Quasar Winds and Black Hole Growth at Cosmic Noon

宇宙正午的类星体风和黑洞生长

• 批准号: RGPIN-2021-04157
• 负责人: Gallagher, Sarah
• 金额: $ 2.48万
• 依托单位: University of Western Ontario
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=742901
• 关键词: Quasar; Winds; Black; Hole; Growth

At cosmic noon, when the universe was about a third to a half its present age, both galaxies and their central, supermassive black holes went through phases of explosive growth when stars were formed in abundance and gas falling onto the black holes gave off tremendous amounts of light as quasars. Quasars are the prime suspects in two puzzles of galaxy evolution: why did the most massive galaxies stop forming stars and why are the masses of black holes and their host galaxies so well correlated? The best explanations to date for both are categorized as "feedback", which generically means the injection of energy from the black hole system into the gas in the host galaxy to prevent the continuing production of stars and perhaps turn off the quasar itself. Understanding how supermassive black holes grow and influence the galaxies they inhabit remains a driver for understanding the complex history of galaxy evolution over cosmic time.  I propose to address these topics with a multi-faceted program operating from small to large scales by focussing on my long-term objectives of addressing the questions of How do black holes grow? What is the nature of their energetic winds? and What is the impact of the windiest quasars on their home galaxies?  In pursuit of these objectives, we will take advantage of access to ground and space-based observatories and sophisticated modelling efforts to put quasar activity in context with the evolution of the galaxies in which it occurs. Scientifically, this program leverages Canadian expertise into active leadership in international initiatives including the Legacy Survey for Space and Time [LSST] Consortium.  Specific program activities focus on developing simulations for next generation surveys aimed at measuring the masses of thousands of black holes, developing the tools to support AGN Science with LSST, modelling changes over time of the outflows from luminous quasars with the powerful spectral simulation code SimBAL, and mapping the structure and star formation in galaxies that host the quasars with the strongest winds with the James Webb Space Telescope.  Targetting high-growth black holes - luminous quasars - during their peak epoch enables the unpacking of the interplay of accretion and outflow at this critical era of cosmic noon.

在宇宙中午，当宇宙大约是现在年龄的三分之一到一半时，星系和它们中心的超大质量黑洞都经历了爆炸性增长的阶段，恒星大量形成，落入黑洞的气体发出大量的光，成为类星体。类星体是星系演化中两个谜题的主要嫌疑人：为什么最大的星系停止形成恒星，为什么黑洞和它们的宿主星系的质量如此相关？迄今为止，对这两种现象的最佳解释都被归类为“反馈”，这通常意味着黑洞系统向宿主星系的气体注入能量，以阻止恒星的持续产生，并可能关闭类星体本身。了解超大质量黑洞如何生长并影响它们所居住的星系仍然是理解宇宙时间内星系演化复杂历史的驱动力。 我建议解决这些问题，从小到大规模的多方面的计划，专注于我的长期目标，解决问题的黑洞如何成长？它们的能量风的本质是什么？风最大的类星体对它们的母星系有什么影响？ 在追求这些目标的过程中，我们将利用地面和空间观测站以及复杂的建模工作，将类星体活动与其发生的星系演化联系起来。作为科学家，该计划利用加拿大的专业知识积极领导国际倡议，包括空间和时间遗产调查[LSST]联盟。具体的计划活动侧重于为下一代调查开发模拟，旨在测量数千个黑洞的质量，开发工具，以支持LSST的AGN科学，利用功能强大的光谱模拟代码SimBAL模拟发光类星体流出物随时间的变化，以及用詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜绘制拥有最强风的类星体的星系的结构和星星形成。生长黑洞-发光类星体-在其高峰时期，使解开吸积和流出的相互作用，在这个关键时期的宇宙中午。