Gluttonous black holes

The majority of galaxies host in their center a super-massive black hole of mass between one million and a few billion solar masses. The mass of the black hole is proportional to the bulge mass, which suggests a tight relation between star formation and black hole growth. The black hole feeds on the gas and stars of its neighborhood, but can not swallow more than a certain limit, called the Eddington rate.
Matter infalling on the black hole releases considerable energy, and the nucleus of the galaxy becomes active, either a Seyfert galaxy or a quasar. The winds and jets emitted by the nucleus drag the molecular gas around. The ejected mass is such that it can have a significant impact on the host galaxy, quenching star formation. Supermassive black holes, by rejecting their food, thus control the star formation rate in galaxies.

Coffee will be served at 13:30 in the Auditorium