Collaborative Proposal: Resolved Mid-IR Observations & Modeling of AGN and their Hosts

该奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)提供资金的。研究人员将对附近的活动星系核(AGN)进行高空间分辨率的中红外成像、光谱和偏振测量，利用8-10米望远镜提供的亚弧秒衍射有限分辨率来探测AGN的内部区域。主要目的是阐明红外区核周气体/尘埃环的光谱能量分布(即亮度与波长的关系)，并将数据与这种发射的详细模型进行比较。该小组在直径10.4米的Gran Telescopio Canarias(GTC)上使用他们的偏振相机CanariCam的时间得到了很大的保证。该计划的广泛影响包括发展国际合作、档案数据发布、双语推广以及研究生和博士后研究人员的培训。这项研究将加强我们对活动星系核周围环境的理解，特别是被认为根据方向阻挡来自中央区域的光的环状结构。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The investigators will carry out high spatial resolution mid-infrared imaging, spectroscopy, and polarimetry of nearby active galactic nuclei (AGN), taking advantage of the subarcsecond, diffraction limited resolution afforded by 8-10m telescopes to probe the inner regions of AGN. The main goal is to elucidate the spectral energy distribution (i.e., the brightness versus wavelength) of the circumnuclear gas/dust torus in the infrared region, and compare the data to detailed models for this emission. The group has substantial guaranteed time using their polarimetric camera CanariCam on the 10.4m-diameter Gran Telescopio CANARIAS (GTC).Broader impacts of this program include developing international collaborations, archival data release, bilingual outreach, and training of graduate students and a postdoctoral researcher. The research will enhance our understanding of the environs of active galactic nuclei, particularly the torus thought to block the light from the central region depending on orientation.