CAREER: Massive Black Holes in Dwarf Galaxies

基本上每一个巨大的星系，包括我们的银河系，在它的中心都有一个超大质量的黑洞。这些黑洞的质量是太阳质量的数百万甚至数十亿倍。有时黑洞以周围的气体为食或吞噬恒星，沿途将它们撕裂。这些过程可以释放出巨大的能量，对宿主星系产生重大影响。尽管超大质量黑洞很重要，但它们的起源还远未被了解。我们不知道早期宇宙中最初的“种子”黑洞是如何形成的，它们最初有多大，或者它们形成于什么类型的星系中。然而，我们确实知道，更大的星系拥有更大质量的黑洞，这表明星系和黑洞一起生长。因此，寻找和研究拥有超大质量黑洞的最小“矮”星系可以为超大质量黑洞的起源提供线索。研究人员将研究矮星系中超大质量黑洞的特性，从而更好地了解黑洞的形成和星系的演化。这些研究活动将直接关系到研究者的教育工作，以激励蒙大拿州的年轻人参与STEM，并授权K-12教师在课堂上提供与太空相关的活动。这位调查员是蒙大拿空间公共推广小组（SPOT）的负责人，该小组每年在蒙大拿接触10,000名学生。SPOT是一个科学大使项目，在这个项目中，大学生接受培训，帮助高中教师讲授科学主题。研究者将(1)利用未开发的多波长观测和各种技术系统地搜索矮星系中的超大质量黑洞，(2)表征可以形成大质量黑洞的最小质量星系，(3)估计最小黑洞的质量以约束种子质量，(4)确定矮星系中低质量黑洞的吸积和辐射特性。(5)探测矮星系中的黑洞反馈，为低质量下的星系形成模型提供信息。发现和描述这些系统对于全面了解矮星系的演化和反馈，以及推进我们对早期宇宙中第一个黑洞的诞生和成长的理解非常重要。该项目由天文学和天体物理学资助计划和促进竞争性研究的既定计划（EPSCoR）共同资助。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。

Essentially every giant galaxy, including our own Milky Way, harbors a supermassive black hole at its center. These black holes have masses of millions or even billions of times the mass of our Sun. Sometimes black holes feed on surrounding gas or consume stars, ripping them apart along the way. These processes can release enormous amounts of energy, which can have a significant effect on the host galaxy. Despite the importance of supermassive black holes, their origin is far from understood. We do not know how the initial “seed” black holes formed in the early Universe, how massive they were originally, or in what types of galaxies they formed. We do know, however, that larger galaxies host more massive black holes, suggesting galaxies and black holes grow together. Therefore, finding and studying the smallest “dwarf” galaxies hosting supermassive black holes can provide clues to the origin of supermassive black holes. The investigator will study the properties of supermassive black holes in dwarf galaxies, leading to a better understanding of black hole formation and galaxy evolution. The research activities will directly relate to the investigator’s educational efforts to inspire Montana youth to engage in STEM and empower K-12 teachers to offer space-related activities in their classrooms. The investigator is a leader in the Montana Space Public Outreach Team (SPOT), which reaches 10,000 students each year in Montana. SPOT is a science ambassador’s program in which undergraduates are trained to help teachers present science topics in high schools.The investigator will (1) systematically search for supermassive black holes in dwarf galaxies using untapped multi-wavelength observations and a variety of techniques, (2) characterize the least-massive galaxies that can form a massive black hole, (3) estimate masses of the smallest black holes to constrain seed masses, (4) determine the accretion and radiative properties of low-mass black holes in dwarf galaxies, and (5) probe black hole feedback in dwarf galaxies to inform galaxy formation models at low masses. Finding and characterizing these systems is important for a holistic understanding of dwarf galaxy evolution and feedback, as well as advancing our understanding of the birth and growth of the first black holes in the earlier Universe.This project is jointly funded by the Astronomy and Astrophysics Grant Program 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.