The Romulus Cosmological Simulations: A Physical Approach to the Formation, Dynamics and Accretion Models of SMBHs

Understand

We present a novel implementation of supermassive black hole (SMBH) formation, dynamics, and accretion in the massively parallel tree+SPH code, ChaNGa.

• This approach improves the modeling of SMBHs in fully cosmological simulations, allowing for a more de- tailed analysis of SMBH-galaxy co-evolution throughout cosmic time.
• Our scheme includes novel, physically motivated models for SMBH formation, dynamics and sinking timescales within galaxies, and SMBH accretion of rotationally supported gas.
• The sub-grid parameters that regulate star formation (SF) and feedback from SMBHs and SNe are optimized against a comprehensive set of z = 0 galaxy scaling relations using a novel, multi-dimensional parameter search.