Environmental Impacts of Supermassive Black Holes

并不是所有受到黑洞影响的物质都会进入黑洞内部，因为少量的吸积就会释放出足够的能量来排出更大的量。这些外流携带着大量的能量，并深刻地影响着黑洞的环境，最近的X射线和无线电观测表明，冷却流动--被认为是冷却并坠落到星系团中心的气体--可以被喷出的能量完全阻止。这个项目将研究这种影响的细节，这种影响不是通过爆发施加的，而是通过一种更温和的过程--气泡加热--对星系团的X射线发射大气和高红移超大质量黑洞的生长产生影响。研究人员将通过分析模型和最先进的数值模拟来研究泡沫化加热的物理基础及其影响。他们将研究星系之间的紧密耦合及其中心黑洞的形成是否源于通过释放的能量进行反馈，并对超大质量黑洞的形成和演化如何与星系和星系团的形成和演化联系起来达成新的理解。这项研究将促进本科生的科学教育，并有助于普通公众对科学研究的理解，因为黑洞具有广泛的魅力，使它们成为一个极好的“钩子”。他还将与科学记者和大众杂志保持联系，继续自己的写作，并在他普遍可用的课程中使用他的研究成果。

AST-0307502Begelman, Mitchell C.Not all of the matter which comes under a black hole's influence ends up inside, because accretion of just a small amount releases enough energy to expel a much larger amount. These outflows carry a lot of energy and profoundly affect the black hole's environment, as demonstrated by recent X-ray and radio observations showing that cooling flows - gas thought to be cooling and slumping into the centers of clusters - can be stopped completely by the outpouring energy.This project will study the details of this influence, exerted not by outbursts but through a milder process called "effervescent heating", on the X-ray-emitting atmospheres of galaxy clusters, and on the growth of supermassive black holes at high redshift. The investigators will study the physical basis of effervescent heating and its implications through analytic modeling and state-of-the-art numerical simulations. They will research whether the tight coupling between galaxies and the formation of their central black holes arises from feedback via the released energy, and achieve new understanding of how the formation and evolution of super-massive black holes is linked to the formation and evolution of galaxies and galaxy clusters.The research will promote undergraduate science education and help with the general public's understanding of scientific research, because black holes have a widespread fascination which makes them an excellent "hook". The PI will also maintain his contacts with science journalists and popular magazines, continue with his own writings, and use his research results in his generally available courses.