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Abstract

The origin of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) is a key open question for contemporary astrophysics and cosmology. Here we review the features of a cosmological model of SMBH formation from Pop III.1 seeds, i.e., remnants of metal-free stars forming in locally-isolated minihalos, where energy injection from dark matter particle annihilation alters the structure of the protostar allowing growth to supermassive scales (Banik et al. 2019; Singh et al. 2023; Cammelli et al. 2024). The Pop III.1 model explains the paucity of intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) via a characteristic SMBH seed mass of \(\sim10^5\:M_\odot\) that is set by the baryonic content of minihalos. Ionization feedback from supermassive Pop III.1 stars sets the cosmic number density of SMBHs to be \(n_{\rm SMBH}\lesssim 0.2\:{\rm Mpc}^{-3}\). The model then predicts that all SMBHs form by \(z\sim20\) with a spatial distribution that is initially unclustered. SMBHs at high redshifts \(z\gtrsim7\) should all be single objects, with SMBH binaries and higher order multiples emerging only at lower redshifts. We also discuss the implications of this model for SMBH host galaxy properties, occupation fractions, gravitational wave emission, cosmic reionization, and the nature of dark matter. These predictions are compared to latest observational results, especially from HST, JWST and pulsar timing array observations.

Details

1009240
Title
The Origin of Supermassive Black Holes from Pop III.1 Seeds
Publication title
arXiv.org; Ithaca
Publication year
2024
Publication date
Dec 2, 2024
Section
Astrophysics
Publisher
Cornell University Library, arXiv.org
Source
arXiv.org
Place of publication
Ithaca
Country of publication
United States
University/institution
Cornell University Library arXiv.org
e-ISSN
2331-8422
Source type
Working Paper
Language of publication
English
Document type
Working Paper
Publication history
 
 
Online publication date
2024-12-03
Milestone dates
2024-12-02 (Submission v1)
Publication history
 
 
   First posting date
03 Dec 2024
ProQuest document ID
3138990442
Document URL
https://www.proquest.com/working-papers/origin-supermassive-black-holes-pop-iii-1-seeds/docview/3138990442/se-2?accountid=208611
Full text outside of ProQuest
Copyright
© 2024. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.
Last updated
2024-12-04
Database
2 databases
  • ProQuest One Academic
  • ProQuest One Academic