RUI: Collaborative Research: Understanding the limits of AGN feedback: a dedicated study of extremely high velocity outflows

RUI：协作研究：了解活动星系核反馈的局限性：对极高速度流出的专门研究

• 批准号: 2107960
• 负责人: Paola Rodriguez Hidalgo
• 金额: $ 31.48万
• 依托单位: University of Washington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2107960&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RUI; Collaborative; Research; Understanding; limits

Part 1In less than one century, our knowledge about the universe has shifted from thinking that we were in the one and only galaxy in the universe to realizing that there are billions of galaxies beyond the Milky Way; today we also know that most galaxies, if not all, harbor in their centers a supermassive black hole. Black holes remain one of the most fascinating objects in the universe, and while they are difficult to observe, one way to learn from them is through the effects they cause in their environment. Whenever there is gas around them, for example, these supermassive black holes can "activate" one of the most energetic phenomena in the universe: active galactic nuclei, of which quasars are the most luminous ones. In the past two decades, we have also learned that the masses of these supermassive black holes and their host galaxies correlate, but it is not known how the small central region and the huge galaxy around "communicate" this information to each other. One promising method is through outflows, material expelled from the environment of the supermassive black hole that can reach the galactic environment. Outflows can also provide crucial clues about the physical and chemical conditions of the black holes' environment. This project will allow the researchers to continue enlarging the sample of known extremely high-velocity quasars, study their overall properties as well as the most extreme cases in depth by using state-of-the-art tools, and use all of this information to advance the theoretical models that aim to show how these outflows can be launched from the supermassive black hole environment. Integral to the project is the goal to increase access, retention, and graduation success for underrepresented physics/astronomy students, to help diversify the future STEM workforce. To do so, the team has carefully selected best practices in recruiting and supporting students, providing paid research and outreach opportunities, and creating a supportive community.Part 2A recently-discovered class of outflows, extremely high-velocity outflows (EHVO), may be key to understanding feedback processes in galaxies as it is likely the most powerful in terms of mass-energy: it seems to combine the large velocities of ultra-fast outflows and the large column densities found in broad absorption line quasars. If the preliminary results are confirmed, EHVO quasars might be crucial to determine the upper limit of observed AGN feedback signatures. The team will carry out a comprehensive study that includes (1) enlarging the known cases of EHVO quasars by applying already developed tools to a larger quasar sample, (2) studying the overall sample properties and the most extreme cases by using state-of-the-art synthetic modeling, and (3) computing synthetic spectra using disk wind models. They have tailored all of these projects so they can be carried out by the team together with 6 - 10 undergraduate students, helping train the future generation of scientists in both observational and theoretical quasar studies.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.

第 1 部分 在不到一个世纪的时间里，我们对宇宙的认识已经从认为我们生活在宇宙中唯一的星系中，转变为意识到银河系之外还有数十亿个星系；今天我们还知道，大多数星系（如果不是全部的话）的中心都有一个超大质量黑洞。黑洞仍然是宇宙中最迷人的物体之一，虽然它们很难观察，但向它们学习的一种方法是通过它们在环境中造成的影响。例如，每当它们周围有气体时，这些超大质量黑洞就可以“激活”宇宙中最活跃的现象之一：活跃的星系核，其中类星体是最发光的。在过去的二十年里，我们也了解到这些超大质量黑洞的质量与其宿主星系之间存在相关性，但尚不知道小小的中心区域和周围巨大的星系是如何相互“传达”这些信息的。一种有前途的方法是通过外流，即从超大质量黑洞环境中排出的物质可以到达银河系环境。流出物还可以提供有关黑洞环境的物理和化学条件的重要线索。 该项目将使研究人员能够继续扩大已知极高速类星体的样本，利用最先进的工具深入研究它们的整体特性以及最极端的情况，并利用所有这些信息来推进理论模型，旨在展示如何从超大质量黑洞环境中发射这些流出物。该项目的一个重要目标是增加代表性不足的物理/天文学学生的入学机会、保留率和毕业成功率，以帮助未来 STEM 劳动力的多元化。为此，该团队在招募和支持学生、提供付费研究和推广机会以及创建支持性社区方面精心挑选了最佳实践。第 2 部分最近发现的一类资金外流，即极高速外流 (EHVO)，可能是理解星系中的反馈过程的关键，因为它可能是质能方面最强大的：它似乎结合了超快流出的大速度和宽吸收线中发现的大柱密度类星体。 如果初步结果得到证实，EHVO 类星体对于确定观测到的 AGN 反馈特征的上限可能至关重要。 该团队将进行一项全面的研究，包括（1）通过将已经开发的工具应用于更大的类星体样本来扩大 EHVO 类星体的已知案例，（2）通过使用状态来研究整体样本属性和最极端的情况。最先进的合成建模，以及（3）使用盘风模型计算合成频谱。他们量身定制了所有这些项目，以便可以由团队与 6 - 10 名本科生一起实施，帮助培养下一代观测和理论类星体研究的科学家。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并被认为是值得的通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来获得支持。