Physics
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The Physics department is committed to education and research in physics, the study of the fundamental universal laws that govern the behavior of matter and energy, and the exploration of the consequences and applications of those laws. Our department is widely known for its excellent teaching and student mentoring. Our department plays an important role in the university’s Core Curriculum. We have strong academic programs with several options for undergraduate physics majors, leading to the B.S. degree, as well as graduate curricula leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Our research groups span a variety of fields within physics. Our principal concentrations are in Astrophysics, Relativity, Gravitation and Cosmology, Condensed Matter Physics, Lasers and Optics, Physics Education, Solar Physics, and the Space Science and Engineering Lab.
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Item An Outflow-driven Water Maser Associated with Positive Black Hole Feedback in the Dwarf Galaxy Henize 2–10(American Astronomical Society, 2024-07) Gim, Hansung B.; Reines, Amy E.; Momjian, Emmanuel; Darling, JeremyHenize 2–10 is a dwarf galaxy experiencing positive black hole (BH) feedback from a radio-detected low-luminosity active galactic nucleus. Previous Green Bank Telescope (GBT) observations detected a H2O "kilomaser" in Henize 2–10, but the low angular resolution (33'') left the location and origin of the maser ambiguous. We present new Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array observations of the H2O maser line at 22.23508 GHz in Henize 2–10 with ∼2'' resolution. These observations reveal two maser sources distinct in position and velocity. The first maser source is spatially coincident with the known BH outflow and the region of triggered star formation ∼70 pc to the east. Combined with the broad width of the maser (W50 ∼ 66 km s−1), this confirms our hypothesis that part of the maser detected with the GBT is produced by the impact of the BH outflow shocking the dense molecular gas along the flow and at the interface of the eastern star-forming region. The second maser source lies to the southeast, far from the central BH, and has a narrow width (W50 ∼ 8 km s−1), suggesting a star formation–related origin. This work has revealed the nature of the H2O kilomaser in Henize 2–10 and illustrates the first known connection between outflow-driven H2O masers and positive BH feedback.Item The ALMA View of Positive Black Hole Feedback in the Dwarf Galaxy Henize 2–10(American Astronomical Society, 2024-03) Gim, Hansung B.; Reines, Amy E.Henize 2–10 is a dwarf starburst galaxy hosting a ∼106M⊙ black hole (BH) that is driving an ionized outflow and triggering star formation within the central ∼100 pc of the galaxy. Here, we present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array continuum observations from 99 to 340 GHz, as well as spectral line observations of the molecules CO (1–0, 3–2), HCN (1–0, 3–2), and HCO+ (1–0, 3–2), with a focus on the BH and its vicinity. Incorporating centimeter-wave radio measurements from the literature, we show that the spectral energy distribution of the BH is dominated by synchrotron emission from 1.4 to 340 GHz, with a spectral index of α ≈ − 0.5. We analyze the spectral line data and identify an elongated molecular gas structure around the BH with a velocity distinct from the surrounding regions. The physical extent of this molecular gas structure is ≈130 pc × 30 pc and the molecular gas mass is ∼106M⊙. Despite an abundance of molecular gas in this general region, the position of the BH is significantly offset from the peak intensity, which may explain why the BH is radiating at a very low Eddington ratio. Our analysis of the spatially resolved line ratio between CO J = 3–2 and J = 1–0 implies that the CO gas in the vicinity of the BH is highly excited, particularly at the interface between the BH outflow and the regions of triggered star formation. This suggests that the cold molecular gas is being shocked by the bipolar outflow from the BH, supporting the case for positive BH feedback.Item NuSTAR Observations of a Heavily X-Ray-obscured AGN in the Dwarf Galaxy J144013+024744(American Astronomical Society, 2023-01) Ansh, Shrey; Chen, Chien-Ting J.; Brandt, W. N.; Hood, Carol E.; Kammoun, E. S.; Lansbury, G.; Paltani, Stéphane; Reines, Amy E.; Ricci, C.; Swartz, Douglas A.; Trump, Jonathan