Oxygen Abundances & The Metallicity-Luminosity Relation

Jan 20, 2023 · 1 min read
projects

By systematically analyzing the narrow line regions (NLRs) of Seyfert galaxies, this project explores how actively accreting supermassive black holes influence the gas-phase oxygen abundances in their host environments. Using state-of-the-art photoionization models, we established refined metallicity-luminosity relations crucial for understanding galaxy evolution, specifically noting the anti-correlation driven by AGN feedback.

Interactive M-Z-L Relation Simulator

Simulate the shifts in the Luminosity-Metallicity anti-correlation across varying degrees of AGN feedback strength.

Authors
Mark Armah (He/Him)
Postdoctoral Fellow
I am an extragalactic astrophysicist specializing in the chemical evolution of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) and Seyfert galaxies. My research addresses a fundamental question in galaxy evolution: how do actively accreting supermassive black holes regulate the chemical and physical properties of their host environments? By bridging the gap between intricate multi-dimensional spectroscopic datasets and advanced theoretical photoionization models, I develop custom computational pipelines to untangle AGN radiation from true gas-phase abundances. Ultimately, my work pioneers robust new metallicity calibrations and diagnostic tools that allow wider applications to decode complex AGN feedback mechanisms.