Evidence for the connection between star formation rate and evolutionary phases of quasars

Kavli Affiliate: Luis C. Ho

| First 5 Authors: Zhifu Chen, Zhicheng He, Luis C. Ho, Qiusheng Gu, Tinggui Wang

| Summary:

Both theory and observations suggest that outflows driven by an active
central supermassive black hole (SMBH) has a feedback effect on shaping the
global properties of the host galaxy. However, whether feedback from the
outflow is effective, and if so, whether it is positive or negative, has long
been controversial. Here, using the latest catalog from the Sloan Digital Sky
Survey (SDSS), we use the flux ratio of the [O II] to [Ne V] emission lines as
a proxy to compare the star formation rate (SFR) in the hosts of quasars with
different types of broad absorption lines (BALs): low-ionization (Lo)BAL,
high-ionization (Hi)BAL, and non-BAL. We find that SFR decreases from LoBAL to
HiBAL quasars, and then increases from HiBAL to non-BAL quasars. Assuming that
the sequence of LoBAL to HiBAL to non-BAL represents evolution, our results are
consistent with a quenching and subsequent rebound of star formation in quasar
host galaxies. This phenomenon can be explained that the SFR is suppressed by
the outflow, which then rebounds once the outflow disappears as the quasars
evolve from HiBALs to non-BALs. Our result suggests that the quasar outflow has
a negative global feedback on galaxy evolution.

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