2026ApJ...997..194A -
Astrophys. J., 997, 194 (2026/February-1)
Can Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies Host a Central Black Hole?
ADITYA K. and MANGALAM A.
Abstract (from CDS):
We construct mass models of Milky Way dwarf spheroidal galaxies to place constraints on the central black hole masses they can host. We model the galaxies as a three-component system consisting of the stars, dark matter halo, and a central black hole, using the Osipkov-Merritt-Cuddeford class of the anisotropic distribution function. The posterior distribution of black hole mass remains flat toward the low-mass end, indicating that the kinematic data places an upper limit on the black hole mass. Our analysis yields a 95% credible upper limit of ${\mathrm{log}}({M}_{\bullet }/{M}_{\odot })\lt 6$. We combine our results with black hole mass measurements and upper limits from the literature to construct a unified M•-σ* relation spanning σ* ∼ 10-300 km s–1, described by ${\mathrm{log}}({M}_{\bullet })=8.32+4.08\,{\mathrm{log}}\left({\sigma }_{* }/200\,{\rm{km}}\,{{\rm{s}}}^{-1}\right)$, with an intrinsic scatter of σint = 0.55. We compare the inferred limits to models of black hole growth via momentum-driven accretion and stellar capture, which predict black hole masses in the range 103-104M⊙ for the range σ* ∼ 6-12 km s–1, in close agreement with the M•-σ* relation within the 95% credible upper limits on the black hole masses derived in this work.
Abstract Copyright:
© 2026. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.
Journal keyword(s):
Galaxy dynamics
Simbad objects:
9
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