Collaborative Research: Exploring the Formation and Growth of Supermassive Black Holes through Variability and Transients

超大质量黑洞可以是太阳质量的数百万到数十亿倍，并且存在于大多数大型星系的中心。然而，这些超大质量黑洞的形成和它们生长的方法仍然不确定。虽然天文学家不能直接观测到黑洞，但落在黑洞上的气体或恒星的光将产生明亮的吸积盘。在这个项目中，PI将研究来自这些系统的时变信号，以提供对星系中心黑洞的性质和环境的独特约束。这项工作将解决有关超大质量黑洞形成和演化的基本问题。调查人员还将为高中生开发一套以探究为基础的教材。这些材料将传达对超大质量黑洞的兴奋，同时解决人们对极端引力的常见误解。这些活动将映射到伊利诺伊州和华盛顿州都使用的下一代国家标准所确定的关键科学实践，并为学生提供参与探索和讨论的机会。超大质量黑洞(SMBH)普遍存在于大质量星系的中心，然而超大质量黑洞前体的形成及其生长路线尚不清楚。SMBH的性质可以通过气体或潮汐分裂恒星的吸积来揭示。这些现象的可变或瞬时发射对这些SMBH的质量、吸积盘性质和小尺度环境提供了限制。这项研究将(1)确定中等质量的黑洞，以了解SMBH形成的可能途径，以及(2)限制活动和静止SMBH的环境，以了解SMBH如何生长，以及它们如何与其宿主星系共同演化。这项工作将使用青年超新星实验的观测数据--这是一项使用泛星望远镜进行的重复成像调查，以三天的节奏在四个波段拍摄1500平方度的天空。他们将分别通过可变性和潮汐破坏事件在低质量星系中寻找活跃和静止的SMBH。他们将识别和表征不断变化的活动星系核，使用连续混响图谱来研究吸积盘的性质，并研究杨超新星实验观察到的更广泛的潮汐破坏事件。该项目还将研究活动和静止SMBH的生长和演化过程中的环境和宿主星系的性质，这将为星系-SMBH共同演化的研究提供信息，并为未来与Vera C.Rubin天文台的工作提供预测。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。

Supermassive black holes can be millions to billions of times the mass of our Sun and are found in the centers of most large galaxies. However, the formation of these supermassive black holes and the methods by which they grow remain uncertain. While astronomers cannot observe the black holes directly, light from gas or stars falling onto the black holes will produce bright disks of accretion that can be. In this program, the PIs will study time-variable signatures from these systems to provide unique constraints on the properties and environments of black holes in the centers of galaxies. This work will address fundamental questions about formation and evolution of supermassive black holes. The investigators will also develop a set of inquiry-based educational materials for high school students. These materials will convey excitement about supermassive black holes while addressing common misconceptions about extreme gravity. The activities will map to the key scientific practices identified by the Next-generation State Standards used by both Illinois and Washington and provide students an opportunity to engage in exploration and discussion. Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are ubiquitous in the centers of massive galaxies, yet the formation of SMBH progenitors and their routes of growth remain unclear. The properties of SMBHs can be revealed by the accretion of gas or tidally-disrupted stars. Variable or transient emission from these phenomena provide constraints on the masses, accretion disk properties, and small-scale environments of these SMBHs. The study will (1) identify intermediate mass black holes in order to understand possible routes for SMBH formation, and (2) constrain the environments of active and quiescent SMBHs to understand how SMBHs grow and how they co-evolve with their host galaxies. This work will use observations from the Young Supernova Experiment -- a repeat imaging survey using the Pan-STARRS telescopes to image 1500 square degrees of sky in four bands with a three day cadence. They will search for active and quiescent SMBHs in low-mass galaxies through variability and tidal disruption events, respectively. They will identify and characterize changing-state AGN, use continuum reverberation mapping to study accretion disk properties, and study the broader population of tidal disruption events observed by the Young Supernova Experiment. This project will also study the environments and host galaxy properties of active and quiescent SMBHs as they grow and evolve, which will inform studies of galaxy--SMBH co-evolution and provide predictions for future work with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.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.