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: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=762978
• 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.

在宇宙正午，当宇宙大约是现在年龄的三分之一到一半时，两个星系及其中心的超大质量黑洞都经历了爆炸性增长的阶段，此时恒星大量形成，落入黑洞的气体以类星体的形式发出大量的光。类星体是星系演化的两个谜题的主要嫌疑人：为什么最大质量的星系停止形成恒星，以及为什么黑洞的质量与其宿主星系的相关性如此之好？迄今为止，对两者的最佳解释都被归类为“反馈”，这通常意味着将能量从黑洞系统注入到宿主星系的气体中，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了解宇宙时间中星系演化的复杂历史的驱动力。  我建议通过从小规模到大规模的多方面计划来解决这些主题，重点关注解决黑洞如何生长的问题的长期目标。他们的能量之风的本质是什么？风最大的类星体对其所在星系有何影响？  为了实现这些目标，我们将利用地面和天基观测站以及复杂的建模工作，将类星体活动与其所在星系的演化联系起来。从科学角度来看，该计划利用加拿大的专业知识积极领导国际倡议，包括遗产空间和时间调查 [LSST] 联盟。  具体计划活动的重点是为旨在测量数千个黑洞质量的下一代巡天开发模拟，开发支持LSST AGN Science的工具，使用强大的光谱模拟代码SimBAL对发光类星体的流出量随时间的变化进行建模，并使用詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜绘制具有最强风的类星体所在星系的结构和恒星形成图。  在高峰期瞄准高增长黑洞（发光类星体），可以在宇宙正午的这个关键时期解开吸积和流出的相互作用。