Physics of the Central Engines of Active Galactic Nuclei

星系核剧烈活动的不同表现被认为是物质与超大质量黑洞相互作用的结果。然而，这些相互作用的细节及其观测特征还没有被很好地理解。该奖项将支持研究活动星系核(AGN)中三类重要现象的理论研究：相对论喷流的形成，X射线光谱的产生，以及涉及超相对论粒子的相互作用。这项提案中描述的调查将解决以下问题：为什么有些活动星系核能产生强大的喷气式飞机，而另一些则不能？关于黑洞附近物质的温度、密度和空间组织，X射线观测能告诉我们什么？极端相对论粒子在塑造活动星系核的能量输出中扮演了什么角色(如果有的话)，这种能量如何影响活动星系核的环境？这项研究的长期目标是：1)确定物质与超大质量黑洞的相互作用是否真的对活动星系核现象负责；2)详细了解这些相互作用是如何发生的；3)了解核活动可能对宿主星系的外观和演化产生什么影响。

Diverse manifestations of violent activity in the nuclei of galaxies are believed to result from the interactions of matter with a supermassive black hole. However, the details of these interactions and their observational signatures are not well understood. This award will support theoretical research studying three important classes of phenomena in active galactic nuclei (AGNs): the formation of relativistic jets, the production of X-ray spectra, and interactions involving ultrarelativistic particles. The investigations described in this proposal will address the questions: Why do some AGNs produce powerful jets while others do not? What can X-ray observations tell us about the temperatures, densities, and spatial organization of matter close to the black hole? What roles (if any) do ultrarelativistic particles play in shaping the energy output of an AGN, and how does this energy affect the environment of the AGN? The long-term goals of this research are: 1) to determine whether the interactions of matter with a supermassive black hole really are responsible for AGN phenomena; 2) to understand in detail how these interactions take place: and 3) to learn what effects nuclear activity can have on the appearance and evolution of the host galaxy.