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The role of black holes in galaxy formation and evolution

Nature volume 460, pages 213–219 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Virtually all massive galaxies, including our own, host central black holes ranging in mass from millions to billions of solar masses. The growth of these black holes releases vast amounts of energy that powers quasars and other weaker active galactic nuclei. A tiny fraction of this energy, if absorbed by the host galaxy, could halt star formation by heating and ejecting ambient gas. A central question in galaxy evolution is the degree to which this process has caused the decline of star formation in large elliptical galaxies, which typically have little cold gas and few young stars, unlike spiral galaxies.

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Figure 1: The galaxy bimodality.
Figure 2: A computer simulation of the formation of an elliptical galaxy.
Figure 3: The entropy of the intracluster medium in spherical shells of radius r.
Figure 4: Optical, radio and X-ray images of the Perseus cluster.
Figure 5: Cooling, heating, and black hole accretion rates.

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Acknowledgements

A.C. thanks his wife A. Fylaktou for assistance in making the Review readable for a broader audience.

Author Contributions A.C. initiated the project, wrote the first draft, and had editorial control throughout. He chose to have many co-authors to show that the Review reflects consensus within the field. S.M.F. made a major contribution to the structure and content of the Review. J.B., A.D., J.K. and R.M. participated extensively in the writing of the manuscript, A.B., P.B., and M.B. contributed significantly to individual sections. A.K., A.M. and P.B. produced Figs 2, 3 and 4, respectively. The other authors contributed mainly by providing comments on drafts and by participating in scientific discussions in connection with: X-ray observations of galaxy clusters (A.C.F.), galaxy formation (C.S.F., M.S.), the interaction of radiation with the interstellar medium (H.N.), the interaction of quasar winds with the interstellar medium (J.S.), and quasar winds and host galaxies (L.W.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam, An der Sternwarte 16, 14482 Potsdam, Germany,

    A. Cattaneo, M. Steinmetz & L. Wisotzki

  2. Observatoire de Lyon, Université de Lyon 1, 9 avenue Charles André, 69561 Saint Genis Laval cedex, France,

    A. Cattaneo

  3. University of California Observatories/Lick Observatory, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA,

    S. M. Faber

  4. Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UK,

    J. Binney & J. Silk

  5. Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel

    A. Dekel

  6. Department of Astronomy, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712, USA,

    J. Kormendy

  7. Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA,

    R. Mushotzky

  8. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, Elliot Building, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia V8P 1A1, Canada,

    A. Babul

  9. Institute for Astronomy, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ, UK,

    P. N. Best

  10. Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany

    M. Brüggen

  11. Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA, UK,

    A. C. Fabian

  12. Institute for Computational Cosmology, University of Durham, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK,

    C. S. Frenk

  13. Observatoire Astronomique Marseille-Provence, 38 rue Frédéric Joliot-Curie, 13388 Marseille cedex 13, France,

    A. Khalatyan

  14. Wise Observatory, University of Tel Aviv, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel

    H. Netzer

  15. Department of Physics and Astronomy, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, California 94132, USA,

    A. Mahdavi

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Cattaneo, A., Faber, S., Binney, J. et al. The role of black holes in galaxy formation and evolution. Nature 460, 213–219 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08135

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