Black Hole-Galaxy Correlations in Cluster Zoomed-in Simulations: GIZMO-SIMBA and TNG-Cluster

Abstract

We investigate the co-evolution of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and central galaxies in massive clusters using the GIZMO-SIMBA and TNG-Cluster zoom-in simulations at $z=0-5$. We find that the distinct subgrid physics of these two models suggest fundamentally different evolutionary pathways. On the one hand, GIZMO-SIMBA, employs torque-limited accretion and predicts a supply-driven scenario where the SMBHs rapidly assemble synchronized with dark matter halo ($M_{200c}$) growth (i.e. the halo mass-BH mass relation is set by $z=3.0$ and similar to the present-day relationship). On the other hand, TNG-Cluster, exhibits a feedback-regulated growth phase delayed by an early thermal suppression. While both models successfully reproduce some local black hole-galaxy scaling relations, they imply significantly different evolution for these relations. Analysis of the BH mass-gas mass ratio relations suggests that TNG-Cluster's isotropic kinetic winds efficiently deplete cold gas, resulting in a "hard quench" of star formation. In the black hole accretion rate (BHAR)-star formation rate (SFR) relation we find that both simulations successfully reproduce the decoupling of BHAR and star formation observed in recent massive cluster ellipticals. The divergent evolutionary trends emphasize the importance of the multiphase intracluster medium; while these subgrid models do not have the necessary resolution and employ distinct formalisms, the sustained BHAR in quenched systems resemble outcomes broadly consistent with modern multiphase feeding paradigms such as chaotic cold accretion in turbulent cluster cores. Furthermore, we demonstrate that for both models, black hole mass is a primary regulator of atomic and molecular gas depletion in galaxy clusters.