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January 25, 20260 citations

The impact of cosmic voids on AGN activity

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LRL. Benedict RouseBTB. Patricia TisseraYRYetli Rosas-Guevara

Key Points

  • The study aims to compare the properties of central galaxies with AGN in cosmic voids to those in denser environments as well as non-AGN galaxies.
  • Conducted a comparative analysis of central galaxies selected from a cosmic void catalogue.
  • Categorised sample based on distance to the nearest void, creating four global environments.
  • Analysed properties like star formation activity and black hole mass across different environments.
  • Found that AGN fraction decreases with void-centric distance; void galaxies have the highest AGN fraction at 12%.
  • AGN galaxies tend to have more massive supermassive black holes and higher specific star formation rates than non-AGN galaxies.
  • Massive AGN galaxies experienced more major mergers compared to non-AGN counterparts, especially in voids.

Abstract

Our goal is to carry out a comparative study of the properties of central galaxies hosting active galactic nuclei (AGN) in cosmic voids and their surrounding structures (i. e. filaments and walls) at z=0, comparing them to non-AGN galaxies in similar environments. We used the central galaxies selected from the project, combined with a void catalogue that identifies voids, filaments, and walls. We categorised our sample of central galaxies into four global environments based on their distance to the nearest void. We analysed several properties such as the star formation activity and black hole mass, as a function of stellar mass and environment for galaxies with and without AGN. We found that the AGN fraction decreases as a function of void-centric distance, with void galaxies displaying the highest AGN fraction (12%), while galaxies in denser environments, display the lowest AGN fraction (6. 7%), consistent with observations. The AGN fraction is particularly high in most massive void galaxies when controlling for stellar mass. When comparing AGN host galaxies to inactive ones, we find that AGN galaxies tend to have slightly more massive supermassive black holes (SMBHs), higher specific star formation rates (sSFRs), and a tendency to reside in higher mass haloes at a given stellar mass than non-AGN galaxies. At ̊m M_ * > ̊m 10^ 10. 2 ̊m M_⊙, AGN hosts in voids tend to have slightly more massive SMBHs than those in denser environments. Otherwise, the AGN population does not show a clear trend in relation to the global environment. In contrast, non-AGN void galaxies host more massive SMBHs, slightly higher sSFRs, and are located in more massive haloes than those in denser environments. Analysing the recent merger histories of both AGN and non-AGN populations, we find that a larger fraction of massive AGN galaxies have undergone major mergers compared to non-AGN galaxies, regardless of environment. Notably, AGN galaxies in voids show a higher frequency of recent mergers (especially major mergers) than their counterparts in other environments, particularly at high stellar mass. Our results suggest that the evolution of SMBHs in voids is closely related to that of their host galaxies and their surrounding environment, while the most recent AGN activity is more strongly linked to recent interactions.

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Cite This Study

Rouse et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6975b1cefeba4585c2d6d440https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202555187/pdf
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