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Title: How Supermassive Black Holes Influence (Or Are Influenced By) Their Host Galaxies

Speaker: Prof. Jeffrey Hodgson (세종대학교)

Date&Time: 2024-11-15, 11:00 AM

Location: Science Hall B102

Talk to be delivered in English

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Abstract: Recent observations have revealed a surprising connection between supermassive black holes (SMBH) and the galaxies they inhabit, despite the huge differences in scale. Using data from Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) and optical surveys, we have found a weak but significant alignment signal between the direction of the jet emitted by SMBHs with the shape of their host galaxies. This study, recently accepted into Nature Astronomy, demonstrates that black holes, despite their small size relative to their galaxies, are intricately linked to their larger cosmic environment. By comparing the direction of quasar jets with the orientation of their host galaxies, we found a consistent alignment between the jet and the galaxy's minor axis.

 These findings challenge previous assumptions that supermassive black holes and their jets only interact with their immediate surroundings, instead suggesting that they may play a more significant role in shaping their host galaxies and some kind of co-evolution. This discovery provides new insight into galaxy evolution, especially in the context of how galaxies with supermassive black holes, such as quasars, form and evolve after mergers. Moreover, it raises new questions in light of recent James Webb Space Telescope observations of early massive quasars, emphasizing the need to revise our models of galaxy formation.