College - Author 1
College of Science and Mathematics
Department - Author 1
Physics Department
Degree Name - Author 1
BS in Physics
Date
8-2024
Primary Advisor
Vardha Bennert, College of Science and Mathematics, Physics Department
Abstract/Summary
In the center of most massive galaxies is a supermassive black hole (SMBH) with a mass that can range from millions to billions of solar masses. It has been observed that more massive SMBHs have a more massive host galaxy bulge, as evidenced by the larger bulge luminosity and stellar velocity dispersion, a correlation known as the BH mass - host-galaxy scaling relation. It suggests a close evolutionary connection between the growth of the SMBH and the growth of its host galaxy. If a SMBH develops an accretion disk to fuel an active galactic nucleus (AGN), it will emit radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum. For broad-line AGNs, the mass of the SMBH can be determined using a technique called Reverberation Mapping (RM).
This project presents 15 AGN host-galaxies which were imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and have Keck/KWCI spectra. The images are analyzed using GALFIT, a program that performs 2-dimensional decompositions of the images, extracting the structural properties of the galaxy’s components such as its bulge, disk, and bar if present.
The goal of this project is to determine the effective radii of the bulges in order to contribute to the BH mass - host-galaxy scaling relation. Out of the 15 objects analyzed, 9 of them have had their stellar-velocity dispersion calculated which are plotted against the mass of the BH at the center of their respective galaxy.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/physsp/236