Linnaeus Physics Colloquium: A multiwavelength view of jetted AGNs

Title: A multiwavelength view of jetted AGNs
Lecturer: Pat Romano, INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Italy

Abstract

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) are bright sources at the centers of galaxies that emit an amount of energy so large that they outshine (by up to a factor of 100) the light produced by their entire host galaxy, effectively making them among the brightest objects in the Universe. The breadth of their electromagnetic spectrum is also extraordinary, as they show strong continuum emission from radio wavelengths to gamma-rays, as well as conspicuous emission and absorption lines. These objects are fascinating because they produce very high luminosities in a small region comparable in size to our solar system, through physical processes even more efficient than the nuclear fusion that powers stars.

I will show how the multi-wavelength approach is the most natural way of investigating the properties of the most extreme of AGNs, Blazars, as different wavelengths probe different emitting regions, ranging from the spectacular large scale radio jets, through UV-optical line emitting regions, down to the compact object powering the AGN. In particular, I will focus on our results on canonical Blazars and a new class of gamma-ray emitting sources, the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies, based on long monitoring campaigns with ground based telescopes and the Swift satellite, as well as and extensive simulations for the future Cherenkov Telescope Array.

About Pat Romano:

Staff Researcher at INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, I am interested in AGNs, Gamma Ray Bursts, X-ray Binaries, that I have tackled using multiwavelength techniques. I have an Astronomy BS from Padua, a MS and PhD from Ohio State University, and I've been working in the USA and in several European countries, though not in Sweden. Yet.
Professional astronomer, devourer of science fiction, amateur runner, and proud member of a dog pack.