Observational Signatures of High-Redshift Quasars and Local Relics of Black Hole Seeds. (27th October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Reines, Amy E.; Comastri, Andrea
• Is Part Of: Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia. Volume 33(2016)
• Publication Date: 2016-10-27
• Subjects: black hole physics – galaxies: active – galaxies: dwarf – quasars: general – surveys; Astronomy -- Periodicals; Southern sky (Astronomy) -- Periodicals; Astrophysics -- Periodicals; Periodicals; 520.5
• DOI: 10.1017/pasa.2016.46
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1323-3580

Abstract

Abstract: Observational constraints on the birth and early evolution of massive black holes come from two extreme regimes. At high redshift, quasars signal the rapid growth of billion-solar-mass black holes and indicate that these objects began remarkably heavy and/or accreted mass at rates above the Eddington limit. At low redshift, the smallest nuclear black holes known are found in dwarf galaxies and provide the most concrete limits on the mass of black hole seeds. Here, we review current observational work in these fields that together are critical for our understanding of the origin of massive black holes in the Universe.