Project Details
Projekt
Emission line haloes in quasars: The smoking gun of quasar feedback?
Applicant
Professor Dr. Lutz Wisotzki
Subject Area
Astrophysics and Astronomy
Term
from 2007 to 2011
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 42000560
Quasars are often surrounded by extended gaseous material, ionized by the nuclear UV continuum and radiating in several distinct emission lines. This gaseous material may be related to large-scale outflows or 'feedback' from the active galactic nucleus into the host galaxy and its environment. We request the continuation of an observational study of such extended emission line regions around quasars. Our chosen approach is to perform optical integral field spectrocopy, which provides maps, velocity fields and emission line ratios at once. We have been very successful accumulating new observational data on the topic, and we present first results from a variety of instruments and samples, with particular emphasis on low-redshift quasars and Seyfert galaxies. Several of our targets show evidence for extended emission that can be related to outflows. We want to combine all our data into a comprehensive investigation of the phenomenon. We also want to address similar issues regarding the presence and properties of extended Ly emission around QSOs at high redshifts, focussing on a comparison between radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars.
DFG Programme
Priority Programmes
