Elucidating the Local Supermassive Black Hole - Galaxy Connection

超大质量黑洞的质量为100万到几十亿太阳质量，它们位于大多数（如果不是全部的话）大质量星系的中心。虽然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，黑洞的质量已被发现与更大的宿主星系的性质密切相关。这表明黑洞是星系的重要组成部分，其中一个的增长会以某种方式影响另一个的增长。然而，我们对潜在物理学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。我们的项目试图通过使用最先进的观测和动力学建模方法测量31个本地星系的黑洞质量来解决这个麻烦的偏差。这项拟议中的研究将产生迄今为止规模最大的统一黑洞调查。通过专门针对在现有样本中没有很好地代表大小和亮度的星系，PI将在更大范围的星系中获得更完整的本地黑洞普查。放弃多年来一直使用的一次测量几个黑洞的方法，而是检查精心挑选的样本的大型同质数据集，这是在我们对黑洞和星系如何共同生长和演化的理解上取得突破的理想方式。该项目还包含了一个教育部分，可以接触到可能永远不会选择独自参加科学活动的大量人群。在第一个星期五，PI将在德克萨斯州布莱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。这项外展活动将使公众在参与日常活动的同时参与其中，并表明科学与他们的日常生活息息相关。该项目将进一步为本科生提供与各个级别的部门成员互动的机会，这对于留住那些可能还没有宾至如归和与部门联系的本科生特别有用。在过去的二十年里，人们越来越清楚地认识到，超大质量黑洞是星系的重要组成部分。到目前为止，已经对附近星系进行了大约100次黑洞质量测量，从而建立了中心黑洞的质量与其宿主星系的大尺度特性之间的紧密关联。然而，我们对驱动经验关系的基础物理的理解，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。相反，在给定的光度下，小尺寸的星系是优先考虑的目标，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双子座北望远镜的自适应光学积分场光谱、哈勃太空望远镜成像、麦克唐纳天文台的宽视场积分场光谱和最先进的动力学模型，对31个本地星系的黑洞进行测量，来解决这个麻烦的偏差。这项提议的研究将产生迄今为止进行的最大的统一黑洞调查，并将通过瞄准现有样本中没有很好代表的大小和光度的星系，显著增强黑洞宿主的多样性。这项基准研究将对经历过不同演化过程的大范围星系中的黑洞进行更完整的普查，并将对黑洞-星系的共同演化提供更深入的了解。在下一代超大型望远镜问世之前，用一种均匀的方法对精心挑选的大型样本进行详细调查，是在该领域取得重大进展的理想方式。该项目还包含了一个教育部分，可以接触到大量可能永远不会选择独自参加科学活动的人。利用之前试点项目的经验教训，PI将在德克萨斯州布莱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。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。这项外展活动将使公众在参与日常活动的同时参与其中，并表明科学与他们的日常生活息息相关。除了接触到尚未开发的受众之外，该项目还将为本科生提供与各个级别的部门成员互动的机会，这对于留住那些可能还没有宾至如归和与部门联系的本科生特别有用。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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.