Astronomy Colloquium

Since their discovery as enigmatic blueshifted absorption lines, it has been realized that galactic flows are a critical process in galaxy evolution. They are believed to carry mass and energy into and out of galaxies, shaping the properties of their baryons from sub-pc to hundreds of kpc scales. These flows are also invoked as the process connecting the stellar mass growth in galaxies with the growth of their supermassive black holes, which when accrete, are referred to as Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). In this talk, I will review the observational properties of AGN-driven winds. I will present an inventory of such flows in different galactic environments, which is based on multi-wavelength studies from X-ray to radio. I will highlight new advances in the field, including some surprising findings we have made. I will finish by discussing the role of these winds in shaping their galaxies' evolution, and will present several open questions that can be answered using new observing facilities, such as JWST. 

To view this talk via YouTube, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb1880Rn0qkKFkWyROUq1kRlgCsuBTrnd