2026ApJ...998..213S


Query : 2026ApJ...998..213S

2026ApJ...998..213S - Astrophys. J., 998, 213 (2026/February-3)

Wind-fed Supermassive Black Hole Accretion in the Ultracompact Dwarf Galaxy M60-UCD1.

SU Z., LI Z. and HOU M.

Abstract (from CDS):

Ultracompact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) are thought to be remnants of stripped galactic nuclei, among which a handful are known to host a central supermassive black hole (SMBH). As in stripped nuclear star clusters, the SMBHs in UCDs may be fed by stellar winds from old stellar populations, in the absence of substantial gas reservoirs and galactic inflows. In this work, we investigate such a wind-fed accretion scenario for M60-UCD1, which harbors a confirmed 2 × 107M⊙ SMBH and exhibits X-ray emission suggestive of SMBH accretion signature. Using three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations, we simulate the SMBH accreting stellar winds from approximately 1500 asymptotic giant branch stars, and explore the role of ram pressure from the ambient interstellar or intracluster medium. After 5 Myr, the majority of the stellar winds form a cold gas disk (∼1000 M⊙) within ∼10 pc as well as the SMBH's gravitational sphere of influence. Within the inner 104rg, this disk transitions into a hot (∼107-109 K), geometrically thick corona that dominates the X-ray emission. The SMBH achieves an accretion rate of ∼10–5M⊙ yr–1, yielding an X-ray luminosity of ∼7 × 1037 erg s–1, consistent with observations. Including ram pressure stripping reduces both the accretion rate and luminosity by about a factor of 2. Our results suggest that the X-ray counterpart of M60-UCD1 originates from a weakly accreting SMBH fed by stellar winds, with broader insights into the feeding mechanisms of central massive black holes and the origins of X-ray sources in other UCDs.

Abstract Copyright: © 2026. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.

Journal keyword(s): Ultracompact dwarf galaxies - Supermassive black holes - Hydrodynamical simulations - Accretion - Star clusters - Stellar winds

Simbad objects: 16

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Number of rows : 16
N Identifier Otype ICRS (J2000)
RA
ICRS (J2000)
DEC
Mag U Mag B Mag V Mag R Mag I Sp type #ref
1850 - 2026
#notes
1 M 31 AGN 00 42 44.330 +41 16 07.50 4.86 4.36 3.44     ~ 13622 1
2 NAME M31* Rad 00 42 44.33 +41 16 08.4           ~ 49 0
3 ACO S 373 ClG 03 38 29.4 -35 27 08           ~ 2029 0
4 CGF 1-4 GlC 03 38 54.0545340024 -35 33 33.320376180   18.5 18.06     ~ 81 1
5 NAME Virgo Cluster ClG 12 30 47.8 +12 23 07           ~ 7107 0
6 M 87 AGN 12 30 49.42338414 +12 23 28.0436859 10.16 9.59 8.63   7.49 ~ 7815 3
7 Hanes IV-67 G 12 30 57.3837738072 +12 25 44.498928792   19.32 17.97     ~ 54 0
8 SDSS J124155.33+114003.7 G 12 41 55.3338419712 +11 40 03.790134948           ~ 56 0
9 SDSS J124211.04+113841.2 G 12 42 11.0513 +11 38 41.257           ~ 42 0
10 NGVS J124251.12+113716.0 G 12 42 51.1210 +11 37 16.040           ~ 5 0
11 NAME M60-UCD1 G 12 43 35.9688 +11 32 04.700           ~ 100 0
12 [LFS2013] 144 X 12 43 35.98 +11 32 05.1           ~ 2 0
13 M 60 GiC 12 43 39.9708251934 +11 33 09.688174067   10.3       ~ 1395 1
14 NAME Centaurus A BLL 13 25 27.61521044 -43 01 08.8050291   8.18 6.84 6.66   ~ 4774 3
15 [VHH81] 21 GlC 13 25 52.7266111104 -43 05 46.501781856 19.16 18.76 17.87 17.32 16.77 ~ 51 0
16 NAME Sgr A* X 17 45 40.03599 -29 00 28.1699           ~ 4970 3

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