Galaxies and Black Holes

Abstract

Supermassive black holes containing ~0.5% of the stellar mass of their host galaxies appear to be ubiquitous components of galactic nuclei. The gravitational force from these central singularities can influence the motion of stars far outside the nucleus in non-axisymmetric, i.e. barred or triaxial, galaxies. Here, recent work concerning the influence of nuclear black holes on the large-scale structure of their host galaxies is reviewed. A number of studies point to a critical ratio of black hole mass to bulge mass, Mh/Mg, at which the black hole induces a transition to axisymmetry in the shape of the surrounding bulge or bar. This critical ratio is close to the maximum value of Mh/Mg observed in real galaxies, suggesting that black hole masses may be limited by a feedback mechanism that cuts off the supply of fuel to the nucleus once the central object grows sufficiently large.