RUI: Bridging the Spatial Gap in Local Seyfert Galaxies: Characterizing Active Galactic Nuclei Feeding and Feedback on Scales of Tens to Hundreds of Parsecs

University Of Alaska Anchorage Campus, Anchorage AK

Investigators

Abstract

While astronomers now understand that supermassive black holes play a fundamental role in the formation and growth of galaxies, the basis for the relationship between a black hole and its galaxy remains a mystery. In order to discover how a supermassive black hole interacts with its galaxy, astronomers must peer into the very center of those galaxies in which the black hole is actively growing. By observing those "active" galaxies nearest to us we can now view the region around their black holes in enough detail to advance our understanding of the nature of this relationship. This project will achieve this through a comprehensive analysis of 40 local galaxies undergoing black hole growth. The observational data from this survey will measure the location and motion of gas over a wide range in temperatures, as well as the stars, in the central regions of each of these galaxies. The survey will be complemented by previously measured galaxies available in data archives, increasing the sample size to more than 90 local galaxies. This large sample will support the first meaningful investigation of the relationship between the environment near the supermassive black hole with galaxy properties well outside of the central region, which will provide essential clues to how supermassive black holes and their galaxies interact. The observed inflow and outflow of gas within the vicinity of the supermassive black holes will also complete our picture of galaxies experiencing black hole growth by measuring the gas flow on scales from beyond where the galaxies with black hole growth appear indistinguishable from those with no growth, to scales where current observations are beginning to probe structures associated with supermassive black hole growth. This research will include substantial involvement by undergraduate students, particularly those from traditionally underrepresented groups in the sciences, throughout the duration of the project. The general public and youth groups will also be engaged through the development of a new planetarium show and a complementary hands-on activity. While it is acknowledged that supermassive black holes play a fundamental role in the evolution of galaxies, the nature of the relationship between these black holes and the galaxies in which they live has yet to be established. Models attempt to reproduce the observed relationship, but due to a lack of observational measurements these models must make broad assumptions about the physical processes responsible. It is only the nearest galaxies in which the black hole is actively growing that offer adequate spatial resolution to investigate the central regions relevant to black hole growth. This program aims to provide the crucially needed observational measurements of the processes governing the growth of black holes and their galaxies. This will be achieved through a comprehensive analysis of the central regions of 40 local galaxies undergoing black hole growth. The observational data from this survey will measure the distribution and motions of the gas over a wide range in temperatures, as well as the stars, in the central 500 pc of each galaxy. The survey sample will be complemented by previously measured galaxies available in data archives, increasing the sample size to more than 90 local galaxies. This statistically significant sample will support the first robust investigation of trends between the central supermassive black hole environment on scales of hundreds down to tens of parsecs with fundamental galaxy properties, and will thus provide must needed observational constraints for galaxy evolution models. The observed inflow and outflow of gas within the vicinity of the supermassive black holes will also complete our picture of galaxies experiencing black hole growth, by measuring the gas flow on scales from beyond the central kiloparsec where galaxies with black hole growth appear indistinguishable from those with no growth, to scales of ten of parsecs or less where current observations are beginning to probe structures associated with supermassive black hole growth. This research will include substantial involvement by undergraduate students, particularly those from traditionally underrepresented groups, throughout the duration of the project. The general public and youth groups will also be engaged through the development of a new planetarium show and a complimentary hands-on activity. This project is jointly funded by NSF/MPS/AST and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). 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.