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Physical Society Colloquium
Scott Tremaine
Department of Astrophysical Sciences If accretion onto massive black holes is the power source for quasars, then many nearby galaxies should contain "dead quasars"-- massive black holes at their centres that do not shine because they are starved for fuel. The detection and weighing of a significant sample of these exotic objects would enhance our understanding of active galactic nuclei and of the centers of inactive galaxies. I will review the accumulating evidence that almost all nearby galaxies contain black holes of 106 - 109 solar masses at their centres.
Friday, March 3rd 2000, 15:30 |