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.

在宇宙的中午，当宇宙的年龄大约是现在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阶段，恒星大量形成，落入黑洞的气体释放出大量的光作为类星体。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，为什么黑洞的质量与它们的宿主星系如此密切相关？到目前为止，对这两种现象最好的解释被归类为“反馈”，通常指的是将来自黑洞系统的能量注入到宿主星系的气体中，以阻止恒星的持续产生，或许还会关闭类星体本身。了解超大质量黑洞如何增长并影响它们所在的星系，仍然是理解宇宙时间中星系演化复杂历史的驱动力。我建议通过一个从小到大的多方面计划来解决这些问题，我的长期目标是解决黑洞如何增长的问题？它们的能量风的性质是什么？风最大的类星体对它们所在的星系有什么影响？为了追求这些目标，我们将利用地面和天基天文台的访问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。在科学上，该计划利用加拿大的专业知识，在包括遗留空间和时间调查[LSST]联盟在内的国际倡议中发挥积极领导作用。该计划的具体活动侧重于为旨在测量数千个黑洞质量的下一代调查开发模拟，开发工具支持AGN Science与LSST，用强大的光谱模拟程序Simbal模拟发光类星体流出的时间变化，并用詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜绘制了风最大的类星体所在星系的结构和恒星形成图。瞄准高增长的黑洞-发光类星体-在它们的巅峰时期，使我们能够在这个宇宙正午的关键时代解开吸积和流出的相互作用。