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| Paper: |
The Host Galaxy-AGN Connection - Is Neutral Gas the Key? |
| Volume: |
290, Active Galactic Nuclei: from Central Engine to Host Galaxy |
| Page: |
535 |
| Authors: |
Mundell, C. G. |
| Abstract: |
Supermassive black holes are thought to be ubiquitous in bulge-dominated galaxies and the standard model of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) invokes the release of gravitational energy due to accretion of material onto a central black hole. What determines the presence and degree of nuclear activity, however, remains an unanswered question. Unlike quasar activity, which seems to coincide with the build-up of galactic-size structures, activity in nearby AGN with well-established host galaxies, must involve re-activation of their central black holes. Neutral hydrogen (HI) is a key tracer of galactic structure and dynamics and responds most readily to perturbations caused by tidal disturbance and non-axisymetric gravitational potentials - perturbations which have been mooted as possible triggers of nuclear activity. I present here an HI imaging study of a heterogeneous sample of nine nearby Seyfert galaxies and describe plans for a new HI survey which aims to investigate the role of the host gas in triggering and fuelling of nuclear activity on a statistical basis. |
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