Thread: Naked AGN?
View Single Post
  #3 (permalink)  
Old 09-October-2007, 02:11 AM
StupendousMan's Avatar
StupendousMan StupendousMan is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 506
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by William View Post
First how did the quasar become separated from its companion galaxy?
If two galaxies, each with a supermassive black hole, merge, then the black holes may interact strongly with each other. In some circumstances, one of the black holes may be ejected from the center of the galaxy. There are a number of groups working on the numerical solutions to interacting black holes (one of them here at RIT where I work), and some of the astronomers here are searching for more examples of supermassive black holes which have left their host galaxies.

Quote:

And second if there is a mechanism to separate a quasar from its host galaxy, Why is the quasar still luminous? It must be coasting, producing radiation using remnant gas or some other process. For with the standard model BH have "no hair" and hence can only produce radiation through the accretion mechanism.
Absolutely right. There must still be some gas in the general vicinity for the black hole to be accreting.
Reply With Quote