Extended emission-line regions : Remnants of quasar superwinds

dc.contributor.author Fu, Hai
dc.date.accessioned 2011-07-21T23:02:05Z
dc.date.available 2011-07-21T23:02:05Z
dc.date.issued 2008
dc.description Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2008.
dc.description Black holes are not only an integral component of galaxies, but they also appear to have played a fundamental role in galaxy evolution. It is theorized that galaxy-scale feedback from high-redshift quasars is key to understanding the properties of the most massive galaxies today. However, direct observations of the feedback have been lacking. Our observations on the extended nebulae around low-redshift quasars show that recent quasar-driven superwinds have drastically altered their environments. The superwind is capable of ejecting most of the interstellar medium to large distances, demonstrating an efficient mechanism that can regulate both star formation and black hole growth. Such superwinds provide local analogs of the quasar feedback hypothesized to have happened in the early universe. Studies of these objects can thus provide important insights into this key stage of galaxy evolution. It was discovered that quasars surrounded by extended nebulae are consuming low-metallicity gas. This finding not only provided the first direct observational evidence that the gas from a merger can indeed be driven to the feeding distance of the central black hole, but also validated the existence of low-metallicity quasars and placed a key constraint on quasar superwind models.
dc.description Includes bibliographical references (leaves 152-163).
dc.description Also available by subscription via World Wide Web
dc.description 163 leaves, bound 29 cm
dc.identifier.isbn 9780549780717
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/10125/20413
dc.language.iso en-US
dc.relation Theses for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (University of Hawaii at Manoa). Astronomy; no. 5098
dc.rights All UHM dissertations and theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission from the copyright owner.
dc.title Extended emission-line regions : Remnants of quasar superwinds
dc.type Thesis
dc.type.dcmi Text
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