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A Correlation Between Black Hole Mass and Dark Matter Halo Concentration in Cosmological Simulations

John K. Nino

TL;DR

Investigates whether dark matter halo concentration $c_{200}$ meaningfully modulates SMBH mass $M_{ m BH}$ at fixed halo mass. The authors compare four cosmological hydrodynamical simulations with different black hole accretion prescriptions, computing partial correlations between $ obreak M_{ m BH}$ and $c_{200}$ while controlling for $ obreak M_{200}$. They find a significant positive correlation in Bondi-based models (TNG, EAGLE, CAMELS-TNG) that strengthens with halo mass, but no such correlation in Simba, which uses torque-limited accretion; a mass-dependent sign transition occurs near $ obreak M_{200} obreak \sim 10^{11.5}~M_\odot$. These results imply halo concentration may be a fundamental driver of BH growth and coevolution, with observable consequences and a new diagnostic for accretion physics in simulations.

Abstract

We report the discovery of a positive correlation between supermassive black hole mass and dark matter halo concentration at fixed halo mass in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. Analyzing central galaxies in TNG100 (N = 18,954), EAGLE (N = 1,522), and CAMELS-TNG (N = 6,664), we find partial correlation coefficients of r = +0.24, +0.34, and +0.66 respectively, all highly significant (p < 10^-10). The correlation is absent in SIMBA (r = +0.01, p = 0.09), which employs a torque-limited black hole accretion model rather than the Bondi-based prescription used by the other simulations. Both TNG and EAGLE exhibit a mass-dependent sign transition: the correlation is negative or null at log(M200/Msun) < 11.5 but strongly positive at higher masses. We interpret this pattern as reflecting the coupling between Bondi accretion rates and central gas density structure: halos with higher concentration have denser cores, enabling more efficient black hole growth at fixed halo mass. The absence of the correlation in torque-limited models supports this interpretation. These results suggest that halo concentration may be a fundamental parameter governing black hole-galaxy coevolution.

A Correlation Between Black Hole Mass and Dark Matter Halo Concentration in Cosmological Simulations

TL;DR

Investigates whether dark matter halo concentration meaningfully modulates SMBH mass at fixed halo mass. The authors compare four cosmological hydrodynamical simulations with different black hole accretion prescriptions, computing partial correlations between and while controlling for . They find a significant positive correlation in Bondi-based models (TNG, EAGLE, CAMELS-TNG) that strengthens with halo mass, but no such correlation in Simba, which uses torque-limited accretion; a mass-dependent sign transition occurs near . These results imply halo concentration may be a fundamental driver of BH growth and coevolution, with observable consequences and a new diagnostic for accretion physics in simulations.

Abstract

We report the discovery of a positive correlation between supermassive black hole mass and dark matter halo concentration at fixed halo mass in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. Analyzing central galaxies in TNG100 (N = 18,954), EAGLE (N = 1,522), and CAMELS-TNG (N = 6,664), we find partial correlation coefficients of r = +0.24, +0.34, and +0.66 respectively, all highly significant (p < 10^-10). The correlation is absent in SIMBA (r = +0.01, p = 0.09), which employs a torque-limited black hole accretion model rather than the Bondi-based prescription used by the other simulations. Both TNG and EAGLE exhibit a mass-dependent sign transition: the correlation is negative or null at log(M200/Msun) < 11.5 but strongly positive at higher masses. We interpret this pattern as reflecting the coupling between Bondi accretion rates and central gas density structure: halos with higher concentration have denser cores, enabling more efficient black hole growth at fixed halo mass. The absence of the correlation in torque-limited models supports this interpretation. These results suggest that halo concentration may be a fundamental parameter governing black hole-galaxy coevolution.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 16 sections, 1 figure, 2 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Methods
  3. Simulations
  4. Sample Selection
  5. Statistical Analysis
  6. Results
  7. Cross-Simulation Correlation
  8. Mass-Dependent Sign Transition
  9. Discussion
  10. Physical Interpretation
  11. The Mass-Dependent Transition
  12. Implications
  13. Caveats
  14. Additional Controls and Robustness
  15. Future Directions
  16. ...and 1 more sections

Figures (1)

  • Figure 1: Partial correlation coefficient $r(M_{\rm BH}, c \,|\, M_{200})$ as a function of halo mass for TNG100 (blue circles) and Eagle (red squares). Both simulations show a transition from negative/null correlation at low masses to strongly positive correlation at $\log(M_{200}/M_\odot) > 11.5$. Error bars represent 95% confidence intervals. Shaded regions indicate two schematic regimes: at low masses (pink), AGN feedback energy is significant relative to halo binding energy, potentially disrupting the gas density structure that mediates the BH--concentration coupling; at high masses (blue), deeper potential wells preserve this structure, allowing the primordial correlation to manifest.