Seminar at PAG - Unveiling the central engine of mass-accreting black holes based on time-domain studies

Abstract: Mass-accreting massive black holes are presumably the most energetic and dynamic sources in the universe, not to mention that they also play an important role in galaxy evolution. However, our understanding of the central engine of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is mainly limited due to the lack of proper spatial resolution. In this talk I will discuss how we can unveil the structure of black hole engine via time-domain studies. I will present a couple of exciting results from the Seoul National University AGN Monitoring Project (SAMP), which was carried out for six years, (2016-2021), and discuss our on-going variability studies for measuring the size of accretion disk and torus. I will also briefly discuss Future surveys, i.e., SPHEREx and LSST, which will provide unprecedented time series data for understanding AGN physics.

Jong-Hak Woo is a professor at Seoul National University who visited PAG on 18th Feb. 2025 delivering the above talk.