How are active galaxies powered?
•Have to account for:
•high luminosities
•non-stellar radiation
•variability ® compact nuclei (£ 1 pc diam)
•explosive activity – jets
•rapid internal motions (broad emission lines)
•¯
•accretion onto a compact object
•® supermassive black hole
•millions – billions x M¤ can have radius 20 AU
•infalling material ® gravitational energy® kinetic energy® thermal energy® radiation
•jets accompany accretion disks
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