This National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Astronomical Sciences Project Grant for $631,159, awarded to the University of Toledo effective September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2028, will conduct research to directly test black hole accretion rate prescriptions used in computer simulations of galaxy formation and evolution. The project will leverage state-of-the-art near-infrared adaptive optics-assisted integral field spectroscopy and long-baseline interferometry using the NSF's Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope to obtain high-resolution data on the distribution of cold gas around a range of active black holes. These measurements will provide the necessary inputs to test the accuracy of existing sub-grid prescriptions relating black hole accretion rates to galaxy evolution, and identify which prescriptions are suitable for use in different regimes. The project will also support efforts to recruit and mentor minority students in physics and astronomy. No sub-awards are planned under this award.
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