Supermassive Black Holes In The Distant Universe (astrophysics And Space Science Library)

Quasars, and the menagerie of other galaxies with "unusual nuclei", now collectively known as Active Galactic Nuclei or AGN, have, in one form or another, sparked the interest of astronomers for over 60 years. The only known mechanism that can explain the staggering amounts of energy emitted by the innermost regions of these systems is gravitational energy release by matter falling towards a supermassive black hole --- a black hole whose mass is millions to billions of times the mass of our Sun. AGN emit radiation at all wavelengths. X-rays originating at a distance of a few times the event horizon of the black hole are the emissions closest to the black hole that we can detect; thus, X-rays directly reveal the presence of active supermassive black holes. Oftentimes, however, the supermassive black holes that lie at the centers of AGN are cocooned in gas and dust that absorb the emitted low­ energy X-rays and the optical and ultraviolet light, hiding the black hole from view at these wavelengths. Until recently, this low-energy absorption presented a major obstacle in observational efforts to map the accretion history of the universe. In 1999 and 2000, the launches of the Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray Observatories finally broke the impasse. The impact of these observatories on X-ray astronomy is similar to the impact that the Hubble Space Telescope had on optical astronomy. The astounding new data from these observatories have enabled astronomers to make enormous advances in their understanding of when accretion occurs.

This book provides a unique overview of recent developments in studies of AGN and the evolution of supermassive black holes, with particular emphasis on the revolutionary results from the Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray Observatories. Each chapter is a comprehensive analysis and review by an expert in the field that should provide easy access to the subject.
The chapters progressively follow a single theme—-the mapping of the accretion history of the universe—-from both theoretical and observational points of view. The chapters are written at a level that should be accessible to graduate students and non-specialists, yet the depth and innovation of the analyses will also make it highly informative to the specialist.
The topical nature of the subject matter means that the material presented in this book is not well covered in the present literature. Moreover, the depth and interconnectedness of the chapters ensures that the coverage is much more comprehensive and informative than a conference proceeding would be.
The book is intended for astronomers in general, X-ray astronomers, researchers working in the field of quasars and AGN, including graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

Front Matter....Pages i-x Observational Evidence for Supermassive Black Holes....Pages 1-51 How are AGN Found?....Pages 53-87 Theory of Disk Accretion onto Supermassive Black Holes....Pages 89-126 Modeling the Accretion History of Supermassive Black Holes....Pages 127-145 The Formation and Evolution of the First Massive Black Holes....Pages 147-185 A Panchromatic View of AGN....Pages 187-224 Distant X-Ray Galaxies: Insights from the Local Population....Pages 225-243 Compton-Thick AGN: The Dark Side of the X-Ray Background....Pages 245-272 The Accretion History of Supermassive Black Holes....Pages 273-298 Back Matter....Pages 299-304 "This book provides a unique overview of recent developments in studies of AGN and the evolution of supermassive black holes, with particular emphasis on the revolutionary results from the Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray Observatories. Each chapter is a comprehensive analysis and review by an expert in the field that should provide easy access to the subject." "The book is intended for astronomers in general, X-ray astronomers, researchers working in the field of quasars and AGN, including graduate students and postdoctoral fellows."--BOOK JACKET