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University
Shawnee State University
Major
Chemistry
Presentation Types
Oral Presentation
Keywords:
Spectroscopy, Black Holes, Galaxies
Abstract
Most galaxies have a massive black hole at their center, and these black holes grow through accreting gas from the galaxy. So we can expect there to be a relation between galaxy mass and black hole mass. Using the spectra of several galaxies, we have measured the masses of their black holes. The gas orbiting the black holes moves at speeds related to the black hole mass, and we can measure the speeds spectroscopically from their Doppler shift. In addition to this, we have observations of the galaxy as a whole with Integral Field Spectroscopy, in which every pixel in the image has a spectrum. This way, we can measure the Doppler shift of each part of the galaxy as it orbits the center, allowing us to measure the mass of the galaxy.
Human Subjects
no
Faculty Mentor Name
Dr. Tim Hamilton
Faculty Mentor Title
Professor
Faculty Mentor Academic Department
Natural Sciences
Recommended Citation
Rose, Gavin, "The Analysis of Black Hole Masses Through Spectroscopy" (2023). Celebration of Scholarship. 18.
https://digitalcommons.shawnee.edu/cos/2023/Day4/18
The Analysis of Black Hole Masses Through Spectroscopy
Most galaxies have a massive black hole at their center, and these black holes grow through accreting gas from the galaxy. So we can expect there to be a relation between galaxy mass and black hole mass. Using the spectra of several galaxies, we have measured the masses of their black holes. The gas orbiting the black holes moves at speeds related to the black hole mass, and we can measure the speeds spectroscopically from their Doppler shift. In addition to this, we have observations of the galaxy as a whole with Integral Field Spectroscopy, in which every pixel in the image has a spectrum. This way, we can measure the Doppler shift of each part of the galaxy as it orbits the center, allowing us to measure the mass of the galaxy.