The First Multi-Object Reverberation Mapping Survey: Transforming Our Knowledge of Distant Black Hole Demographics

天体物理学的一个长期问题是了解星系在其一生中是如何形成和发展的。 这样的理解对于揭示我们的宇宙是如何演化的以及深入了解我们银河系的起源是必要的。 理解星系形成和演化的一个重要方面是研究星系中心和活动星系核（AGN）的超大质量黑洞（SMBH）。 该项目的研究人员将使用通过斯隆数字巡天多目标混响映射项目（SDSS-RM）获得的开创性新数据集来改变我们对黑洞人口统计学和整个可观测宇宙AGN物理学的认识。 该项目将产生第一套可靠的反射映射（RM）黑洞质量（MBH），其中包括距离地球非常远的目标（红移z 0.3）;这些RM结果将使我们能够研究SMBH的生长是导致还是滞后于星系星星的形成，并更准确地描述调节AGN生长和反馈的物理学。2此外，研究人员将利用SDSS-RM数据为参加宾夕法尼亚州立大学埃伯利科学学院暑期研究体验的高中生设计和执行一项暑期研究计划。 该计划与宾夕法尼亚州立大学的向上约束数学和科学中心合作，针对宾夕法尼亚州服务不足的学区的学生。 研究人员将为低收入学生提供与科学家互动并学习基本天文学数据分析的机会。 该计划将为博士后提供指导经验，博士后将监督宾夕法尼亚州立大学的学生领导研讨会。 这位宾夕法尼亚州立大学的学生将通过指导参加该项目的高中生来获得经验。 两位教师合作者将指导参与的博士后;这将使他们有机会教学，战略性地规划未来的职业目标，并成为大规模时域光谱研究的领导者。研究人员将使用SDSS-RM数据来完成以下任务：（1）测量100个类星体的黑洞质量，将现有的样本量增加三倍，并将其扩大到涵盖以前RM调查所错过的类星体参数空间的广泛范围（在红移，光度和发射线特性方面），（2）利用这些黑洞质量来大大提高我们对用于表征超大质量黑洞（SMBH）质量人口统计的黑洞/星系标度关系的理解，（3）利用各种发射谱线的响应和速度分辨混响方法来表征宽谱线发射区的结构和物理特性。 不像以前的工作，这是有限的高度不确定的MBH值，导致在很大程度上不受约束的估计任何可能的演变SMBH星系的关系，SDSS-RM数据集将区分因果或巧合的共同进化，使第一次研究的内在散射的MBH宿主星系的相关性的演变。 宽线区域在不同的发射线的响应将提供至关重要的洞察力的物理支配和调节活动星系核和SMBH/星系演化。

A longstanding problem in astrophysics is to understand how galaxies form and develop throughout their lifetimes. Such understanding is necessary to uncover how our Universe evolved and to gain insight into the origin of our own Milky Way Galaxy. One important aspect of understanding galaxy formation and evolution is to study supermassive black holes (SMBHs) at the centers of galaxies and active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The investigators in this project will use a pioneering new data set acquired through the Sloan Digital Sky Survey multi-object reverberation mapping project (SDSS-RM) to transform our knowledge of black hole demographics and the physics of AGNs across the observable Universe. This project will yield the first set of reliable reverberation-mapping (RM) black hole masses (MBH) that includes targets at very large distances from Earth (with redshifts z 0.3); these RM results will allow us to investigate whether SMBH growth leads or lags galaxy star formation and to more accurately characterize the physics regulating the growth and feedback of AGNs.In addition, the investigators will use SDSS-RM data to design and execute a summer research program for high school students participating in Penn State's Summer Research Experience in the Eberly College of Science. This program is operated in collaboration with Penn State's Upward Bound Math and Science center and targets students from underserved school districts in Pennsylvania. The investigators will provide low-income students with the opportunity to interact with scientists and to learn basic astronomy data analysis. This program will provide mentoring experience for postdocs, who will supervise the Penn State student leading the workshop. This Penn State student will in turn gain experience by mentoring the high school students participating in the program. Both faculty collaborators will mentor the participating postdocs; this will give them the opportunity to teach, strategically plan for future career goals, and become leaders in large-scale time-domain spectroscopic research.The investigators will use the SDSS-RM data to accomplish the following: (1) Measure black hole masses for 100 quasars, tripling the existing sample size and expanding it to cover the broad range in quasar parameter space missed by previous RM surveys (in redshift, luminosity, and emission-line properties), (2) Employ these black hole masses to improve substantially our understanding of black-hole/galaxy scaling relations used to characterize supermassive black hole (SMBH) mass demographics, and (3) Characterize the structure and physics of the broad line-emitting region using the responses of various emission lines and velocity-resolved reverberation methods. Unlike previous work, which was limited by highly uncertain MBH values that resulted in largely unconstrained estimates of any possible evolution of SMBH-galaxy relationships, the SDSS-RM data set will distinguish between causal or coincidental coevolution by enabling the first study of evolution in the intrinsic scatter of the MBH-host galaxy correlations. The response of the broad line region across various emission lines will provide crucial insights regarding the physics governing and regulating AGN and SMBH/galaxy evolution.