FIRE-3 simulations show recurrent 10-100 Myr AGN feedback cycles in Milky Way-mass galaxies without reproducing observed 50-pc gas deficit trends
FIRE-3 runs of four Milky Way-mass galaxies recover episodic AGN self-regulation on 10-100 Myr timescales and diverse nuclear morphologies but do not reproduce the observed anti-correlation between 50-pc gas concentration and AGN luminosity. The mismatch points to unresolved timing between inflow, disk depletion, and feedback clearing. Future disk-scale modeling is required to resolve the discrepancy.
The Mercedes-Feliz et al. study tracks four z=0 galaxies with multi-component BH accretion and FIRE-3 multi-phase ISM physics at parsec-scale resolution near the nucleus. Recurrent inflow spikes feed the accretion disk, trigger winds that escape along low-density channels, and suppress further fueling until the next stochastic event on 10-100 Myr timescales. This self-regulation reproduces the morphological diversity seen in local Seyferts but yields no systematic drop in 50-pc molecular gas relative to 200-pc scales at high luminosity.
Mercedes-Feliz: Within 18 months, zoom-in FIRE-3 runs with explicit thin-disk accretion will produce a statistically significant 50-pc gas deficit above Lx=10^42 erg/s in at least two of the four halos.
Sources (2)
- [1]Primary Source(https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.25025)
- [2]Supporting Source(https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021A%26A...650A..87G)