Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Search For Heavily Obscured Active Galactic Nuclei In The Local Universe, Ross Silver

All Dissertations

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) are supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in the center of galaxies that accrete surrounding gas and emit across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. They are the most energetic persistent emitters in the Universe, capable of outshining their host galaxies despite their emission originating from a region smaller than our Solar System. AGN were some of the first sources discovered that helped teach us that there were galaxies outside of our own, and they proved the existence of black holes. Moreover, AGN can give us valuable insights into other branches of astrophysics. For example, they can be used to …

X-Ray Populations In The Local Group: Insights With Hubble & Chandra, Neven Vulic

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

X-ray observations provide a unique perspective on the most energetic processes in the Universe. In particular, Low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) found in globular clusters have been shown to depend on the mass, radius, and metallicity of the cluster. This thesis focuses on the impact environmental parameters have on X-ray sources and the underlying physical explanations for them.

I studied the X-ray binary population in M31 using 1 Ms of Chandra ACIS data and 6-filter photometry from the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury Survey. From a sample of 83 star clusters we found the brightest and most compact star clusters preferentially hosted …

The X-Ray Variability Of Seyfert Galaxies, Kevin Marshall

Physics and Astronomy Dissertations

Strong and variable X-ray emission has long been known to be a universal property of active galaxies. However, despite years of study, the exact nature of the variability remains relatively unknown. We present here results of a multi-year monitoring campaign of a sample of Seyfert galaxies (3C 120, Mkn 509, 3C 390.3, and Akn 120), carried out using the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). For Mkn 509, we also present results of optical monitoring. Mkn 509 shows a strong correlation between X-ray and optical variations, with the optical leading the X-ray by 25 days. We also investigate the rms-flux relationship …