discs do not form. The AGN power is reduced as its energy is utilized efficiently.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1715140
- PAR ID:
- 10166991
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Volume:
- 493
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 0035-8711
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 4065 to 4076
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staa550
