Kinematic Signatures of Black Hole Growth in the Local Universe

University Of Alaska Anchorage Campus, Anchorage AK

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of this program is to determine the relationship between supermassive black hole growth in the centers of galaxies, and the general evolution of the galaxies in which they reside. The work will comprise a multi-disciplinary approach to this topic involving a cohesive analysis of observational data and galaxy simulations to provide the first significant constraints on the mechanisms driving black hole growth in the local universe. High spatial resolution integral field spectroscopic observations of a matched sample of Seyfert and inactive galaxies will be obtained on the world's leading near-infrared telescopes in both the northern and southern hemispheres. A number of properties will be examined down to parsec scales in the two subsamples to identify those that are unique to Seyfert galaxies and are thus likely to be associated with black hole growth. These include the distribution, kinematics, and mass of the interstellar medium, the presence of a nuclear stellar disk, and how this stellar population relates to the nuclear interstellar medium. Broader impacts include teacher training and participation in the University of Washington Pre-Major in Astronomy Program (Pre-MAP). This program recruits incoming students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in science and promotes astronomy as an undergraduate major by allowing them to explore the field in an enriching and supportive environment.