Seminar
The Cosmic History of Black Hole Growth

Abstract

It is now clear that supermassive black holes (M>1e6 Msun) live in the center of most (all) galaxies, including our own Milky Way. Furthermore, the energy released during the growth of this black hole is a critical ingredient in understanding galaxy formation and evolution. In this talk, I will show what we know about how, when and where these supermassive black holes are acquiring their masses. In particular, I will focus on the effects of obscuration, as it is now clear that the majority of this black hole growth is hidden from our view by large amounts of gas and dust. I will present statistical evidence suggesting that while most nuclear activity is triggered by internal secular processes, the most violent episodes are linked to major galaxy mergers. Finally, I will show how future data obtained combining observations with the ALMA radio telescope and the NuSTAR X-ray observatory will allow us to understand the physical details of the connection between black hole growth and galaxy evolution.