CR-GAS · Black hole growth fuelled by counter-rotating gas
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2020-10-01 → 2023-09-30
- EU contribution
- €268,922
- Participants
- 2
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Black hole growth fuelled by counter-rotating gas
The project is focused on the physics of supermassive black hole growth. It addresses the problem of how supermassive black holes acquire the gas needed for them to grow in mass and power their activity. This is one of the most important problems in Astrophysics as it connects the co-evolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes across the age of the Universe. The objectives of the project are to use structures that rotate in opposite directions within galaxies (counter-rotating or misaligned structures) to determine how gas is transported to the supermassive black hole. Counter-rotation is an unambiguous dynamical tracer that will be used in the project to map the distribution and velocity of the gas across the galaxy as it travels towards the black hole. The three main objectives are: • Determine if counter-rotating structures promote the flow of gas towards the black hole • Determine the physical mechanisms that transport the gas • Determine if galaxy interactions are the main mechanism to provide gas to the black holes in a specific type of galaxies: early-types/S0s.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Supermassive black holes are ubiquitous in the centres of galaxies. They remain largely invisible to our probes, except during their active phases (AGN), when gas is accreted onto the black hole. The energy output of AGN is thought to be able to regulate the growth of galaxies and supermassive black holes. However, we still do not understand how gas is transported to fuel the AGN. One of the outstanding challenges in galaxy evolution is to uncover what physical conditions in the host galaxy trigger or halt the black hole feeding process. In this Global Fellowship project I will make significant advances to solve the problem of AGN fuelling with an innovative approach. I propose to use counter-rotating structures in galaxies to determine: 1) how gas is transported, and 2) if counter-rotation itself promotes the flow of gas to the black hole. Counter-rotation is an unambiguous dynamical tracer that will allow me to unveil for the first time the path of gas from the large scale of the galaxy to the central black hole, thereby determining what physical mechanisms transport gas. I will carry out the project at two world renowned institutions: the University of California Los Angeles and the University of Copenhagen. During the fellowship I will acquire broad skills on photometry analysis and comparison samples to combine with my current expertise on state-of-the-art data analysis and dynamical models to reach the science goals of the project. I will receive additional training on proposal and grant application writing to enhance my career opportunities at the end of the fellowship. On the incoming phase I will bring my acquired expertise and access to a network of international collaborators to Europe, which is important for European institutes to maximise their returns from cutting-edge facilities and instruments with focus on black holes, such as the Event Horizon Telescope and GRAVITY.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET · KOBENHAVNCoordinatorDenmark
- THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA · OaklandUnited States
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union