X-ray AGNs with SRG/eROSITA: Multi-wavelength observations reveal merger triggering and post-coalescence circumnuclear blowout

Major mergers between galaxies are predicted to fuel their central supermassive black holes (SMBHs), particularly after coalescence. However, determining the prevalence of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in mergers remains a challenge, because AGN diagnostics are sensitive to details of the central st...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2024-08
Main Authors: Bickley, Robert W, Ellison, Sara L, Salvato, Mara, Salim, Samir, Patton, David R, Merloni, Andrea, Byrne-Mamahit, Shoshannah, Ferreira, Leonardo, Wilkinson, Scott
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Active galactic nuclei
Dark energy
Interacting galaxies
Luminosity
Machine learning
Mass ratios
Sky surveys (astronomy)
Stars & galaxies
Supermassive black holes
Toruses
Visual observation
X-ray astronomy
X-rays
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Summary:Major mergers between galaxies are predicted to fuel their central supermassive black holes (SMBHs), particularly after coalescence. However, determining the prevalence of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in mergers remains a challenge, because AGN diagnostics are sensitive to details of the central structure (e.g., nuclear gas clouds, geometry and orientation of a dusty torus) that are partly decoupled from SMBH accretion. X-rays, expected to be ubiquitous among accreting systems, are detectable through non-Compton-thick screens of obscuring material, and thus offer the potential for a more complete assessment of AGNs in mergers. But, extant statistical X-ray studies of AGNs in mergers have been limited by either sparse, heterogeneous, or shallow on-sky coverage. We use new X-ray observations from the first SRG/eROSITA all-sky data release to characterize the incidence, luminosity, and observability of AGNs in mergers. Combining machine learning and visual classification, we identify 923 post-mergers in Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey (DECaLS) imaging and select 4,565 interacting galaxy pairs (with separations
ISSN:2331-8422