Quasars at All Cosmic Epochs

Quasars at All Cosmic Epochs
Author: Paola Marziani,Mauro D'Onofrio,Ascensión del Olmo,Deborah Dultzin
Publsiher: Frontiers Media SA
Total Pages: 447
Release: 2018-10-05
Genre: Electronic Book
ISBN: 9782889456048

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The last 50 years have seen a tremendous progress in the research on quasars. From a time when quasars were unforeseen oddities, we have come to a view that considers quasars as active galactic nuclei, with nuclear activity a coming-of-age experienced by most or all galaxies in their evolution. We have passed from a few tens of known quasars of the early 1970s to the 500,000 listed in the catalogue of the Data Release 14 of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Not surprisingly, accretion processes on the central black holes in the nuclei of galaxies — the key concept in our understanding of quasars and active nuclei in general — have gained an outstanding status in present-day astrophysics. Accretion produces a rich spectrum of phenomena in all bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. The power output of highly-accreting quasars has impressive effects on their host galaxies. All the improvement in telescope light gathering and in computing power notwithstanding, we still miss a clear connection between observational properties and theory for quasars, as provided, for example, by the H-R diagram for stars. We do not yet have a complete self-consistent view of nuclear activity with predictive power, as we do for main-sequence stellar sources. At the same time quasars offer many “windows open onto the unknown". On small scales, quasar properties depend on phenomena very close to the black hole event horizon. On large scales, quasars may effect evolution of host galaxies and their circum-galactic environments. Quasars’ potential to map the matter density of the Universe and help reconstruct the Universe’s spacetime geometry is still largely unexploited. The times are ripe for a critical assessment of our present knowledge of quasars as accreting black holes and of their evolution across the cosmic time. The foremost aim of this research topic is to review and contextualize the main observational scenarios following an empirical approach, to present and discuss the accretion scenario, and then to analyze how a closer connection between theory and observation can be achieved, identifying those aspects of our understanding that are still on a shaky terrain and are therefore uncertain knowledge. This research topic covers topics ranging from the nearest environment of the black hole, to the environment of the host galaxies of active nuclei, and to the quasars as markers of the large scale structure and of the geometry of spacetime of the Universe. The spatial domains encompass the accretion disk, the emission and absorption regions, circum-nuclear starbursts, the host galaxy and its interaction with other galaxies. Systematic attention is devoted to some key problems that remain outstanding and are clearly not yet solved: the existence of two quasar classes, radio quiet and radio loud, and in general, the systematic contextualization of quasar properties the properties of the central black hole, the dynamics of the accretion flow in the inner parsecs and the origin of the accretion matter, the quasars’ small and large scale environment, the feedback processes produced by the black hole into the host galaxy, quasar evolutionary patterns from seed black holes to the present-day Universe, and the use of quasars as cosmological standard candles. The timing is appropriate as we are now witnessing a growing body of results from major surveys in the optical, UV X, near and far IR, and radio spectral domains. Radio instrumentation has been upgraded to linear detector — a change that resembles the introduction of CCDs for optical astronomy — making it possible to study radio-quiet quasars at radio frequencies. Herschel and ALMA are especially suited to study the circum-nuclear star formation processes. The new generation of 3D magnetohydrodynamical models offers the prospective of a full physical modeling of the whole quasar emitting regions. At the same time, on the forefront of optical astronomy, applications of adaptive optics to long-slit spectroscopy is yielding unprecedented results on high redshift quasars. Other measurement techniques like 2D and photometric reverberation mapping are also yielding an unprecedented amount of data thanks to dedicated experiments and instruments. Thanks to the instrumental advances, ever growing computing power as well as the coming of age of statistical and analysis techniques, the smallest spatial scales are being probed at unprecedented resolution for wide samples of quasars. On large scales, feedback processes are going out of the realm of single-object studies and are entering into the domain of issues involving efficiency and prevalence over a broad range of cosmic epochs. The Research Topic "Quasars at all Cosmic Epochs" collects a large fraction of the contributions presented at a meeting held in Padova, sponsored jointly by the National Institute for Astrophysics, the Padova Astronomical Observatory, the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Padova, and the Instito de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA) of the Consejo Superiór de Investigación Cientifica (CSIC). The meeting has been part of the events meant to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the foundation of the Padova Observatory.

Quasar Astronomy

Quasar Astronomy
Author: Daniel W. Weedman
Publsiher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 236
Release: 1988-04-14
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0521356741

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A current account of quasar astronomy that not only summarizes existing results from various techniques but refers to the potentialities of new instruments. All aspects of quasar spectroscopy are discussed and techniques for analyzing quasar data are summarized.

