This $235,890 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049) will fund research investigating quasar variability through high-cadence spectroscopy. The University of Wisconsin-Madison will leverage spectroscopic monitoring data from ongoing Sloan Digital Sky Survey initiatives to measure properties of quasar accretion disk winds and outflows. Researchers will analyze ensemble variability characteristics of quasar emission lines over multiple timescales to study broad-line region physical conditions. An extreme variability event search will help distinguish accretion disk and energetic models. Results aim to better characterize quasar inner environments and accretion physics governing their activity, furthering understanding of interactions with host galaxies. The award also supports related STEM outreach including a University of Arizona black hole summer camp and University of Connecticut physics bridge program targeting underrepresented groups in STEM.
Generated 1/6/24, 11:06 AM