Supermassive Black Holes and Galaxy Evolution

It is now well established that all massive galaxies host a supermassive black hole, but at any given time most of them are relatively dormant. Only a few percent of galaxies contain luminous Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), and it is unclear if this activity is stochastic or triggered by particular events in the evolution of the host. Furthermore, does the AGN itself play a role in regulating star formation, as many galaxy formation models predict?

In this project we will adopt a novel approach to understanding AGN activity in the Universe. Using the latest data from deep multi-wavelength surveys we will search for AGN by identifying galaxies with characteristic features in their spectral energy distributions (e.g. strong x-ray emission or the presence of host dust), while simultaneously using HST images of the galaxies to separate the central nuclei from their more extended hosts. For low-luminosity AGN in particular, which are poorly understood, this approach will allow us to disentangle the light from star formation and the central accreting black holes.

The overall goals are to develop new techniques for identifying AGN in deep survey data, and to understand the links between AGN activity and the wider process of galaxy formation.