Understanding the Epoch of Cosmic Reionization

Understanding the Epoch of Cosmic Reionization
Author: Andrei Mesinger
Publsiher: Springer
Total Pages: 286
Release: 2015-11-28
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9783319219578

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The dawn of the first stars, galaxies and black holes signaled a fundamental milestone in our Universe’s evolution: the Epoch of Reionization. The light from these galactic ancestors began spreading out, ionizing virtually every atom in existence. Our Universe transitioned from darkness to light, from cold to hot, from simple and boring to the wondrous cosmic zoo we see around us today. Despite its importance, observations of reionization have been few, and their interpretation has been highly controversial. Fortunately, this is rapidly changing. We will soon enter the "Big Data” era of this mysterious epoch, driven by an upcoming wave of observations with state-of-the-art telescopes as well as new sophisticated analysis tools. The aim of this volume is to summarize the current status and future outlook of the reionization field. We bring together leading experts in many sub-disciplines, highlighting the measurements that will illuminate our understanding of reionization and the cosmic dawn: (i) 21cm interferometry; (ii) high-redshift quasar spectra; (iii) high-redshift galaxy surveys; (iv) primary and secondary anisotropies of the Cosmic Microwave Background; (v) high-resolution studies of the metal content of early galaxies. We seek a roadmap to interpreting the wealth of upcoming observations. What is the best use of limited observational resources? How do we develop theoretical tools tailored for each observation? Ultimately, what will we learn about the epoch of reionization and our galactic ancestors?

High Energy Astrophysics

High Energy Astrophysics
Author: Malcolm S. Longair
Publsiher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 885
Release: 2011-02-03
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9781139494540

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Providing students with an in-depth account of the astrophysics of high energy phenomena in the Universe, the third edition of this well-established textbook is ideal for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate courses in high energy astrophysics. Building on the concepts and techniques taught in standard undergraduate courses, this textbook provides the astronomical and astrophysical background for students to explore more advanced topics. Special emphasis is given to the underlying physical principles of high energy astrophysics, helping students understand the essential physics. The third edition has been completely rewritten, consolidating the previous editions into one volume. It covers the most recent discoveries in areas such as gamma-ray bursts, ultra-high energy cosmic rays and ultra-high energy gamma rays. The topics have been rearranged and streamlined to make them more applicable to a wide range of different astrophysical problems.

SPIG2018

SPIG2018
Author: Goran Poparić,Bratislav Obradović,Duško Borka,Milan Rajković
Publsiher: MDPI
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2019-04-23
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9783038978503

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This Special Issue covers a wide range of topics from fundamental studies to applications of ionized gases. It is dedicated to four topics of interest: 1. ATOMIC COLLISION PROCESSES (electron and photon interactions with atomic particles, heavy particle collisions, swarms, and transport phenomena); 2. PARTICLE AND LASER BEAM INTERACTION WITH SOLIDS (atomic collisions in solids, sputtering and deposition, and laser and plasma interactions with surfaces); 3. LOW TEMPERATURE PLASMAS (plasma spectroscopy and other diagnostic methods, gas discharges, and plasma applications and devices); 4. GENERAL PLASMAS (fusion plasmas, astrophysical plasmas, and collective phenomena). This Special Issue of Atoms will highlight the need for continued research on ionized gas physics in different topics ranging from fundamental studies to applications, and will review current investigations.

Galaxies Quasars and Cosmology

Galaxies  Quasars  and Cosmology
Author: Lizhi Fang
Publsiher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 292
Release: 1985
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9971978938

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This volume comprises lectures delivered at the First Equatorial School of Relativistic Astrophysics. It covers various topics related to observational and theoretical problems of galaxies, quasars and cosmology. The aim is to analyze current problems.

The New Physics

The New Physics
Author: Paul Davies,P. C. W. Davies
Publsiher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 526
Release: 1989
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0521438314

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The New Physics is a sweeping survey of developments in physics up to the present day. All of the major topics at the frontiers of the subject have been covered in this collection of reviews. Whether the reader wants to know about the ultimate building blocks of matter; the structure, origin and evolution of the Universe; quantum gravity; low temperature physics; optics and lasers; chaos or quantum mechanics; this widely acclaimed book contains a clear explanation by one of the top scientists working in the field. Aimed at scientists and laymen alike, the articles are profusely illustrated throughout with colour photographs and clear explanatory diagrams, and have been meticulously edited to ensure they will appeal to a wide range of readers. In this single volume, Paul Davies, renowned for his ability to communicate advanced topics to the non-specialist, has gathered an exciting collection of reviews by many of the world's top physicists.

Symposium

Symposium
Author: International Astronomical Union
Publsiher: Unknown
Total Pages: 636
Release: 1986
Genre: Astronomy
ISBN: UCAL:B4485312

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