Astro 734 - Astrophysics of AGN
Spring 2002
Tuesdays 1:30-3:00
Ken Chambers

This 2 credit seminar will provide an introduction to
the physics of active galactic nuclei and associated
phenomena.  Students should either be concurrently enrolled in 
Astro 627 - Cosmology or have the equivalent background. 
The seminar will consist of a dozen or more lectures 
followed by student presentations of a chosen topic or research paper. 

Topics to be covered will include: 


1. Introduction and Taxonomy of AGN 

2. Surveys for AGN
   Radio, FIR, optical, uv, x-ray, gamma-ray 

3. Evolution of AGN
   Source counts, V/Vmax test, luminosity vs. number evolution

4. Energetics and Black Holes 
   Mean energy density of AGN light, production efficiency and remnant mass,
   evidence for black holes in galaxies  

5. Black Hole Physics 
   Particle mechanics near a black hole,
   motion in Schwartzschild metric, motion in a Kerr metric 
   electromagnetic fields and the rotating black hole battery

6. Spherical accretion
   Bondi accretion, the Eddington limit, Nonadiabatic accretion

7. Thin Accretion disks
   Shakura-Sunyeav solution, viscosity, magnetized winds 
   Balbus-Hawley instability 

8. Thick accretion disks, tori, and advection dominated accretion 
   Emitted spectra and observational tests

9. Radio emission, synchroton and synchro-self-compton emission  
   Radio astronomy, interferometry, and self-calibration

10. Radio jets, acceleration and collimation, morphology, jet radiation, 
    superluminal motion

11. Emission lines, classification by emission line properties 
    line production by photo-ionization, modern codes
    model construction, locally optimized clouds, shock ionization

12. Intrinsic absorption and outflows  
    Phenomenology, dynamics, thermal winds, magnetically driven winds
    radiation driven winds, mass outflow 

13. Anisotropic appearance and unification of disparate AGN  
    mechanisms, radio-quiet unification, radio loud unification 
    alignment effect

14. Properties of Host Galaxies
    morphology, bars and peculiarities, luminosity, orientation, host ISM, 
    impact of nucleus on host, impact of black hole on stellar dynamics 

15. Onset of activity and fueling
    formation of black holes, multiple black holes, mergers and fueling
    mechanisms, cooling flows, bar-driven inflows, encounters  

16. Dust emission, toroidal obscuration, optical scattering from dust
    cosmic evolution of dust content of AGN, metalicity constraints 

17. Gamma-ray and TeV sources, blazars, BAL quasars 

18. AGN at high redshift, HzRGs, quasars, 
    absorption lines, lensing and multiple lines of sight 
    host galaxies at high redshift, blank fields.



Recomended texts include Krolik (1999) and Peterson (1996).