The main theme of this seminar series, and collaboration research is based on a new idea about the nature of the broad lines regions (BLR) around active galactic nuclei (AGN).

The theoretical part is being developed with Dr Wing-Fai Thi in Munich (Astrochemistry), and Dr Pappas and Kostas Kostaros (PhD student) (General Relativity), while its observational part will be pursued with Professor Francoise Combes (Paris) and Drs Carlos De Breuck and Paola Andreani from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Headquarters in Garching/Munich. Professor Serena Viti in Leiden Observatory will also aid in the astrochemistry models.

In a nutshell the project is driven by two main ideas namely :

• Neutral atoms and even molecules can exist in the gas reservoirs existing in the radiation-hostile environments near the Supermassive Black Holes (SMBHs) which power the so-called Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN).
• The spectral line illumination of the central SMBH provided by such regions (called the Broad Line Regions (BLRs)) can be used for novel tests of General Relativity in strongly curved Spacetimes.

Dernière modification le 26 mai 2025