The Guillermo Haro Astrophysics Programme organizes the

GH Advanced Lectures on 
the Starburst-AGN Connection 

June 26-30, 2000

About the painting



The Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Optica y Electrónica is pleased to announce the Advanced Lectures on the Starburst-AGN Connection, as part of the Programa de Investigación en Astrofísica Avanzada Guillermo Haro.



This page contains the following information:


Topics
 
Variability  Bradley M. Peterson (Ohio State Univ, USA)
Relations between accretion and emission processes in AGN Suzy Collin (Obs. Meudon, France) 
The standard model - Physical Processes Hagai Netzer (Wise Obs., Israel) 
Stars in AGN  Roberto J. Terlevich (IoA, UK)
Fueling the AGN  Francoise Combes (Obs. Meudon, France)
Unified models  Robert Goodrich (Keck Obs., USA) 
Cosmic evolution, galaxy formation Brian J. Boyle (AAO, Australia)




Motivation

Over the last two decades our understanding of the physics of active galactic nuclei (AGN) activity has largely improved. Still the energy source of AGN is a matter of debate. Most models have priviledged the idea that the energy source is gravitational and that the ultimate evolution of matter into a supermassive black hole is the cornerstone for further theoretical and observational investigations. On the other hand an alternative scenario has been put forward to account for the activity of radio-quiet AGN. 
 

Observationally the advent of new space missions has permitted to gather new information from spectral regions that are crucial for the physical processes originating in or near the nucleus of AGN. For instance, X-rays and masers have revealed large rotational motions around what is apparently a very large massive object, so centrally concentrated that the black hole hypothesis seems to be an unavoidable possibility. On the other hand, ground based and HST observations from the UV to the near-IR show that the continuum observed in some Seyfert 2 galaxies is mainly generated by a young starburst hence dominated by massive stars. Presently it is not only possible to study AGN in many different spectral ranges thus providing a very comprehensive picture, but also the gains in spectral and spatial resolution have permitted to explore in great detail the very central regions of AGN and the links with their host galaxies. 
 

Future progress will come through combining data from innovative instrumentation on large telescopes such as the VLT, and in the future the NGST, the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) and the Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT/GTM), together with a theoretical framework which incorporates them into a coherent description. It appears very important to see whether the two approaches: the black hole paradigm and the starburst models can be linked together or excluded in some instances. Our recent view of cosmic evolution over the last 90% of time seems to indicate that AGN may play a role in galaxy formation and evolution although a lot of work needs to be done both observationally and theoretically in this domain 



 

Scope

The goal is to gather a team of experts in the field to deliver a thorough review of AGN phenomenology and physics, so as to cover the area and identify the most pertinent outstanding unsolved problems in the starburst-AGN connection problem. These Lectures are particularly dedicated to advanced students, post-docs and researchers. After each lecture there will be ample room for discussions. 



 

Venue 

The lectures will be held at the Institute campus at Tonantzintla, Puebla.