Abstract
We study the early stage of the formation of seed SMBHs via direct collapse
in DM halos, in the cosmological context. We have performed high-resolution
zoom-in simulations of such collapse at high redshifts, and have compared it
with gas collapse within the isolated DM halo model of Choi et al. Using the
AMR code ENZO, we have resolved the formation and growth of a DM halo via cold
accretion of the filamentary and diffuse gas, until its virial temperature has
reached $10^4$K, atomic cooling has turned on, and collapse has ensued. We
confirm our previous result that direct collapse proceeds in two stages,
although, as expected, they are not as well separated. The first stage is
triggered by the onset of atomic cooling, and leads to rapidly increasing
accretion rate with radius, from $M0.1\,M_ødot\,yr^-1$ at
the halo virial radius to a few $M_ødot\,yr^-1$, just inside the scale
radius $R_s30$pc of the NFW DM density profile. The second stage of
the runaway collapse commences when the gas density takes precedence over the
DM density. We find that this is associated with the gas decoupling from the
background gravitational potential of the DM, at $R_s$, and that the
ensuing collapse approximates that of isothermal sphere with $M$
const. within this radius. We confirm that the gas loses its angular momentum
through non-axisymmetric perturbations to overcome the centrifugal barrier.
During the course of the collapse, this angular momentum transfer process
happens on nearly all spatial scales, and the angular momentum vector of the
gas varies with position and time. Collapsing gas also exhibits supersonic
turbulent motions which suppress gas fragmentation, and which are characterized
by a density probability distribution consisting of a lognormal part and a
high-density power law tail.
Description
[1412.2761] Supermassive Black Hole Formation at High Redshifts via Direct Collapse in a Cosmological Context
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