Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Applying Hierarchical Clustering To Broad Absorption Line Profiles For Quasar Classification, Nathalie Chantal Marie Thibert

2016 Undergraduate Awards

The region immediately surrounding an actively accreting supermassive black hole at the centre of a massive galaxy, the accretion disk, produces an enormous amount of radiation resulting in a luminous, short-lived phenomenon called a quasar. About 20% of quasars show broad, blue-shifted absorption features in their UV spectra, indicative of an outflowing wind from the accretion disk. These winds can remove angular momentum from the accretion disk, thereby contributing to the growth of the central black hole. Understanding these winds will help us to better constrain the details of how black holes grow during the quasar phase. The structures of …