Active Galactic Nuclei Feedback in Galaxies and Clusters of Galaxies

星系和星系团中的活跃星系核反馈

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-06030
• 负责人: ODea, Christopher
• 金额: $ 2.4万
• 依托单位: University of Manitoba
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=633460
• 关键词: Active; Galactic; Nuclei; Feedback; Galaxies

Super-massive black holes located in the center of a galaxy can be fueled by the accretion of gas, producing extremely energetic phenomenon (Active Galactic Nuclei, AGN) such as luminous hot disks of accreting gas and powerful outflows of relativistic plasma and magnetic fields, called jets. It has been recently recognized that powerful AGN-driven outflows directly affect the evolution of galaxies, with the kinetic energy in the jets heating the galaxy’s gas and expelling it from the central bulge regions and quenching star formation. This in turn influences galaxies’ star formation histories, mediating the relationship between host galaxy and central supermassive black hole, determining the number density of the most massive galaxies, and providing a fundamental energy source which regulates the thermodynamics of the surrounding hot gaseous environment, including the intracluster medium of galaxy clusters. Thus, it is clear that AGN feedback is at the heart of the fundamental processes which shape the way our universe evolved. However, major uncertainties remain about how AGN interact with the forming and evolving host galaxies and their environments, and the detailed physics of these interactions are poorly understood. The objective of the proposed research program is to develop a detailed understanding of the physical nature of the interactions and impacts of powerful AGN on their environments. My approach is to obtain multi-wavelength observations of AGN over a comprehensive range of size scales, time scales, and environmental conditions. I will study feedback in the most massive galaxies in the universe (the Brightest Cluster Galaxies) in the cores of clusters where the intracluster medium is able to cool via radiating the thermal energy of the gas. In previous work that began with a PhD student, I studied how the central AGN in the brightest cluster galaxy is able to impart energy to the hot and warm gas as well as the cold molecular gas and is able to both resupply energy to the hot but cooling gas as well as transport and disperse the colder star forming gas. The physics of this process, however, remains poorly understood. My group will reduce and analyze newly obtained optical imaging spectroscopy and Atacama Large Millimeter Array data on brightest cluster galaxies and combine our results with those from previous Chandra and radio observations. These observations will allow us to study the kinematics of both the warm and cold (molecular) gas and will explore the physics of the AGN feedback process on scales of tens of kpc. Our analysis will make use of our group’s expertise in theoretical modelling of radio source propagation, interaction of radio sources with their environments, and the effects of feedback on the intracluster medium.

位于星系中心的超大质量黑洞可以由气体吸积提供燃料，产生极高能量的现象（活动星系核，AGN），例如吸积气体的发光热盘和相对论等离子体和磁场的强大外流，称为喷流。 最近人们认识到，强大的活动星系核驱动的外流直接影响星系的演化，喷流中的动能加热了星系的气体，并将其从中央隆起区域排出，并淬灭了星星的形成。这反过来又影响星系的星星形成历史，调解宿主星系和中央超大质量黑洞之间的关系，决定最大质量星系的数密度，并提供一个基本的能源，调节周围的热气体环境，包括星系团内的介质的热力学。因此，很明显活动星系核的反馈是塑造我们宇宙演化方式的基本过程的核心。然而，关于活动星系核如何与正在形成和演化的宿主星系及其环境相互作用的主要不确定性仍然存在，并且对这些相互作用的详细物理学知之甚少。 拟议的研究计划的目标是发展一个详细的了解的物理性质的相互作用和强大的活动星系核对环境的影响。我的方法是获得AGN的多波长观测在一个全面的范围内的大小尺度，时间尺度和环境条件。我将研究宇宙中最大质量星系（Brilliant Cluster Galvanian）的反馈，这些星系位于星系团的核心，其中星系团内的介质能够通过辐射气体的热能来冷却。在以前的工作，开始与一个博士生，我研究了中央活动星系核在最明亮的星系团星系是如何能够赋予能量的热和温暖的气体以及冷的分子气体，并能够既补充能量的热，但冷却气体以及运输和分散较冷的星星形成气体。然而，对这一过程的物理原理仍然知之甚少。我的小组将减少和分析新获得的光学成像光谱学和阿塔卡马大型毫米波阵列数据的最明亮的星系团星系和联合收割机结合我们的结果与以前的钱德拉和射电观测。这些观测将使我们能够研究温暖和寒冷的（分子）气体的运动学，并将探索数十kpc尺度上活动星系核反馈过程的物理学。我们的分析将利用我们小组在射电源传播理论建模、射电源与环境的相互作用以及反馈对集群内介质的影响方面的专业知识。