This document discusses a project to study the role of black hole spin in the growth of supermassive black holes. It will couple observational datasets across wavelengths with theories of spinning black holes and jet feedback. For the first time, some regions have such deep observations from X-rays to radio that it should be possible to measure both active black hole accretion and energy output via spinning black hole jets. The project aims to develop robust ways to measure jet output using new radio surveys, and a photometric redshift code to estimate redshift and accretion rates using multi-wavelength data to help determine if black hole spin and feedback via jets are key to black hole growth.
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This document discusses a project to study the role of black hole spin in the growth of supermassive black holes. It will couple observational datasets across wavelengths with theories of spinning black holes and jet feedback. For the first time, some regions have such deep observations from X-rays to radio that it should be possible to measure both active black hole accretion and energy output via spinning black hole jets. The project aims to develop robust ways to measure jet output using new radio surveys, and a photometric redshift code to estimate redshift and accretion rates using multi-wavelength data to help determine if black hole spin and feedback via jets are key to black hole growth.
This document discusses a project to study the role of black hole spin in the growth of supermassive black holes. It will couple observational datasets across wavelengths with theories of spinning black holes and jet feedback. For the first time, some regions have such deep observations from X-rays to radio that it should be possible to measure both active black hole accretion and energy output via spinning black hole jets. The project aims to develop robust ways to measure jet output using new radio surveys, and a photometric redshift code to estimate redshift and accretion rates using multi-wavelength data to help determine if black hole spin and feedback via jets are key to black hole growth.
Copyright:
Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
This document discusses a project to study the role of black hole spin in the growth of supermassive black holes. It will couple observational datasets across wavelengths with theories of spinning black holes and jet feedback. For the first time, some regions have such deep observations from X-rays to radio that it should be possible to measure both active black hole accretion and energy output via spinning black hole jets. The project aims to develop robust ways to measure jet output using new radio surveys, and a photometric redshift code to estimate redshift and accretion rates using multi-wavelength data to help determine if black hole spin and feedback via jets are key to black hole growth.
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Spin, jet-feedback and black-hole growth
Steve Rawlings (sr@astro.ox.ac.uk) & Tom Mauch (txm@astro.ox.ac.uk)
Sub-Department of Astrophysics, University of Oxford
The Project Observations of distant quasars and their local dormant counterparts can be used to infer the build up of supermassive black holes subject to assumptions about accretion efficiency and how rotational energy is stored in, and released from, the ergosphere of spinning black holes. Simple-minded calculations suggest that constraints on efficiency may be uncomfortably close to maxima suggested by theories for spinning black holes. This project will couple state-of-the-art datasets with theories to determine the role of black hole spin in the growth of black holes. For the first time in astronomy, some regions of the sky are becoming so deeply observed at all wavebands from X-ray through to radio that it should be possible to use this information to measure both the active accretion onto black holes, and the energy output in terms of jets powered by spinning black holes.
Active Galactic Nuclei
The presence of supermassive black Black-hole Growth holes in the cores of galaxies has been Observational constraints on the growth of massive black holes in galactic inferred from observations of Active nuclei are obtained by measuring the current mass density of black holes Galactic Nuclei (AGN). These are comparing this to the accretion rate of black holes throughout the history characterised by enhanced emission at of the Universe. Limits on the accretion rate can be measured from all wavelengths in galaxy nuclei which observations of AGN in a wide range of wavelengths. The figure below is fuelled by accretion of matter onto a shows a measurement of the build-up of black holes between z=5 and 0. central compact object believed to be a black hole. In AGN matter Their present day mass density has is accreting onto the supermassive black hole from an accretion been determined by exploiting a relation disk surrounded by a dusty torus (see schematic on top right). In between the velocity dispersions of many AGN energy is transported by via jets into the surrounding galaxy bulges and black hole mass. The intergalactic medium (see figure to left). accretion rate has been determined from an optical survey of QSOs. The
Photo-z’s local black hole mass density is
recovered assuming an accretion In order to quantify the efficiency close to the Eddington limit. physical properties of each galaxy, templates will be fitted to multi-wavelength photometry. This will provide Survey Astronomy In the past decade we have witnessed probability distributions for an explosion in the amount of survey the redshift and accretion data coming from telescopes. The rate of black holes. techniques required for efficient and productive exploitation of these Observations datasets are still in their infancy. During this project you will have the In this project you will be have the opportunity to observe with opportunity to help in the collection and state-of the-art telescopes all over the world. processing of deep survey data and to The GMRT is a radio develop novel data extraction and data telescope located east of mining algorithms. Mumbai in India. It consists of 1.4 GHz WSRT survey image 30 steerable antennae and uses aperture synthesis techniques to produce deep, Tasks high resolution images of the Develop robust ways of measuring jet output using new deep radio radio sky. observations with the GMRT in India, and the WSRT in Holland. Develop a new and sophisticated `photometric redshift' code that will VISTA is a 4m near-infrared start with input catalogues covering all wavebands from X-ray to radio, survey telescope located close and output probability distributions for redshift and accretion rate. to the VLT site at Paranal in Apply the photo-z code to data from the VISTA Deep Extragalactic Chile. When online in mid Observations (VIDEO) survey to be carried out on the ESO VISTA 2008, VISTA will undertake a telescope in Chile. deep survey in regions of sky Determine whether it is possible to prove that the storage of spin, and with extensive multi- feedback via jets, is a key part of the build-up of black holes. wavelength data (VIDEO). Collect a PhD, and hopefully go on to a glorious career in astrophysics!
