{
  "abstract": "We develop a parametric toy model to explore how black hole mass scatter $σ_{\\rm BH}$ and the dependence of the quenching probability per unit time on black hole mass, parameterized as a power law with index $q$, jointly control the faint-end slope $α$ of the stellar mass function of quenched central galaxies. By varying $σ_{\\rm BH}$ and $q$, we identify two regimes. At low scatter, $σ_{\\rm BH} \\lesssim 0.4$ dex, $α$ is strongly sensitive to $q$. Gradual quenching, represented by low $q$, produces shallow slopes, while sharp thresholds, with high $q$, produce steep mass functions, making $α$ a powerful diagnostic of AGN feedback prescriptions. At large scatter, $σ_{\\rm BH} \\gtrsim 0.6$ dex, models with vastly different $q$ converge to similar quenched mass functions, because the intrinsic scatter erases the imprint of the feedback implementation. Comparing to cosmological hydrodynamical simulations and semianalytic models, only models with $σ_{\\rm BH} \\gtrsim 0.4$ dex match the observed faint-end slope of $α\\approx 0.7$. {\\sc SAGE}, {\\sc Dark Sage}, and {\\sc COLIBRE}, with $σ_{\\rm BH}$ of 2.0, 0.6, and 0.4 dex, respectively, reproduce this slope, whereas {\\sc IllustrisTNG} and {\\sc EAGLE}, with $σ_{\\rm BH} \\lesssim 0.2$ dex, produce steeper slopes. Current observational estimates of $σ_{\\rm BH}$ allow a wide range of $q \\gtrsim 0.8$, so the observed slope alone cannot identify the quenching prescription. If $σ_{\\rm BH}$ is small, simultaneous measurements of $α$ and $σ_{\\rm BH}$ can distinguish between competing AGN feedback models.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2610.27061",
  "author_total": 2,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Antonio J. Porras-Valverde"
    },
    {
      "name": "John C. Forbes"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ffm0rdy7rbskx.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2610.27061",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "ffm0rdy7rbskx",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.27061",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "astro-ph.GA"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3103|Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223106557",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2610.27061",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-19",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ffm0rdy7rbskx.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:34:04Z",
      "native_id": "2610.27061",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.27061"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "arxiv:astro-ph.GA",
      "subfield": "galaxies"
    }
  ],
  "title": "How does a galaxy's quenching probability depend on its black hole's mass?",
  "title_text": "How does a galaxy's quenching probability depend on its black hole's mass?",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:34:04Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ffm0rdy7rbskx",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}