R.; Vito, F.; Hickox, Ryan C.We present a multiwavelength analysis of the dwarf Seyfert 2 galaxy J144013+024744, a candidate obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) thought to be powered by an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH, M • ≈ 104−106 M ⊙) of mass M • ∼ 105.2 M ⊙. To study its X-ray properties, we targeted J144013+024744 with NuSTAR for ≈100 ks. The X-ray spectrum was fitted with an absorbed power law, Pexmon, and a physical model (RXTorus). A Bayesian X-ray analysis was performed to estimate the posteriors. The phenomenological and the physical models suggest the AGN to be heavily obscured by a column density of N H = (3.4–7.0) × 1023 cm−2. In particular, the RXTorus model with a subsolar metallicity suggests the obscuring column to be almost Compton-thick. We compared the 2–10 keV intrinsic X-ray luminosity with the inferred X-ray luminosities based on empirical scaling relations for unobscured AGNs using L [Oiv] 25.89 μm, L [Oiii] λ5007, and L 6μm and found that the high-excitation [Oiv] line provides a better estimate of the intrinsic 2–10 keV X-ray luminosity ( L 2 – 10 int ∼ 10 41.41 erg s−1). Our results suggest that J144013+024744 is the first type 2 dwarf galaxy that shows X-ray spectroscopic evidence for obscuration. The column density that we estimated is among the highest measured to date for IMBH-powered AGNs, implying that a typical AGN torus geometry might extend to the low-mass end. This work has implications for constraining the BH occupation fraction in dwarf galaxies using X-ray observations.Item Hundreds of Low-mass Active Galaxies in the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) Survey(American Astronomical Society, 2022-09) Salehirad, Sheyda; Reines, Amy E.; Molina, MalloryWe present an entirely new sample of 388 low-mass galaxies (M ⋆ ≤ 1010 M ⊙) that have spectroscopic signatures indicating the presence of massive black holes (BHs) in the form of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) or tidal disruption events. Of these, 70 have stellar masses in the dwarf galaxy regime with 108 ≲ M ⋆/M ⊙ ≲ 109.5. We identify the active galaxies by analyzing optical spectra of a parent sample of ∼23,000 low-mass emission-line galaxies in the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) Survey Data Release 4, and employing four different diagnostics based on narrow emission-line ratios and the detection of high-ionization coronal lines. We find that 47 of the 388 low-mass active galaxies exhibit broad Hα in their spectra, corresponding to virial BH masses in the range M BH ∼ 105.0–7.7 M ⊙ with a median BH mass of 〈M BH〉 ∼ 106.2 M ⊙. Our sample extends to higher redshifts (z ≤ 0.3; 〈z〉 = 0.13) than previous samples of AGNs in low-mass/dwarf galaxies based on Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectroscopy, which can be attributed to the spectroscopic limit of GAMA being ∼2 mag deeper. Moreover, our multi-diagnostic approach has revealed low-mass active galaxies spanning a wide range of properties, from blue star-forming dwarfs to luminous “miniquasars” powered by low-mass BHs. As such, this work has implications for BH seeding and AGN feedback at low masses.Item Wandering Black Hole Candidates in Dwarf Galaxies at VLBI Resolution(American Astronomical Society, 2022-07) Sargent, Andrew J.; Johnson, Megan C.; Reines, Amy E.; Secrest, Nathan J.; van der Horst, Alexander J.; Cigan, Phil J.; Darling, Jeremy; Greene, Jenny E.Thirteen dwarf galaxies have recently been found to host radio-selected accreting massive black hole (MBH) candidates, some of which are “wandering” in the outskirts of their hosts. We present 9 GHz Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations of these sources at milliarcsecond resolution. Our observations have beam solid angles ∼104 times smaller than the previous Very Large Array (VLA) observations at 9 GHz, with comparable point-source sensitivities. We detect milliarcsecond-scale radio sources at the positions of the four VLA sources most distant from the photocenters of their associated dwarf galaxies. These sources have brightness temperatures of >106 K, consistent with active galactic nuclei (AGNs), but the significance of their preferential location at large distances (p-value = 0.0014) favors a background AGN interpretation. The VLBA nondetections toward the other nine galaxies indicate that the VLA sources are resolved out on scales of tens of milliarcseconds, requiring