Gas Content Regulates the Life Cycle of Star Formation and Black Hole Accretion in Galaxies

Abstract

Abstract Feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is expected to impact the amount of cold gas in galaxies by driving strong galactic winds, by preventing external gas inflows, or by changing the thermodynamical state of the gas. We use estimates of molecular gas mass based on dust absorption (Hα/Hβ) to study gas content of large samples of type 2 AGN host galaxies in comparison with inactive galaxies. Using sparse principal component and clustering analysis, we analyze a suite of stellar and structural parameters of ∼27,100 face-on, central galaxies at redshift z = 0.02–0.15 and with stellar mass M ⋆ ≈ 1010–2 ×  1011 M ⊙. We identify four galaxy groups of similar mass and morphology (mass surface density, velocity dispersion, concentration, and Sérsic index) that can be evolutionarily linked through a life cycle wherein gas content mediates their star formation rate (SFR) and level of AGN activity. Galaxies first consume their gas mostly through bursty star formation, then enter into a transition phase of intermediate gas richness in which star formation and AGNs coexist, before settling into retirement as gas-poor, quiescent systems with residual levels of AGN activity (LINERs). Strongly accreting black holes (Seyferts) live in gas-rich, star-forming hosts, but neither their gas reservoir nor their ability to form stars seems to be impacted instantaneously (timescales ≲0.5 Gyr) by AGN feedback. Our results are inconsistent with AGN feedback models that predict that central, bulge-dominated, Seyfert-like AGNs in massive galaxies have significantly lower molecular gas fractions than inactive galaxies of similar mass, morphology, and SFR.