Non-ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effects may play a significant role in determining the dynamics, thermal properties, and observational signatures of radiatively inefficient accretion flows onto black holes. In particular, particle acceleration during magnetic reconnection events may influence black hole spectra and flaring properties. We use representative general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations of black hole accretion flows to identify and explore the structures and properties of current sheets as potential sites of magnetic reconnection. In the case of standard and normal evolution (SANE) disks, we find that in the reconnection sites, the plasma beta ranges from 0.1 to 1000, the magnetization ranges from 10(-4) to 1, and the guide fields are weak compared with the reconnecting fields. In magnetically arrested (MAD) disks, we find typical values for plasma beta from 10(-2) to 10(3), magnetizations from 10(-3) to 10, and typically stronger guide fields, with strengths comparable to or greater than the reconnecting fields. These are critical parameters that govern the electron energy distribution resulting from magnetic reconnection and can be used in the context of plasma simulations to provide microphysics inputs to global simulations. We also find that ample magnetic energy is available in the reconnection regions to power the fluence of bright X-ray flares observed from the black hole in the center of the Milky Way.

Quasars at high redshift provide direct information on the mass growth of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and, in turn, yield important clues about how the universe evolved since the first (Pop III) stars started forming. Yet even basic questions regarding the seeds of these objects and their growth mechanism remain unanswered. The anticipated launch of eROSITA and ATHENA is expected to facilitate observations of high-redshift quasars needed to resolve these issues. In this paper, we compare accretion-based SMBH growth in the concordance Lambda CDM model with that in the alternative Friedmann-Robertson-Walker cosmology known as the R-h = ct universe. Previous work has shown that the timeline predicted by the latter can account for the origin and growth of the greater than or similar to 10(9) M-circle dot highest redshift quasars better than that of the standard model. Here, we significantly advance this comparison by determining the soft X-ray flux that would be observed for Eddington-limited accretion growth as a function of redshift in both cosmologies. Our results indicate that a clear difference emerges between the two in terms of the number of detectable quasars at redshift z greater than or similar to 7, raising the expectation that the next decade will provide the observational data needed to discriminate between these two models based on the number of detected high-redshift quasar progenitors. For example, while the upcoming ATHENA mission is expected to detect similar to 0.16 (i.e., essentially zero) quasars at z similar to 7 in R-h = ct, it should detect similar to 160 in Lambda CDM-a quantitatively compelling difference.

The wide-area XMM-XXL X-ray survey is used to explore the fraction of obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at high accretion luminosities, L-X(2-10 keV) greater than or similar to 10(44) erg s(-1), and out to redshift z approximate to 1.5. The sample covers an area of about 14 deg(2) and provides constraints on the space density of powerful AGNs over a wide range of neutral hydrogen column densities extending beyond the Compton-thick limit, N-H approximate to 10(24) cm(-2). The fraction of obscured Compton-thin (N-H = 10(22) - 10(24) cm(-2)) AGNs is estimated to be approximate to 0.35 for luminosities L-X(2-10 keV) > 10(44) erg s(-1), independent of redshift. For less luminous sources, the fraction of obscured Compton-thin AGNs increases from 0.45 +/- 0.10 at z = 0.25 to 0.75 +/- 0.05 at z = 1.25. Studies that select AGNs in the infrared via template fits to the observed spectral energy distribution of extragalactic sources estimate space densities at high accretion luminosities consistent with the XMM-XXL constraints. There is no evidence for a large population of AGNs (e.g. heavily obscured) identified in the infrared and missed at X-ray wavelengths. We further explore the mid-infrared colours of XMM-XXL AGNs as a function of accretion luminosity, column density and redshift. The fraction of XMM-XXL sources that lie within the mid-infrared colour wedges defined in the literature to select AGNs is primarily a function of redshift. This fraction increases from about 20-30 per cent at z = 0.25 to about 50-70 per cent at z = 1.5.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第22251号 / 理博第4565号 / 新制||理||1655(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院理学研究科物理学・宇宙物理学専攻 / (主査)教授 嶺重 慎, 准教授 前田 啓一, 教授 長田 哲也 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

