Related papers: Revisiting Soltan's argument based on a semi-analy…
We present a new implementation of the GAlaxy Evolution and Assembly (GAEA) semi-analytic model, that features an improved modelling of the process of cold gas accretion onto supermassive black hole (SMBHs), derived from both analytic…
I present a new method to unveil the history of cosmic accretion and the build-up of SMBH in the nuclei of galaxies, based on observations of the evolving radio and (hard) X-ray luminosity functions of AGN. The fundamental plane of black…
Observations of the most luminous quasars at high redshifts ($z > 6$) have revealed that the largest supermassive black holes (SMBHs) at those epochs tend to be substantially overmassive relative to their host galaxies compared to the local…
Mass accretion by black holes (BHs) is typically capped at the Eddington rate, when radiation's push balances gravity's pull. However, even exponential growth at the Eddington-limited e-folding time t_E ~ few x 0.01 billion years, is too…
We investigate the physical conditions for the growth of intermediate mass seed black holes assumed to have formed from remnants of the first generation of massive stars. We follow the collapse of high-sigma halos with Tvir > 1e4 K using…
The assembly of the first super massive black holes (SMBHs) at $z \gtrsim 6$ is still a subject of intense debate. If black holes (BHs) grow at their Eddington rate, they must start from $\gtrsim 10^4 \, M_\odot$ seeds formed by the direct…
I present a new method to unveil the history of cosmic accretion and the build-up of Supermassive Black Holes (SMBH) in the nuclei of galaxies, based on observations of the evolving radio and (hard) X-ray luminosity functions of AGN. The…
We derive the mass function of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) over the redshift range 0<z<2, using the latest deep luminosity and mass functions of field galaxies. Applying this mass function, combined with the bolometric luminosity…
We have performed a detailed analysis of the local super-massive black-hole (SMBH) mass function based on both kinematic and photometric data and derived an accurate analytical fit in the range 10^6 <= (M_BH/M_sun) <= 5*10^9. We find a…
We show the Eddington ratio distributions of supermassive black holes at a wide redshift range (0 < z < 8) obtained with a semi-analytic model of galaxy formation. The distribution is broadly consistent with observational estimates at low…
We suggest a new picture of supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth in galaxy centers. Momentum-driven feedback from an accreting hole gives significant orbital energy but little angular momentum to the surrounding gas. Once central accretion…
There is general consensus that active galactic nuclei (AGNs) derive their radiating power from a supermassive black hole (SMBH) that accretes matter. Yet, their precise powering mechanisms and the resulting growth of the SMBH are poorly…
The Sloan Digital Sky survey detected luminous quasars at very high redshift, z>6. Follow-up observations indicated that at least some of these quasars are powered by supermassive black holes (SMBHs) with masses in excess of billion solar…
We investigate the growth of central supermassive black holes in galaxies, aiming to distinguish between gas accretion versus BH merger-driven growth modes. By performing and analysing cosmological hydrodynamical simulations of $(50 ~ {\rm…
Galaxies grow alongside their central supermassive black holes (SMBHs), linked through fueling and feedback. However, the origins and details of this co-evolution remain unclear and differ significantly amongst modeling frameworks. Using a…
It is well known that supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their host galaxies co-evolve. A manifestation of this co-evolution is the correlation that has been found between the SMBH mass, M$_{BH}$, and the galaxy bulge or stellar mass,…
Recent JWST observations indicate that massive quiescent galaxies (stellar mass $M_{*}\gtrsim 10^{10}~\mathrm{M_\odot}$) at high redshift ($z\gtrsim 6$) are more abundant than predicted by most existing galaxy formation simulations and…
We present a new semi-analytic model that self-consistently traces the growth of supermassive black holes (BH) and their host galaxies within the context of the LCDM cosmological framework. In our model, the energy emitted by accreting…
Understanding how seed black holes grow into intermediate and supermassive black holes (IMBHs and SMBHs, respectively) has important implications for the duty-cycle of active galactic nuclei (AGN), galaxy evolution, and gravitational wave…
The presence of supermassive black holes at redshift z > 6 raises some questions about their formation and growth in the early universe. Due to the construction of new telescopes like the ELT to observe and detect SMBHs, it will be useful…