Objective Supermassive black holes (BHs) of more than a billion solar masses have been observed at z > 6 when the Universe was less than a billion years old. Forming such objects is highly challenging, as high accretion rates need to be maintained over very long time scales. Seed BHs with masses of 10^4 -10^6 solar masses, as predicted by the “direct collapse” scenario, provide a promising pathway to explain their presence. During this project, I will derive the mass distribution of the BHs to provide constraints on their masses and growth mechanisms which can tested with upcoming missions such as JWST and ATHENA. To achieve this goal, I will build up a statistical sample of high-resolution adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) simulations of massive primordial halos, following the dynamics of the gas from cosmological scales down to scales comparable to the solar system. The gravitational collapse initially forms a rapidly accreting protostar, which subsequently moves to the main sequence providing ultra-violet (UV) feedback and finally collapses to a massive BH. In the first part of the project, I will compute the impact of stellar feedback from the supermassive star and follow the time evolution of the mass accretion rates. Subsequently, the simulations will be extended by incorporating the X-ray feedback from the BH itself. Finally, scaling relations between the properties of the host halos and BH masses will be derived. This work will provide the first detailed assessment of the mass distribution of seed BHs, and their observational properties. Thisis a substantial step forward to understand the origin of high-redshift BHs. Fields of science natural sciencesphysical sciencesnuclear physicsnatural sciencesphysical sciencesastronomyphysical cosmologybig bangnatural sciencesphysical sciencesastronomyastrophysicsblack holesnatural sciencesphysical sciencestheoretical physicsparticle physicsphotons Keywords Black hole formation early Universe First galaxies Cosmology theory First quasars numerical simulations AGN & stellar UV feedback Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2014-EF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF) Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2014 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF) Coordinator CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS Net EU contribution € 173 076,00 Address Rue michel ange 3 75794 Paris France See on map Region Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Paris Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00
