CAREER: Massive Black Holes in Dwarf Galaxies

职业：矮星系中的大质量黑洞

• 批准号: 2235277
• 负责人: Amy Reines
• 金额: $ 74.99万
• 依托单位: Montana State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-01 至 2028-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2235277&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Massive; Black; Holes; Dwarf

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.

基本上，每个巨大的星系，包括我们自己的银河系，其中心都有一个超大质量的黑洞。这些黑洞的质量是太阳的数百万甚至数十亿倍。有时黑洞吞噬周围的气体或消耗恒星，在此过程中将它们撕裂。这些过程可以释放出巨大的能量，这可能会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理解。我们不知道最初的“种子”黑洞是如何在早期宇宙中形成的，它们最初的质量有多大，或者它们是在什么类型的星系中形成的。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成长。因此，寻找和研究拥有超大质量黑洞的最小的“矮小”星系，可以为超大质量黑洞的起源提供线索。研究人员将研究矮小星系中超大质量黑洞的性质，从而更好地了解黑洞的形成和星系演化。研究活动将直接与调查员的教育努力有关，以激励蒙大拿州的青年从事STEM，并使K-12教师能够在他们的课堂上提供与空间有关的活动。这位调查员是蒙大拿州太空公共外联小组(SPOT)的负责人，该小组每年接触到蒙大拿州的1万名学生。SPOT是一个科学大使计划，在这个计划中，本科生接受培训，帮助教师在高中提出科学主题。研究人员将(1)利用未开发的多波长观测和各种技术系统地搜索矮小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的星系，(3)估计最小黑洞的质量以限制种子质量，(4)确定矮小星系中低质量黑洞的吸积和辐射性质，以及(5)探测矮星系中的黑洞反馈，为低质量星系形成模型提供信息。发现和描述这些系统对于从整体上理解矮小星系的演化和反馈，以及促进我们对早期宇宙中第一批黑洞的诞生和增长的理解是重要的。该项目由天文学和天体物理学拨款计划和既定的刺激竞争研究计划(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。