Understanding the build-up of supermassive black holes and galaxies at the heyday of the Universe
Abstract
Open questions that relate to our current understanding of black hole growth and its relation to the build-up of galaxies include: what are the physical conditions (e.g. fuelling mode, triggering mechanism) that initiate major black hole accretion events; what is the nature of AGN feedback and whether it plays a significant role in the evolution of galaxies. X-rays are essential for addressing these points as they uniquely probe AGN at both the early heavily obscured stage and the later blow-out phase. The most important epoch for investigating the relation between AGN and galaxies is the redshift range z∼ 1-4, when most black holes and stars we see in the present-day Universe were put in place. Unfortunately, exhaustive efforts with current high-energy telescopes only scrape the tip of the iceberg of the most obscured AGN population. Moreover, X-ray studies of the incidence, nature and energetics of AGN feedback are limited to the local Universe. The Athena mission concept will provide the technological leap required for a breakthrough in our understanding of AGN and galaxy evolution at the heyday of the Universe. Its high throughput will allow the systematic study of AGN feedback to z∼ 4 via the identification and measurement of blue-shifted X-ray absorption lines with Athena/X-IFU. The excellent survey and spectral capabilities of Athena/WFI (effective area, angular resolution, field of view) will complete the census of black hole growth by yielding samples of up to 100 times larger than is currently possible of the most heavily obscured, including Compton thick, AGN to redshifts z∼ 3. The demographics of this population relative to their hosts is fundamental for understanding how major black hole growth events relate to the build-up of galaxies.
- Publication:
-
40th COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- 2014
- Bibcode:
- 2014cosp...40E.460C