Dans l’Univers, on observe des galaxies lointaines ne formant plus d’étoiles, mais les astrophysiciens n’ont pas encore identifié avec certitude les phénomènes physiques à l’origine de leur “mort”. Pour apporter des éléments de réponse, je me suis penchée sur l’étude de phénomènes qui pourraient y jouer un rôle : les processus de rétroaction des étoiles et des trous noirs supermassifs actifs, la formation stellaire, et les vents galactiques. Le Chapitre 1 présente toutes les notions nécessaires à la compréhension du problème : les caractéristiques des galaxies typiques de l’Univers proche et lointain ; les vents galactiques ; la mort des galaxies; les trous noirs supermassifs actifs (noyaux actifs de galaxies, AGN) et les étoiles ; et leur rétroaction. Dans le Chapitre 2, je présente les techniques numériques utilisées : le code de simulations astrophysiques RAMSES et le code de transfert radiatif Cloudy, que j’ai utilisé pour développer une méthode de calcul de l’état d’ionisation d’une galaxie, détaillée au Chapitre 3. Le Chapitre 4 étudie le couplage entre les trous noirs actifs et les étoiles, avec le projet POGO, Origines Physiques des Vents Galactiques. Durant cette thèse, j’ai montré que les trous noirs actifs n’étaient pas en mesure de tuer subitement leur hôte, même en prenant en compte la rétroaction des étoiles, et que leur couplage peut réduire ou renforcer les vents dans les galaxies en fonction de leur masse. Le Chapitre 5 fait un état de l’art du domaine avant et pendant mon doctorat, reprend les conclusions de cette thèse et donne quelques perspectives, notamment en ce qui concerne le rôle additionnel des rayons cosmiques dans la mort des galaxies / In the Universe, we observe galaxies forming no, or almost no, stars anymore, but astrophysicists do not know yet what physical mechanisms cause their “death”. To give clues to solve the problem, I studied feedback processes from stars and active supermassive black holes, star formation and galactic outflows. Chapter 1 presents all the notions to understand the problem: the characteristics of typical galaxies in the local and distant Universe, galactic outflows, galaxy death, active supermassive black holes, stars, and their feedback processes. In Chapter 2, I describe the numerical techniques I used: the simulation code RAMSES, and the radiative transfer code Cloudy, which I used to develop a computation method to get the ionization state of an entire galaxy. This method is presented in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 studies the coupling between the feedback processes of active supermassive black holes and stars, with the POGO project, Physical Origins of Galactic Outflows. During this thesis, I showed that typical active supermassive black hole cannot suddenly kill their host, even when stellar feedback processes are accounted for, and that their coupling either reduces or enhances the mass outflow rate depending on the mass of the host. In Chapter 5, I give a state-of-the-art about active supermassive black holes before and during my thesis, sum up the conclusions of the work, and give perspectives to enlarge the scope of the study, especially regarding the additional role of cosmic rays in the death of galaxies

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第18796号 / 理博第4054号 / 新制||理||1583(附属図書館) / 31747 / 京都大学大学院理学研究科物理学・宇宙物理学専攻 / (主査)准教授 上田 佳宏, 教授 太田 耕司, 教授 長田 哲也 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第20179号 / 理博第4264号 / 新制||理||1613(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院理学研究科物理学・宇宙物理学専攻 / (主査)准教授 上田 佳宏, 教授 嶺重 慎, 教授 長田 哲也 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

No description available.

For the past several decades, mass estimates for supermassive black holes hosted by active galactic nuclei (AGN) have been made with the reverberation mapping (RM) technique. This methodology has produced consistent results and has been used to establish several relations that link the characteristics of the host galaxy to the mass of the central black hole. Despite this success, there are less than 50 AGN with black hole masses derived from RM. This low number is generally attributed to the difficulties in coordinating large blocks of telescope time for making simultaneous photometric and spectroscopic observations. Spectroscopic observations also generally require several months of nightly observations with moderate to large size telescopes as the signal-to-noise ratio is too low for smaller telescopes. We have made photometric observations of NGC 5548 in four filters (a custom-made Hα10 filter, the Strömgren y filter, the Johnson/Cousins V filter and the Johnson/Cousins R filter) in order to evaluate a photometric methodology for determining the lag time between the variations observed in the continuum and the Hα emission from the broad-line region (BLR) gas. This time delay represents the mean light travel time to the BLR and is therefore a measurement of the mean BLR radius. Multiple JAVELIN analyses of the three continuum light curves (y, V, and R), relative to the light curve from the Hα10 filter yields a value for τ = 3.3 ± 0.1 days. Adopting a value of f = 5.5, along with a single-epoch spectroscopic measurement from Park et of Δv = 4354±25 km/s, enables us to estimate a black hole mass of M_BH = 67.2±2.2x10^6 M_sun.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第24868号 / 理博第4978号 / 新制||理||1711(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院理学研究科物理学・宇宙物理学専攻 / (主査)准教授 細川 隆史, 教授 井岡 邦仁, 教授 橋本 幸士 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DFAM