A Population of Luminous AGN with Hidden Galaxy Mergers

Simulations suggest that the turbulent process of merging galaxies powers black hole growth. In the process of merging, as two galaxies spiral around each other, violent shocks disrupt the structure of the galaxies enabling gas to fall onto the black holes creating a dual AGN and also heavily obscuring them behind a screen of gas and dust. In the subsequent black hole merger, gravity waves are predicted which can result in a recoiling black hole that leaves the center of the galaxy. While the theoretical model is clear, recent observational studies have provided dramatically different scenarios and contradictory results. I will present new results using high resolution AO imaging and high energy X-rays that have enabled the detection of emission from these black holes even behind large amounts of obscuring gas and dust.