{
  "id": "2306.11795",
  "version": "v1",
  "published": "2023-06-20T18:00:03.000Z",
  "updated": "2023-06-20T18:00:03.000Z",
  "title": "Cosmic evolution of radio-AGN feedback: confronting models with data",
  "authors": [
    "R. Kondapally",
    "P. N. Best",
    "M. Raouf",
    "N. L. Thomas",
    "R. Davé",
    "S. S. Shabala",
    "H. J. A. Röttgering",
    "M. J. Hardcastle",
    "M. Bonato",
    "R. K. Cochrane",
    "K. Małek",
    "L. K. Morabito",
    "I. Prandoni",
    "D. J. B. Smith"
  ],
  "comment": "15 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS",
  "doi": "10.1093/mnras/stad1813",
  "categories": [
    "astro-ph.GA",
    "astro-ph.HE"
  ],
  "abstract": "Radio-mode feedback is a key ingredient in galaxy formation and evolution models, required to reproduce the observed properties of massive galaxies in the local Universe. We study the cosmic evolution of radio-AGN feedback out to $z\\sim2.5$ using a sample of 9485 radio-excess AGN. We combine the evolving radio luminosity functions with a radio luminosity scaling relationship to estimate AGN jet kinetic powers and derive the cosmic evolution of the kinetic luminosity density, $\\Omega_{\\rm{kin}}$ (i.e. the volume-averaged heating output). Compared to all radio-AGN, low-excitation radio galaxies (LERGs) dominate the feedback activity out to $z\\sim2.5$, with both these populations showing a constant heating output of $\\Omega_{\\rm{kin}} \\approx 4-5 \\times 10^{32}\\,\\rm{W\\,Mpc^{-3}}$ across $0.5 < z < 2.5$. We compare our observations to predictions from semi-analytical and hydrodynamical simulations, which broadly match the observed evolution in $\\Omega_{\\rm{kin}}$, although their absolute normalisation varies. Comparison to the Semi-Analytic Galaxy Evolution (SAGE) model suggests that radio-AGN may provide sufficient heating to offset radiative cooling losses, providing evidence for a self-regulated AGN feedback cycle. We integrate the kinetic luminosity density across cosmic time to obtain the kinetic energy density output from AGN jets throughout cosmic history to be $\\sim 10^{50}\\,\\rm{J\\,Mpc^{-3}}$. Compared to AGN winds, the kinetic energy density from AGN jets dominates the energy budget at $z \\lesssim 2$; this suggests that AGN jets play an important role in AGN feedback across most of cosmic history.",
  "revisions": [
    {
      "version": "v1",
      "updated": "2023-06-20T18:00:03.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "analyses": {
    "keywords": [
      "cosmic evolution",
      "radio-agn feedback",
      "confronting models",
      "kinetic luminosity density",
      "kinetic energy density"
    ],
    "tags": [
      "journal article"
    ],
    "note": {
      "typesetting": "TeX",
      "pages": 15,
      "language": "en",
      "license": "arXiv",
      "status": "editable"
    }
  }
}