Related papers: Active galaxy nuclei: current state of the problem
Kiloparsec-scale binary active galactic nuclei (AGNs) signal active supermassive black hole (SMBH) pairs in merging galaxies. Despite their significance, unambiguously confirmed cases remain scarce and most have been discovered…
We explore the evolution of stellar mass black hole binaries (BHBs) which are formed in the self-gravitating disks of active galactic nuclei (AGN). Hardening due to three-body scattering and gaseous drag are effective mechanisms that reduce…
We present the results of a program to identify so far unknown active nuclei (AGN) in galaxies. Candidate galactic nuclei have been selected for optical spectroscopy from a cross-correlation of the ROSAT all sky survey (RASS) bright source…
Considerable observational evidence suggests that the activity of supermassive black holes in galactic nuclei is transient. The term ``active galactic nuclei archaeology'' has even been coined. This implies the possibility of reconstructing…
Active Galactic Nuclei are fueled from material (gas or stars) that are in general far away from the gravitational influence of the central black hole, the engine thought to be responsible for their activity. The required material has a lot…
We have conducted a high-resolution spectroscopic study using Spitzer of 18 bulgeless (Sd/Sdm) galaxies that show no definitive signatures of nuclear activity in their optical spectra. This is the first systematic mid-IR search for weak or…
Among all the astronomical sources investigated through the prism of polarimetry, active galactic nuclei (AGN) have proven to be the richest in terms of complex yet fundamental signatures that helped to understand their true nature. Indeed,…
The astrophysical origin of gravitational wave (GW) transients is a timely open question in the wake of discoveries by LIGO/Virgo. In active galactic nuclei (AGNs), binaries form and evolve efficiently by interaction with a dense population…
The nearby galaxy NGC 3115 contains a known radio-emitting, low-luminosity active galactic nucleus (AGN), and was recently claimed to host a candidate AGN displaced 14.3 pc from the galaxy's optical photocenter. Our goal is to understand…
We investigate the relation between black hole (BH) mass and bulge stellar mass for a sample of 117 local ($z \sim 0$) galaxies hosting low-luminosity, broad-line active galactic nuclei (AGN). Our sample comes from Reines & Volonteri…
Supermassive black holes (SMBH) are typically surrounded by a dense stellar population in galactic nuclei. Stars crossing the line of site in active galactic nuclei (AGN) produce a characteristic transit lightcurve, just like extrasolar…
A significant fraction of local galaxies show evidence of nuclear activity. I argue that the bulk of this activity, while energetically not remarkable, derives from accretion onto a central massive black hole. The statistics of nearby…
Variability of active galactic nuclei is not well understood. One possible explanation is existence of supermassive binary black holes (SMBBH) in their centres. It is expected that major mergers are common in the Universe. It is expected…
Active galactic nuclei (AGN) found at the centers of clusters of galaxies are a possible source for weak cluster-wide magnetic fields. To evaluate this scenario, we present 3D adaptive mesh refinement MHD simulations of a cool-core cluster…
We present an initial sample of 19 intermediate-mass black hole candidates in active galactic nuclei culled from the First Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Using the linewidth-luminosity-mass scaling relation established for…
Most of the action in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) occurs within a few tens of gravitational radii from the supermassive black hole, where matter in the accretion disk may lose up to almost half of its energy with a copious production of…
Galactic outflows, driven by active galactic nuclei (AGN), play a crucial role in galaxy formation and in the self-regulated growth of supermassive black holes (BHs). AGN feedback couples to and affects gas, rather than stars, and in many,…
The remarkable progress made in infrared (IR) astronomical instruments over the last 10-15 years has radically changed our vision of the extragalactic IR sky, and overall understanding of galaxy evolution. In particular, this has been the…
Powerful winds driven by active galactic nuclei (AGN) are often invoked to play a fundamental role in the evolution of both supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their host galaxies, quenching star formation and explaining the tight…
Beyond all reasonable doubt, black holes are commonly found in the nuclei of most normal galaxies. In recent years, dynamical measurements of hole masses have transformed the study of their functioning and evolution. In particular, relating…