RUI: Bridging the Spatial Gap in Local Seyfert Galaxies: Characterizing Active Galactic Nuclei Feeding and Feedback on Scales of Tens to Hundreds of Parsecs

RUI：弥合当地塞弗特星系的空间差距：在数十到数百秒差距的尺度上表征活跃星系核的馈送和反馈

• 批准号: 1911242
• 负责人: Erin Hicks
• 金额: $ 14.81万
• 依托单位: University of Alaska Anchorage Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1911242&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RUI; Bridging; Spatial; Gap; Local

While astronomers now understand that supermassive black holes play a fundamental role in the formation and growth of galaxies, the basis for the relationship between a black hole and its galaxy remains a mystery. In order to discover how a supermassive black hole interacts with its galaxy, astronomers must peer into the very center of those galaxies in which the black hole is actively growing. By observing those "active" galaxies nearest to us we can now view the region around their black holes in enough detail to advance our understanding of the nature of this relationship. This project will achieve this through a comprehensive analysis of 40 local galaxies undergoing black hole growth. The observational data from this survey will measure the location and motion of gas over a wide range in temperatures, as well as the stars, in the central regions of each of these galaxies. The survey will be complemented by previously measured galaxies available in data archives, increasing the sample size to more than 90 local galaxies. This large sample will support the first meaningful investigation of the relationship between the environment near the supermassive black hole with galaxy properties well outside of the central region, which will provide essential clues to how supermassive black holes and their galaxies interact. The observed inflow and outflow of gas within the vicinity of the supermassive black holes will also complete our picture of galaxies experiencing black hole growth by measuring the gas flow on scales from beyond where the galaxies with black hole growth appear indistinguishable from those with no growth, to scales where current observations are beginning to probe structures associated with supermassive black hole growth. This research will include substantial involvement by undergraduate students, particularly those from traditionally underrepresented groups in the sciences, throughout the duration of the project. The general public and youth groups will also be engaged through the development of a new planetarium show and a complementary hands-on activity.While it is acknowledged that supermassive black holes play a fundamental role in the evolution of galaxies, the nature of the relationship between these black holes and the galaxies in which they live has yet to be established. Models attempt to reproduce the observed relationship, but due to a lack of observational measurements these models must make broad assumptions about the physical processes responsible. It is only the nearest galaxies in which the black hole is actively growing that offer adequate spatial resolution to investigate the central regions relevant to black hole growth. This program aims to provide the crucially needed observational measurements of the processes governing the growth of black holes and their galaxies. This will be achieved through a comprehensive analysis of the central regions of 40 local galaxies undergoing black hole growth. The observational data from this survey will measure the distribution and motions of the gas over a wide range in temperatures, as well as the stars, in the central 500 pc of each galaxy. The survey sample will be complemented by previously measured galaxies available in data archives, increasing the sample size to more than 90 local galaxies. This statistically significant sample will support the first robust investigation of trends between the central supermassive black hole environment on scales of hundreds down to tens of parsecs with fundamental galaxy properties, and will thus provide must needed observational constraints for galaxy evolution models. The observed inflow and outflow of gas within the vicinity of the supermassive black holes will also complete our picture of galaxies experiencing black hole growth, by measuring the gas flow on scales from beyond the central kiloparsec where galaxies with black hole growth appear indistinguishable from those with no growth, to scales of ten of parsecs or less where current observations are beginning to probe structures associated with supermassive black hole growth. This research will include substantial involvement by undergraduate students, particularly those from traditionally underrepresented groups, throughout the duration of the project. The general public and youth groups will also be engaged through the development of a new planetarium show and a complimentary hands-on activity. This project is jointly funded by NSF/MPS/AST and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.

虽然天文学家现在了解到超大质量黑洞在星系的形成和增长中发挥着基础性的作用，但黑洞与其星系之间关系的基础仍然是一个谜。为了发现超大质量黑洞如何与其所在的星系相互作用，天文学家必须深入那些黑洞正在活跃生长的星系的中心。通过观察那些离我们最近的“活跃”星系，我们现在可以足够详细地观察它们黑洞周围的区域，以推进我们对这种关系的本质的理解。该项目将通过对40个正在经历黑洞增长的本地星系进行全面分析来实现这一点。这项调查的观测数据将测量气体在大范围温度范围内的位置和运动，以及每个星系中心区域的恒星。这项调查将得到数据档案中先前测量到的星系的补充，使样本规模增加到90多个局部星系。这一大样本将支持首次有意义地研究超大质量黑洞附近的环境与远离中心区域的星系属性之间的关系，这将为超大质量黑洞及其星系如何相互作用提供必要的线索。观测到的超大质量黑洞附近气体的流入和流出，也将通过测量从黑洞增长的星系与没有增长的星系看起来无法区分的尺度上的气体流动，到目前观测开始探测与超大质量黑洞增长相关的结构的尺度，来完成我们对经历黑洞增长的星系的图景。这项研究将包括本科生在整个项目期间的大量参与，特别是那些来自传统上在科学领域代表性较低的群体的学生。公众和青年团体还将通过开发一个新的天文馆展览和一个补充的动手活动来参与。虽然人们承认超大质量黑洞在星系演化中发挥着基本作用，但这些黑洞与它们所居住的星系之间的关系的性质尚未确定。模型试图再现观察到的关系，但由于缺乏观测测量，这些模型必须对相关的物理过程做出广泛的假设。只有最近的星系中黑洞正在活跃增长，才能提供足够的空间分辨率来研究与黑洞增长相关的中心区域。该计划旨在为控制黑洞及其星系生长的过程提供急需的观测测量。这将通过对40个正在经历黑洞增长的局部星系的中心区域进行全面分析来实现。这项调查的观测数据将测量气体在大范围温度范围内的分布和运动，以及每个星系中心500pc的恒星。调查样本将得到数据档案中先前测量的星系的补充，使样本规模增加到90多个局部星系。这一具有统计意义的样本将支持对中央超大质量黑洞环境在数百到数十个秒的尺度上与基本星系属性之间的趋势进行第一次强有力的调查，从而为星系演化模型提供必要的观测约束。观测到的超大质量黑洞附近气体的流入和流出，也将通过测量从中心千帕秒以外的尺度上的气体流动来完成我们对经历黑洞增长的星系的描绘，在中心千帕秒的尺度上，有黑洞增长的星系似乎与没有增长的星系难以区分，在当前的观测开始探测与超大质量黑洞增长相关的结构时，测量的尺度为十分秒或更少。这项研究将包括本科生在整个项目期间的大量参与，特别是那些来自传统上代表性不足的群体的学生。公众和青年团体还将通过开发新的天文馆展览和免费的动手活动来参与。该项目由NSF/MPS/AST和既定的激励竞争性研究计划(EPSCoR)共同资助。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。