Active Galactic Nuclei in Merging Galaxies, Viewed with Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Dr. Max will lead a project to use laser guide star adaptive optics at the Keck Observatory to study galaxy mergers involving at least one active galactic nucleus among the merging pair. The research team will use imaging and spatially resolved integral field spectroscopy at near-IR wavelengths to measure black hole mass, spatial distribution of stellar velocity dispersion, potential presence of gas disks in the central 100 pc, and the nature of feedback and outflows in the region within a few hundred pc of the black hole.Dr. Max will develop a new recruiting program for the NSF-funded Akamai Workforce Initiative, the goal of which is to increase participation of local college students in science and technology in Hawaii, with a focus on astronomical observatories, astronomy research, and technology development. She will give talks at community colleges with high minority enrollments, and student organizations serving female and native Hawaiian memberships. Additional broader impacts of the funded program include development and use of adaptive optics, which will benefit future large telescope projects.