Supermassive Black Holes in Galactic Nuclei

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

9313620 Paczynski This research will be devoted to a theoretical search for signatures of supermassive black holes in active (AGN) and inactive (IGN) galactic nuclei. In spite of decades of considerable effort no firm proof is available for the presence of supermassive black holes though very few astrophysicists doubt their existence. The work on AGNs will concentrate on various effects of gravitational microlensing of the optical and X-ray emission from the select group of quadruply macro-lensed quasars, line the "Einstein cross" and the "clover leaf." Gravitational microlensing offers a possibility to study the source structure on the smallest scale the structure exists, all the way down to the Schwarzschield radius of a black hole. The primary goal will be to find a way to prove or disprove the presence of supermassive black holes in AGNs by finding what effects the finest space structure present in the source may have on the observed brightness variability, and how to detect the presence or absence of thick accretion disks formed from stars disrupted by the supermassive black holes. The primary goal will be to find if the presence or absence of evidence for star disruption and accretion can be used as evidence for or against the presence of supermassive black holes in IGNs. The Principal Investigator is regarded as an outstanding theoretical astrophysicist. ***