Quasar feedback

Quasars are now thought to have made critical impact on galaxy formation. In particular, feedback from accretion onto supermassive black holes is implicated in establishing the black hole mass vs galaxy bulge correlations and in limiting the maximal mass of galaxies. Theoretical models predict that both radiative output of the accreting black hole and the relativistic outflows (jets) can make strong impact on the surrounding galaxy, but direct observations of feedback phenomena have been surprisingly difficult to come by. In this talk, I will review the indirect evidence for quasar feedback as required by galaxy formation models. I will then present recent multi-wavelength observations providing direct evidence of powerful quasar-driven winds and outflows on galaxy-wide scales.

Speaker: Nadia Zakamska