Smoke and Mirrors: The Driving Forces in Extreme Galaxies

宇宙中最亮的星系是在过去十年左右被发现的。它们的光度是如此明亮，以至于它们的亮度超过银河系的1000倍。巨大的亮度是由一个活动的星系核驱动的-在这些星系的中心包含一个超大质量黑洞。气体如何在这些星系中处理的细节尚不清楚。星系演化模型预测了稳定的过程，然而，这些模型与我们在这些超亮星系中看到的剧烈变化并不一致。通过结合存档的观测和星系演化模型，我们希望揭开这些星系的奥秘，并发现它们的光度是否存在上限。智利的阿尔马望远镜将提供关键信息，使我们能够收集/使用最有希望的候选者的数据。

The brightest galaxies in the Universe have been detected around the last decade. Their luminosities are so bright, that they outshine the Milky Way by a factor of 1000. The great luminosity is driven by an Active Galactic Nucleus - containing a supermassive black hole at the centre of these galaxies. The details of how the gas is processed within these galaxies is not clear. Models of galaxy evolution predict steady processes, however, these models do not coincide with the violent changes we see in these hyperluminous galaxies. By combining archived observations and models of galaxy evolution, we hope to unravel the mysteries of these galaxies and discover whether there is an upper limit to their luminosity. The ALMA telescope in Chile will provide crucial information and will allow us to collect/use data from the most promising candidates.