Letters of Intent received in 2014

LoI 2016-236
Cosmological Evolution of Active Galaxies

Topics

1. AGN unification models.
2. Types of powerful radio sources, scope for unification.
3. Redshift and luminosity distribution of sources. Source counts.
4. The faint source population.
5. Jets and outflows as powerful feedback processes.
6. Intermittent activity of AGNs.
7. Dependence of AGN evolution on environment
8. Efficiency of accretion
9. Formation of the Supermassive Black holes.
10. Quasars as the probes of the Universe structure.

Rationale

Active galaxies are the most common and persistent strong sources of electromagnetic radiation in the universe. The radiation from active galaxy is a result of accretion of mass by a supermassive black hole at the centre of its host galaxy. This simple engine is somehow responsible for large variety of observationally defined classes of active galaxies like Seyferts, Quasars, Blazars, broad absorption line (BAL) quasars or various types of radio galaxies, and nuclear activity is frequently accompanied by starburst. Unification based on orientation introduces some order but there are two other parameters in the problem: the source luminosity and its evolutionary stage, and this issue only starts to be fully recognized. The next step is the question of the complete description of the evolution of the nuclear activity: from the birth of the black hole seed through all activity stages, some of them likely intermittent. This is important for the galaxy evolution: jets and outflows produced by active galaxies are important feedback processes, they can efficiently interact with the surrounding medium and self-regulate the growth of the supermassive black hole and the galactic bulge. The better understanding of active galaxies also open ways to use them as convenient tracers of the expansion of the Universe.

The last decade witnessed the rapid growth of the general understanding of the evolution of the Universe due to the large number of space missions and ground-based facilities gathering the data from radio to gamma rays. More projects are on their ways. The Symposium will provide a good opportunity to bring together the community of active galaxies researchers to summarize the recent results as well as the major problems in the field, and to plan the best ways to address them.

Poland has a great astronomical tradition dating back to the Middle Ages. The most famous Polish astronomer, Nicolaus Copernicus, revolutionized astronomy and perception of our world. The second one, Johannes Hevelius, gained a reputation as "the founder of lunar topography" and described ten new constellations, seven of which are still recognized by astronomers. He was a councillor and mayor of Gdansk, a city where this IAU conference will be taking place.