Speaker
Description
Recent observations have established that dwarf galaxies can host black holes of intermediate mass (IMBHs). With modern numerical models, we would like to test the evolutionary impact of IMBHs. Our novel subsolar-mass (0.8 solar mass) resolution simulations of dwarf galaxies have a resolved three phase ISM and account for non-equilibrium heating, cooling, and chemistry processes. The stellar IMF is fully sampled from 0.08 – 150 solar masses while massive stars can form HII regions and explode as - well resolved - supernovae. The stellar dynamics around the IMBH is integrated accurately with a regularization scheme. We present a viscous accretion disk model for the IMBH with momentum, energy, and mass conserving mechanical feedback – in line with broad-line region observations of dwarf galaxies. We demonstrate how the IMBH can grow from accretion of the clumpy cold gas phase and how the presence of the IMBH and its feedback impacts the gas phase structure and the formation of a nuclear star cluster. Overall, the IMBH accretion rates are low and the growth times are long, in agreement with observational estimates from X-ray observations. We discuss general implications on IMBH formation and growth.