extended radio emission and lower brightness temperatures consistent with either star formation or radio lobes associated with AGN activity. We explore the star formation explanation by calculating the expected radio emission for these nine VLBA nondetections, finding that about five have VLA luminosities that are inconsistent with this scenario. Of the remaining four, two are associated with spectroscopically confirmed AGNs that are consistent with being located at their galaxy photocenters. There are therefore between five and seven wandering MBH candidates out of the 13 galaxies we observed, although we cannot rule out background AGNs for five of them with the data in hand.Item The AGN Fraction in Dwarf Galaxies from eROSITA: First Results and Future Prospects(American Astronomical Society, 2021-12) Latimer, Lilikoi J.; Reines, Amy E.; Bogdan, Akos; Kraft, RalphDetermining the fraction of nearby dwarf galaxies hosting massive black holes (BHs) can inform our understanding of the origin of “seed” BHs at high redshift. Here we search for signatures of accreting massive BHs in a sample of dwarf galaxies (M ⋆ ≤ 3 × 109 M ⊙, z ≤ 0.15) selected from the NASA-Sloan Atlas (NSA) using X-ray observations from the eROSITA Final Equatorial Depth Survey (eFEDS). On average, our search is sensitive to active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in dwarf galaxies that are accreting at ≳1% of their Eddington luminosity. Of the ∼28,000 X-ray sources in eFEDS and the 495 dwarf galaxies in the NSA within the eFEDS footprint, we find six galaxies hosting possible active massive BHs. If the X-ray sources are indeed associated with the dwarf galaxies, the X-ray emission is above that expected from star formation, with X-ray source luminosities of L 0.5–8 keV ∼ 1039–40 erg s−1. Additionally, after accounting for chance alignments of background AGNs with dwarf galaxies, we estimate there are between zero and nine real associations between dwarf galaxies and X-ray sources in the eFEDS field at the 95% confidence level. From this we find an upper limit on the eFEDS-detected dwarf galaxy AGN fraction of ≤1.8%, which is broadly consistent with similar studies at other wavelengths. We extrapolate these findings from the eFEDS sky coverage to the planned eROSITA All-Sky Survey and estimate that upon completion, the all-sky survey could yield as many as ∼1350 AGN candidates in dwarf galaxies at low redshift.Item A Chandra and HST View of WISE-selected AGN Candidates in Dwarf Galaxies(American Astronomical Society, 2021-06) Latimer, Lilikoi J.; Reines, Amy E.; Hainline, Kevin N.; Greene, Jenny E.; Stern, DanielReliably identifying active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in dwarf galaxies is key to understanding black hole (BH) demographics at low masses and constraining models for BH seed formation. Here we present Chandra X-ray Observatory observations of 11 dwarf galaxies that were chosen as AGN candidates using Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mid-infrared (mid-IR) color–color selection. Hubble Space Telescope images are also presented for 10 of the galaxies. Based on Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectroscopy, six galaxies in our sample have optical evidence for hosting AGNs and five are classified as star-forming. We detect X-ray point sources with luminosities above that expected from X-ray binaries in the nuclei of five of the six galaxies with optical evidence of AGNs. However, the X-ray emission from these AGNs is generally much lower than expected based on AGN scaling relations with infrared and optical tracers. We do not find compelling evidence for AGNs in the five optically-selected star-forming galaxies despite having red mid-IR colors. Only two are detected in X-rays and their properties are consistent with stellar-mass X-ray binaries. Based on this multiwavelength study, we conclude that two-color mid-IR AGN diagnostics at the resolution of WISE cannot be used to reliably select AGNs in optically-star-forming dwarf galaxies. Future observations in the infrared with the James Webb Space Telescope offer a promising path forward.Item Clumpy Star Formation and AGN Activity in the Dwarf–Dwarf Galaxy Merger Mrk 709(American Astronomical Society, 2021-05) Kimbro, Erin; Reines, Amy E.; Molina, Mallory; Deller, Adam T.; Stern, DanielNearby, low-metallicity dwarf starburst galaxies hosting active galactic nuclei (AGNs) offer the best local analogs to study the early evolution of galaxies and their supermassive black holes (BHs). Here we present a detailed multi-wavelength investigation of star formation and BH activity in the low- metallicity dwarf-dwarf galaxy merger Mrk 709. Using Hubble Space Telescope Hα and continuum imaging combined with Keck spectroscopy, we determine that the two dwarf galaxies are likely in the early stages of a merger (i.e., their first pass) and discover a spectacular ∼ 10 kpc-long string of young massive star clusters (t . 