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Journal article
Active galactic nuclei: what's in a name?
The Astronomy and astrophysics review, v 25(1), pp 1-91
23 Aug 2017
Abstract
Active galactic nuclei (AGN) are energetic astrophysical sources powered by accretion onto supermassive black holes in galaxies, and present unique observational signatures that cover the full electromagnetic spectrum over more than twenty orders of magnitude in frequency. The rich phenomenology of AGN has resulted in a large number of different "flavours" in the literature that now comprise a complex and confusing AGN "zoo". It is increasingly clear that these classifications are only partially related to intrinsic differences between AGN and primarily reflect variations in a relatively small number of astrophysical parameters as well the method by which each class of AGN is selected. Taken together, observations in different electromagnetic bands as well as variations over time provide complementary windows on the physics of different sub-structures in the AGN. In this review, we present an overview of AGN multi-wavelength properties with the aim of painting their "big picture" through observations in each electromagnetic band from radio to -rays as well as AGN variability. We address what we can learn from each observational method, the impact of selection effects, the physics behind the emission at each wavelength, and the potential for future studies. To conclude, we use these observations to piece together the basic architecture of AGN, discuss our current understanding of unification models, and highlight some open questions that present opportunities for future observational and theoretical progress.
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Details
- Title
- Active galactic nuclei: what's in a name?
- Creators
- P. Padovani - European Southern ObservatoryD. M. Alexander - Durham UniversityR. J. Assef - Diego Portales UniversityB. De Marco - Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial PhysicsP. Giommi - Agenzia Spaziale ItalianaR. C. Hickox - Dartmouth CollegeG. T. Richards - Drexel UniversityV. Smolcic - University of ZagrebE. Hatziminaoglou - European Southern ObservatoryV. Mainieri - European Southern ObservatoryM. Salvato - Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics
- Publication Details
- The Astronomy and astrophysics review, v 25(1), pp 1-91
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Number of pages
- 91
- Grant note
- 665778; UMO-2016/21/P/ST9/04025 / European Union via the Polish National Science Center ST/L00075X/1 / Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC); UK Research & Innovation (UKRI); Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC); Science and Technology Development Fund (STDF) 1411773 / NSF; National Science Foundation (NSF) ST/P000541/1 / STFC; UK Research & Innovation (UKRI); Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC) NNX12AI49G / NASA-ADAP Grant 337595 / European Union; European Commission 1515364; 1554584 / National Science Foundation; National Science Foundation (NSF) 1151408 / FONDECYT; Comision Nacional de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnologica (CONICYT); CONICYT FONDECYT NNX16AN48G; NNX15AP24G; NNX15AU32H / NASA; National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) Alexander von Humboldt Foundation ST/P000541/1 / Science and Technology Facilities Council; UK Research & Innovation (UKRI); Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Accelerated Career Entry Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN); Physics
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000408432800001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85028439164
- Other Identifier
- 991019169793504721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Astronomy & Astrophysics