The relation between black hole spin and star formation in massive star-forming galaxies

Abstract

It has always been believed that feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN) has an important impact on star formation in massive galaxies. Black hole spin is an important physical parameter of AGN. We use a large sample of massive star-forming galaxies to study the effects of AGN on star formation. Our main results are as follows: (i) There are significant correlations between black hole spin and star formation rate, specific star formation rate, and star formation activity parameter for massive star-forming early-type and late-type galaxies, respectively. These results indicate that the spin of supermassive black holes regulates the star formation of massive star-forming early-type and late-type galaxies. (2) The slopes of the relationship between black hole spin and star formation rate, specific star formation rate, and star formation activity parameter for massive star-forming early-type galaxies and late-type galaxies are similar within the error range. These results imply that the mechanism of black hole spin regulating star formation may be similar in massive star-forming early-type and late-type galaxies.