Descrizione del progetto
Nuovi indizi sui deflussi di gas prodotti da buchi neri massicci
I buchi neri massicci si trovano al centro delle galassie e rilasciano una straordinaria quantità di energia nel corso della loro fase di accrescimento, che a sua volta innesca la generazione di deflussi di gas in grado di influenzare in modo significativo l’evoluzione della galassia ospitante. Tuttavia, nonostante il notevole lavoro svolto a livello teorico e sperimentale per sondare le dinamiche di tali deflussi, la determinazione esatta delle modalità con cui si ripercuotono sulla formazione e l’evoluzione delle galassie è tuttora sconosciuta. Il progetto WINGS, finanziato dall’UE, andrà a esaminare tale questione. Grazie a una combinazione di osservazioni effettuate con il telescopio spaziale James Webb della NASA, l’Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array e il Very Large Telescope dell’Osservatorio europeo australe, WINGS metterà insieme la più vasta indagine a elevata risoluzione spaziale di deflussi multifase condotta fino a questo momento.
Obiettivo
Massive black holes (BHs) reside at the center of galaxies and release an extraordinary amount of energy during their accretion phase. Such energy drives galaxy-scale gas outflows that can significantly influence the evolution of the host galaxy. Despite the remarkable theoretical and observational progress in quantifying the energetics and dynamics of such outflows, establishing their role during the formation and evolution of galaxies remains a long-standing problem in modern astrophysics. WINGS is designed to finally settle whether outflows driven by BHs are able to shape galaxies and their environment or not. To achieve this goal, we will build up a novel observational and theoretical framework that investigates the role of outflows in the early Universe, when BHs and galaxies are growing at the highest rates and outflows are expected to be more common and powerful, leaving a prominent mark on galaxy evolution. Thanks to the PI, WINGS will have access to several key observing programs carried out with ALMA and VLT as well as the guaranteed-time observer (GTO) program (~900 hours) with the NIRSpec spectrograph on board the soon-to-launch JWST. By exploiting both observations of local outflows and zoom-in simulations, we will develop a 3D kinematic outflow model that will be an asset in (i) interpreting existing high-redshift data and upcoming JWST observations, (ii) characterizing for the first time outflow properties across cosmic time (up to z~9), and (iii) identifying feedback signatures in the interstellar and circumgalactic medium properties. The combination of JWST, ALMA, and VLT observations will enable WINGS to assemble the largest high-spatial resolution survey of multi-phase outflows. The support from the ERC will be crucial to assemble a unique team mixing the observation-oriented and theory-oriented approach, as a joint effort of observations and simulations is the key to make a major breakthrough in understanding outflows driven by BHs.
Campo scientifico
Programma(i)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-AG - HORIZON Action Grant Budget-BasedIstituzione ospitante
56126 Pisa
Italia