RUI: Collaborative Research: Understanding the limits of AGN feedback: a dedicated study of extremely high velocity outflows

RUI：协作研究：了解活动星系核反馈的局限性：对极高速度流出的专门研究

• 批准号: 2107960
• 负责人: Paola Rodriguez Hidalgo
• 金额: $ 31.48万
• 依托单位: University of Washington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2107960&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RUI; Collaborative; Research; Understanding; limits

Part 1In less than one century, our knowledge about the universe has shifted from thinking that we were in the one and only galaxy in the universe to realizing that there are billions of galaxies beyond the Milky Way; today we also know that most galaxies, if not all, harbor in their centers a supermassive black hole. Black holes remain one of the most fascinating objects in the universe, and while they are difficult to observe, one way to learn from them is through the effects they cause in their environment. Whenever there is gas around them, for example, these supermassive black holes can "activate" one of the most energetic phenomena in the universe: active galactic nuclei, of which quasars are the most luminous ones. In the past two decades, we have also learned that the masses of these supermassive black holes and their host galaxies correlate, but it is not known how the small central region and the huge galaxy around "communicate" this information to each other. One promising method is through outflows, material expelled from the environment of the supermassive black hole that can reach the galactic environment. Outflows can also provide crucial clues about the physical and chemical conditions of the black holes' environment. This project will allow the researchers to continue enlarging the sample of known extremely high-velocity quasars, study their overall properties as well as the most extreme cases in depth by using state-of-the-art tools, and use all of this information to advance the theoretical models that aim to show how these outflows can be launched from the supermassive black hole environment. Integral to the project is the goal to increase access, retention, and graduation success for underrepresented physics/astronomy students, to help diversify the future STEM workforce. To do so, the team has carefully selected best practices in recruiting and supporting students, providing paid research and outreach opportunities, and creating a supportive community.Part 2A recently-discovered class of outflows, extremely high-velocity outflows (EHVO), may be key to understanding feedback processes in galaxies as it is likely the most powerful in terms of mass-energy: it seems to combine the large velocities of ultra-fast outflows and the large column densities found in broad absorption line quasars. If the preliminary results are confirmed, EHVO quasars might be crucial to determine the upper limit of observed AGN feedback signatures. The team will carry out a comprehensive study that includes (1) enlarging the known cases of EHVO quasars by applying already developed tools to a larger quasar sample, (2) studying the overall sample properties and the most extreme cases by using state-of-the-art synthetic modeling, and (3) computing synthetic spectra using disk wind models. They have tailored all of these projects so they can be carried out by the team together with 6 - 10 undergraduate students, helping train the future generation of scientists in both observational and theoretical quasar studies.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.

在不到一个世纪的时间里，我们对宇宙的认识已经从认为我们在宇宙中唯一的星系中转变为认识到银河系之外有数十亿个星系；今天我们也知道，大多数星系，如果不是全部的话，在它们的中心都有一个超大质量黑洞。黑洞仍然是宇宙中最迷人的物体之一，虽然它们很难观察到，但从中学习的一种方法是通过它们对其环境造成的影响。例如，每当它们周围有气体时，这些超大质量黑洞就可以“激活”宇宙中最具能量的现象之一：活动星系核，其中类星体是最明亮的。在过去的二十年里，我们也了解到这些超大质量黑洞和它们的宿主星系的质量是相互关联的，但我们不知道小的中心区域和周围巨大的星系是如何相互“交流”这些信息的。一种有希望的方法是通过外流，即超大质量黑洞环境中喷出的物质可以到达银河系环境。流出物还可以为黑洞环境的物理和化学条件提供重要线索。该项目将允许研究人员继续扩大已知极高速度类星体的样本，通过使用最先进的工具深入研究它们的整体特性以及最极端的情况，并使用所有这些信息来推进旨在展示这些流出物如何从超大质量黑洞环境中发射的理论模型。该项目的整体目标是提高代表性不足的物理/天文学学生的入学率、保留率和毕业成功率，以帮助实现未来STEM劳动力的多样化。为此，该团队精心挑选了招聘和支持学生的最佳实践，提供有偿研究和推广机会，并创建了一个支持性社区。最近发现的一类流出物，极高速流出物（EHVO），可能是理解星系反馈过程的关键，因为它可能是质能最强大的：它似乎结合了超高速流出物的大速度和宽吸收线类星体的大柱密度。如果初步结果得到证实，EHVO类星体可能对确定观测到的AGN反馈特征的上限至关重要。该团队将开展一项全面的研究，包括(1)通过将已经开发的工具应用于更大的类星体样本来扩大已知的EHVO类星体案例，(2)通过使用最先进的合成建模来研究整体样本特性和最极端的案例，以及(3)使用盘风模型计算合成光谱。他们对所有这些项目都进行了量身定制，以便团队与6 - 10名本科生一起开展这些项目，帮助培养类星体观测和理论研究方面的下一代科学家。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。