10 Myr; M? & 105 M ) between the galaxies triggered by the interaction. We find that the southern galaxy, Mrk 709 S, is undergoing a clumpy mode of star formation resembling that seen in high-redshift galaxies, with multiple young clusters/clumps having stellar masses between 107 and 108 M . Furthermore, we present additional evidence for a low-luminosity AGN in Mrk 709 S (first identified by Reines et al. 2014 using radio and X-ray observations), including the detection of the coronal [Fe X] optical emission line. The work presented here provides a unique glimpse into processes key to hierarchical galaxy formation and BH growth in the early Universe.Item Black-hole-triggered star formation in the dwarf galaxy Henize 2-10(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2022-01) Schutte, Zachary; Reines, Amy E.Black-hole-driven outflows have been observed in some dwarf galaxies with active galactic nuclei1 , and probably play a role in heating and expelling gas (thereby suppressing star formation), as they do in larger galaxies2 . The extent to which black-hole outflows can trigger star formation in dwarf galaxies is unclear, because work in this area has previously focused on massive galaxies and the observational evidence is scarce3–5 . Henize 2-10 is a dwarf starburst galaxy previously reported to have a central massive black hole6–9 , although that interpretation has been disputed because some aspects of the observational evidence are also consistent with a supernova remnant10,11 . At a distance of approximately 9 Mpc, it presents an opportunity to resolve the central region and to determine if there is evidence for a black-hole outflow influencing star formation. Here we report optical observations of Henize 2-10 with a linear resolution of a few parsecs. We find an approximately 150-pc-long ionized filament connecting the region of the black hole with a site of recent star formation. Spectroscopy reveals a sinusoid-like position–velocity structure that is well described by a simple precessing bipolar outflow. We conclude that this black-hole outflow triggered the star formation.Item A New Sample of (Wandering) Massive Black Holes in Dwarf Galaxies from High-resolution Radio Observations(2020-01) Reines, Amy E.; Condon, James J.; Darling, Jeremy; Greene, Jenny E.We present a sample of nearby dwarf galaxies with radio-selected accreting massive black holes (BHs), the majority of which are non-nuclear. We observed 111 galaxies using sensitive, high-resolution observations from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) in its most extended A-configuration at X band (~8–12 GHz), yielding a typical angular resolution of ~0farcs25 and rms noise of ~15 μJy. Our targets were selected by crossmatching galaxies with stellar masses Msstarf ≤ 3 × 109 M⊙ and redshifts z < 0.055 in the NASA-Sloan Atlas with the VLA Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty centimeters Survey. With our new high-resolution VLA observations, we detect compact radio sources toward 39 galaxies and carefully evaluate possible origins for the radio emission, including thermal H II regions, supernova remnants, younger radio supernovae, background interlopers, and active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the target galaxies. We find that 13 dwarf galaxies almost certainly host active massive BHs, despite the fact that only one object was previously identified as having optical signatures of an AGN. We also identify a candidate dual radio AGN in a more massive galaxy system. The majority of the radio-detected BHs are offset from the center of the host galaxies, with some systems showing signs of interactions/mergers. Our results indicate that massive BHs need not always live in the nuclei of dwarf galaxies, confirming predictions from simulations. Moreover, searches attempting to constrain BH seed formation using observations of dwarf galaxies need to account for such a population of "wandering" BHs.