Elucidating the Local Supermassive Black Hole - Galaxy Connection

第一部分超大质量黑洞，质量在一百万到几十亿个太阳质量之间，即使不是全部，也位于大多数大质量星系的中心。尽管黑洞的引力影响仅限于星系中心的一个非常小的区域，但令人惊讶的是，人们发现黑洞质量与更大的宿主星系的性质密切相关。这表明，黑洞是星系的基本组成部分，其中一个的增长会以某种方式影响另一个的增长。然而，我们对潜在物理的理解受到当前星系样本的限制。特别是，黑洞质量的测定是在不能代表全球人口的星系中进行的。我们的计划试图通过使用最先进的观测和动力学建模方法测量31个局部星系的黑洞质量来解决这个令人困扰的偏差。这项拟议的研究将产生迄今为止进行的最大规模的均匀黑洞调查。通过专门针对现有样本中没有很好代表的大小和亮度的星系，PI将获得对更广泛星系中的局部黑洞的更全面的普查。放弃多年来一直使用的一次测量几个黑洞的方法，转而研究精心挑选的样本的大型同质数据集，是实现我们对黑洞和星系如何共同成长和演化的理解的理想方式。该项目还纳入了教育成分，接触到可能永远不会选择独自参加科学活动的大量人。PI将于第一个星期五在德克萨斯州布赖恩市中心组织和协调互动物理和天文学演示。在第一个星期五，公众聚集在一起，通过现场音乐、街头表演和艺术展览来感受文化。外展活动将使公众在参与正常活动的同时参与其中，并表明科学与他们的日常生活相关。该计划将进一步为本科生提供与各级系成员互动的机会，这对于留住那些可能还没有感觉到家的感觉和与系有关的初学本科生来说特别有用。在过去的二十年里，越来越清楚的是，超大质量黑洞是星系的基本组成部分。到目前为止，已经在附近星系进行了大约100次黑洞质量测量，从而建立了中央黑洞质量与其所在星系的大尺度属性之间的紧密关联。然而，我们对推动经验关系的基本物理的理解，受到当前星系样本的限制。特别是，黑洞质量的测定是在不能代表全球人口的星系中进行的。取而代之的是，在给定光度下具有较小尺寸的星系是优先选择的目标，因为它们通常是最容易观察和建模的。该项目试图通过使用北双子座望远镜的自适应光学积分场光谱、哈勃太空望远镜成像、麦克唐纳天文台的广场积分场光谱和最先进的动力学模型来称重31个局部星系中的黑洞，以解决这一棘手的偏差。这项拟议的研究将产生迄今为止进行的最大规模的均匀黑洞调查，并将通过瞄准现有样本中没有很好代表的大小和亮度的星系，显著增强黑洞宿主的多样性。这项基准研究将对经历了不同演化历史的广泛星系中的黑洞进行更完整的普查，并将提供对黑洞-星系共同进化的更深层次的理解。在下一代超大型望远镜问世之前，对精心挑选的大样本进行详细研究是在该领域取得重大进展的理想方式。该项目还包含了教育成分，接触到了可能永远不会选择独自参加科学活动的大量人。利用从之前的试点计划中学到的经验教训，PI将在德克萨斯州布赖恩市中心的第一个星期五组织和协调互动物理和天文学演示的演示。在第一个星期五，公众聚集在一起，通过现场音乐、街头表演和艺术展览来感受文化。外展活动将使公众在参与正常活动的同时参与其中，并表明科学与他们的日常生活相关。除了接触到未开发的受众，该项目还将为本科生提供与各级部门成员互动的机会，这对于留住那些可能还没有感觉到家和与部门联系的初学本科生特别有用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Part 1 Supermassive black holes, weighing a million to several billion solar masses, reside at the centers of most, if not all, massive galaxies. Although the black hole's gravitational influence is limited to a very small region at the center of the galaxy, surprisingly the black hole mass has been found to strongly correlate with the properties of the larger host galaxy. This suggests that black holes are essential components of galaxies, with the growth of one somehow affecting the growth of the other. Our understanding of the underlying physics, however, is limited by the current sample of galaxies. In particular, black hole mass determinations have been made in galaxies that are not representative of the global population. Our program seeks to address this troublesome bias by measuring black hole masses in 31 local galaxies using state-of-the-art observational and dynamical modeling methods. The proposed research will yield the largest uniform black hole survey carried out to date. By specifically targeting galaxies with sizes and luminosities that are not well represented in the existing sample, the PI will obtain a more complete census of local black holes in a wider range of galaxies. Forgoing the approach that has been used for years of measuring a few black holes at a time, and instead examining large, homogenous datasets of carefully selected samples is the ideal way to achieve a breakthrough in our understanding of how black holes and galaxies grow and evolve together.The project also incorporates an educational component, reaching a potentially large number of people who may never opt to attend a science event on their own. The PI will organize and coordinate the presentation of interactive physics and astronomy demonstrations during First Fridays in downtown Bryan, TX. During First Fridays, the public gather to take in culture through live music, street performances, and art exhibitions. The outreach activity will engage the public while they partake in their normal activities and show that science is relevant to their everyday lives. The program will further provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to interact with department members at all levels, which is particularly useful for retaining beginning undergraduates who may not yet feel at home and connected to the department.Part 2 Over the past two decades it has become increasingly clear that supermassive black holes are essential components of galaxies. About 100 black hole mass measurements in nearby galaxies have been made to date, leading to the establishment of tight correlations between the mass of a central black hole and its host galaxy's large-scale properties. Our understanding of the underlying physics driving the empirical relations, however, is limited by the current sample of galaxies. In particular, black hole mass determinations have been made in galaxies that are not representative of the global population. Instead, galaxies with small sizes at a given luminosity have been preferentially targeted, as they are generally the easiest to observe and model. The project seeks to address this troublesome bias by weighing black holes in 31 local galaxies using adaptive optics integral field spectroscopy from the Gemini North telescope, Hubble Space Telescope imaging, wide-field integral field spectroscopy from McDonald Observatory, and state-of-the-art dynamical models. The proposed research will yield the largest uniform black hole survey carried out to date, and will significantly enhance the diversity of black hole hosts by targeting galaxies with sizes and luminosities that are not well represented in the existing sample. This benchmark study will produce a more complete census of black holes in a wide range of galaxies that have experienced diverse evolutionary pasts, and will provide a deeper understanding of black hole-galaxy co-evolution. Detailed investigations of large, carefully selected samples using a homogenous approach is the ideal way to make major progress in the field prior to the next generation of extremely large telescopes.The program also incorporates an educational component, reaching a potentially large number of people who may never opt to attend a science event on their own. Using the lessons learned from a previous pilot program, the PI will organize and coordinate the presentation of interactive physics and astronomy demonstrations during First Fridays in downtown Bryan, TX. During First Fridays, the public gather to take in culture through live music, street performances, and art exhibitions. The outreach activity will engage the public while they partake in their normal activities and show that science is relevant to their everyday lives. Beyond reaching an untapped audience, the program will provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to interact with department members at all levels, which is particularly useful for retaining beginning undergraduates who may not yet feel at home and connected to the department.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.