Objective
"The black hole at the centre of every massive galaxy bulge appears to play a controlling role in the final stellar mass of that bulge. This is especially true for the most massive galaxies at the centres of cool core clusters where X-ray observations clearly show energy being fed back into the surrounding gas which would otherwise cool and form more stars at high rates. Although the total energy budget for this phenomenon is clear, the details by which the processes operate are not. This proposal aims to further our understanding of how accreting black holes generate and feed back energy into the surrounding gas, how it is dissipated and establishes a heating / cooling balance and how the black hole, galaxy and feedback co-evolve. The work will focus on the broad iron line and X-ray reflection spectral and reverberation components which we have discovered in the spectra of accreting black holes, on X-ray imaging spectroscopy of cool core clusters of galaxies and on the filamentary nebulosity commonly observed around the central galaxy in such clusters. The work will involve X-ray observations together with data from other wavebands where relevant. We shall also consider theoretical aspects of the problem and interpret the whole phenomenon. The current X-ray telescopes (Chandra, XMM and Suzaku) are now mature and we understand how to use them optimally, particularly with longer exposures. Major new data are coming from NuSTAR (launched 2012), which is now opening up the hard X-ray band, and from ASTRO-H (to be launched 2014) which will open up the iron-K band to high spectral resolution and thus direct measurement of the velocity field of the hot and cold components of AGN Feedback."
Fields of science
Call for proposal
ERC-2013-ADG
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
ERC-AG - ERC Advanced GrantHost institution
CB2 1TN Cambridge
United Kingdom