Collaborative Research: Exploring the Formation and Growth of Supermassive Black Holes through Variability and Transients

超大质量黑洞的质量可以是太阳质量的数百万到数十亿倍，并且在大多数大型星系的中心都有发现。然而，这些超大质量黑洞的形成和它们生长的方法仍然不确定。虽然天文学家不能直接观察黑洞，但来自气体或恒星的光落在黑洞上会产生明亮的吸积盘。在这个项目中，PI将研究这些系统的时变特征，以提供对星系中心黑洞性质和环境的独特约束。这项工作将解决有关超大质量黑洞形成和演化的基本问题。调查人员还将为高中生开发一套基于调查的教育材料。这些材料将传达对超大质量黑洞的兴奋，同时解决对极端引力的常见误解。这些活动将映射到由伊利诺伊州和华盛顿使用的下一代国家标准确定的关键科学实践，并为学生提供参与探索和讨论的机会。超大质量黑洞（SMBH）普遍存在于大质量星系的中心，但SMBH祖先的形成及其生长路线仍然不清楚。SMBH的性质可以通过气体或潮汐破裂恒星的吸积来揭示。从这些现象的变量或瞬态发射提供的质量，吸积盘的属性，和这些SMBHs的小尺度环境的约束。该研究将（1）识别中等质量黑洞，以了解SMBH形成的可能途径，（2）限制活动和静止SMBH的环境，以了解SMBH如何生长以及它们如何与宿主星系共同进化。这项工作将使用来自年轻超新星实验的观测结果-使用泛星望远镜重复成像调查，以三天的节奏在四个波段对1500平方度的天空进行成像。他们将分别通过变化和潮汐破坏事件在低质量星系中寻找活动和静止的SMBH。他们将识别和表征变化状态的活动星系核，使用连续混响映射来研究吸积盘的特性，并研究由年轻超新星实验观察到的更广泛的潮汐破裂事件。该项目还将研究活跃和静止的SMBH生长和进化时的环境和宿主星系特性，这将为星系-SMBH协同进化的研究提供信息，并为Vera C未来的工作提供预测。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Supermassive black holes can be millions to billions of times the mass of our Sun and are found in the centers of most large galaxies. However, the formation of these supermassive black holes and the methods by which they grow remain uncertain. While astronomers cannot observe the black holes directly, light from gas or stars falling onto the black holes will produce bright disks of accretion that can be. In this program, the PIs will study time-variable signatures from these systems to provide unique constraints on the properties and environments of black holes in the centers of galaxies. This work will address fundamental questions about formation and evolution of supermassive black holes. The investigators will also develop a set of inquiry-based educational materials for high school students. These materials will convey excitement about supermassive black holes while addressing common misconceptions about extreme gravity. The activities will map to the key scientific practices identified by the Next-generation State Standards used by both Illinois and Washington and provide students an opportunity to engage in exploration and discussion. Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are ubiquitous in the centers of massive galaxies, yet the formation of SMBH progenitors and their routes of growth remain unclear. The properties of SMBHs can be revealed by the accretion of gas or tidally-disrupted stars. Variable or transient emission from these phenomena provide constraints on the masses, accretion disk properties, and small-scale environments of these SMBHs. The study will (1) identify intermediate mass black holes in order to understand possible routes for SMBH formation, and (2) constrain the environments of active and quiescent SMBHs to understand how SMBHs grow and how they co-evolve with their host galaxies. This work will use observations from the Young Supernova Experiment -- a repeat imaging survey using the Pan-STARRS telescopes to image 1500 square degrees of sky in four bands with a three day cadence. They will search for active and quiescent SMBHs in low-mass galaxies through variability and tidal disruption events, respectively. They will identify and characterize changing-state AGN, use continuum reverberation mapping to study accretion disk properties, and study the broader population of tidal disruption events observed by the Young Supernova Experiment. This project will also study the environments and host galaxy properties of active and quiescent SMBHs as they grow and evolve, which will inform studies of galaxy--SMBH co-evolution and provide predictions for future work with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.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.