Special Astrophysics Seminar

A New Twist on Black-Hole Spin: The Triggering and Cosmological Impact of Radio-Loud and Radio-Quiet AGN Outflows

Dan Evans

MIT

Outflows in AGN may be the key mediator for regulating star formation as galaxies evolve from blue, high accretion-rate, spirals to old, “red and dead” ellipticals. But how do outflows occur in the first place? What are the key differences between relativistic outflows (jets) and non-relativistic outflows (winds)? Moreover, can we understand what physical conditions near a black hole produce them in the first place? I will present a series of new observational, computational, and theoretical advances that shed light on these key questions. I will show that both relativistic and non-relativistic outflows have key implications for feedback and galaxy evolution, and demonstrate how we will soon be able to use observations of AGN to infer the cosmological evolution of black-hole spin.