The Assembly of the First Massive Black Holes
2019/11/13 by Kohei Inayoshi, Eli Visbal, Zoltán Haiman · 634 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Astrophysics #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Physics #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #astro-ph.CO #astro-ph.GA
paper · pdf · doi:10.1146/annurev-astro-120419-014455
published in Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics 58(1), 27-97 (Annual Reviews) · Invited review in Annual Reviews of Astronomy & Astrophysics; an edited final version is to appear in volume 58, to be published in 2020
arxiv created 2019/11/13 · openalex publication_date 2020/03/30 · arxiv updated 2020/11/11 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Abstract
The existence of ∼10 9 M ⊙ supermassive black holes (SMBHs) within the first billion years of the Universe has stimulated numerous ideas for the prompt formation and rapid growth of black holes (BHs) in the early Universe. Here, we review ways in which the seeds of massive BHs may have first assembled, how they may have subsequently grown as massive as ∼10 9 M ⊙ , and how multimessenger observations could distinguish between different SMBH assembly scenarios. We conclude the following: ▪ The ultrarare ∼10 9 M ⊙ SMBHs represent only the tip of the iceberg. Early BHs likely fill a continuum from the stellar-mass (∼10M ⊙ ) to the supermassive (∼10 9 ) regimes, reflecting a range of initial masses and growth histories. ▪ Stellar-mass BHs were likely left behind by the first generation of stars at redshifts as high as ∼30, but their initial growth typically was stunted due to the shallow potential wells of their host galaxies. ▪ Conditions in some larger, metal-poor galaxies soon became conducive to the rapid formation and growth of massive seed holes, via gas accretion and by mergers in dense stellar clusters. ▪ BH masses depend on the environment (such as the number and properties of nearby radiation sources and the local baryonic streaming velocity) and on the metal enrichment and assembly history of the host galaxy. ▪ Distinguishing between assembly mechanisms will be difficult, but a combination of observations by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (probing massive BH growth via mergers) and by deep multiwavelength electromagnetic observations (probing growth via gas accretion) is particularly promising.
Citations
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