Abstract We explore the co-evolution of dark matter halos, their central galaxies, and central supermassive black holes (SMBHs) using the IllustrisTNG (TNG) simulation. We find that the evolutionary histories of individual galaxies in the MBH-M* plane can be decomposed into four distinct phases, separated by three transition points. We identify the driving processes of galaxy evolution within each phase and derive the conditions necessary and sufficient for transitions to subsequent phases. The first phase is dominated by star formation, with its duration primarily determined by the mass of the SMBH seed and the surrounding gas environment. The second phase is characterized by rapid SMBH growth, and the transition to the next phase occurs when the thermal-mode feedback of active galactic nucleus (AGN) can unbind gas from the galaxy. The third phase involves self-regulation of the SMBH, and the transition to the quenched phase occurs when the kinetic-mode feedback of AGN counterbalances gas cooling within the subhalo. The final phase is dominated by mergers. We investigate the use of scaling relations among different mass components and evolutionary phases to understand processes implemented in TNG and other simulations, and discuss how current and forthcoming observations can be used to constrain models.
Li et al. (2025) studied this question.