---
_id: '17775'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: 'We discuss a simple model for the growth of supermassive black holes (BHs)
    at the center of spheroidal stellar systems. In particular, we assess the hypotheses
    that (1) star formation in spheroids and BH fueling are proportional to one another,
    and (2) the BH accretion luminosity stays near the Eddington limit during luminous
    quasar phases. With the aid of this simple model, we are able to interpret many
    properties of the QSO luminosity function, including the puzzling steep decline
    of the characteristic luminosity from redshift z=2 to to z=0: indeed the residual
    star formation in spheroidal systems is today limited to a small number of bulges,
    characterized by stellar velocity dispersions a factor of 2-3 smaller those of
    the elliptical galaxies hosting QSOs at z > 2. A simple consequence of our hypotheses
    is that the redshift evolution of the QSO emissivity and of the star formation
    history in spheroids should be roughly parallel. We find this result to be broadly
    consistent with our knowledge of the evolution of both the global star formation
    rate, and of the evolution of the QSO emissivity, but we identify interesting
    discrepancies at both low and high redshifts, to which we offer tentative solutions.
    Finally, our hypotheses allow us to present a robust method to derive the duty
    cycle of QSO activity, based on the observed QSO luminosity function, and on the
    present-day relation between the masses of supermassive BHs and those of their
    spheroidal host stellar systems. The duty cycle is found to be substantially less
    than unity, with characteristic values in the range (3-6)x10^(-3), and we compute
    that the average bolometric radiative efficiency is epsilon=0.07. Finally, we
    find that the growth in mass of individual black holes at high redshift (z>2)
    can be dominated by mergers, and is therefore not necessarily limited by accretion.'
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Zoltán
  full_name: Haiman, Zoltán
  id: 7c006e8c-cc0d-11ee-8322-cb904ef76f36
  last_name: Haiman
- first_name: Luca
  full_name: Ciotti, Luca
  last_name: Ciotti
- first_name: Jeremiah P.
  full_name: Ostriker, Jeremiah P.
  last_name: Ostriker
citation:
  ama: 'Haiman Z, Ciotti L, Ostriker JP. Reasoning from fossils: Learning from the
    local black hole population about the evolution of quasars. <i>The Astrophysical
    Journal</i>. 2004;606(2):763-773. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/383022">10.1086/383022</a>'
  apa: 'Haiman, Z., Ciotti, L., &#38; Ostriker, J. P. (2004). Reasoning from fossils:
    Learning from the local black hole population about the evolution of quasars.
    <i>The Astrophysical Journal</i>. American Astronomical Society. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/383022">https://doi.org/10.1086/383022</a>'
  chicago: 'Haiman, Zoltán, Luca Ciotti, and Jeremiah P. Ostriker. “Reasoning from
    Fossils: Learning from the Local Black Hole Population about the Evolution of
    Quasars.” <i>The Astrophysical Journal</i>. American Astronomical Society, 2004.
    <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/383022">https://doi.org/10.1086/383022</a>.'
  ieee: 'Z. Haiman, L. Ciotti, and J. P. Ostriker, “Reasoning from fossils: Learning
    from the local black hole population about the evolution of quasars,” <i>The Astrophysical
    Journal</i>, vol. 606, no. 2. American Astronomical Society, pp. 763–773, 2004.'
  ista: 'Haiman Z, Ciotti L, Ostriker JP. 2004. Reasoning from fossils: Learning from
    the local black hole population about the evolution of quasars. The Astrophysical
    Journal. 606(2), 763–773.'
  mla: 'Haiman, Zoltán, et al. “Reasoning from Fossils: Learning from the Local Black
    Hole Population about the Evolution of Quasars.” <i>The Astrophysical Journal</i>,
    vol. 606, no. 2, American Astronomical Society, 2004, pp. 763–73, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/383022">10.1086/383022</a>.'
  short: Z. Haiman, L. Ciotti, J.P. Ostriker, The Astrophysical Journal 606 (2004)
    763–773.
date_created: 2024-09-06T10:07:44Z
date_published: 2004-05-10T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2024-09-30T11:41:03Z
day: '10'
doi: 10.1086/383022
extern: '1'
fulldoi: https://doi.org/10.1086/383022
intvolume: '       606'
issue: '2'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://doi.org/10.1086/383022
month: '05'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
page: 763-773
publication: The Astrophysical Journal
publication_identifier:
  issn:
  - 0004-637X
  - 1538-4357
publication_status: published
publisher: American Astronomical Society
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: 'Reasoning from fossils: Learning from the local black hole population about
  the evolution of quasars'
type: journal_article
user_id: 317138e5-6ab7-11ef-aa6d-ffef3953e345
volume: 606
year: '2004'
...