Hubble Space Telescope Survey of Host Galaxies of Hard X-ray-Selected AGNs

  • Hwang, Hyunmo (Department of Astronomyl and Atmospheric Sciences, Kyungbook National University) ;
  • Kim, Minjin (Department of Astronomyl and Atmospheric Sciences, Kyungbook National University) ;
  • Barth, Aaron J. (Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California at Irvine) ;
  • Ho, Luis C. (Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics)
  • Published : 2019.04.10

Abstract

We present an ongoing imaging survey of the host galaxies of hard X-ray-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) observed with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The snapshot images are taken with the Advanced Camera for Surveys through an HST gap-filler program. The sample, selected from the 70-month Swift-BAT X-ray source catalog, represents an unbiased and uniform AGN population, which will enable us to test the AGN unification model and explore the physical connection between host galaxies and central supermassive black holes. We also plan to investigate the AGN triggering mechanism by examining merger signatures and searching for dual nuclei. We present the pipeline for imaging analysis and the current status of the survey.

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