College - Author 1
College of Science and Mathematics
Department - Author 1
Physics Department
Degree Name - Author 1
BS in Physics
Date
3-2020
Primary Advisor
Vardha Bennert, College of Science and Mathematics, Physics Department
Abstract/Summary
Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are galaxies with super-massive black holes, that are undergoing accretion, at their centers. The study of these objects provides us with a deeper understanding of how the black holes evolved along with their host galaxies since black hole mass is highly correlated with bulge mass. A sample of 66 AGNs were imaged using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and 14 of those are analyzed in this paper to determine their structure, bulge luminosity, and bulge type. The program GALFIT is implemented to determine these parameters, that will be used in further research in the future. These parameters are also compared to a previous study of the same set of objects using the Gemini telescope (Stomberg 2017). In general, it is found that the better resolution of the HST makes it possible to determine galaxy structure with more confidence.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/physsp/191