| Description |
The coevolution of central black holes and their host galaxies appears to bedriven by starburst and AGN activity, and their respective energy feedback. Depending on the evolutionary state of the system, the AGN can be heavily obscured and appear as a Type 2 source. The relationship between the AGNand the galaxy has been extensively investigated by focusing on the stellar component of the host, especially the velocity dispersion and luminosity of the bulge, which empirically are closely coupled to the black hole mass. However, an insufficient amount of attention has been devoted to characterizing the ISM of the host galaxy. Here we propose to obtain FIR photometry with PACS and SPIRE for a volume-limited sample of Type 2 QSOs, complementary in redshift and luminosity to a sample of z < 0.5 Type 1 QSOs being studied by our team in OT1. Our goal is to derive robust dust masses and temperatures, and star formation rates for these two classes of QSOs, to test their physical connection. If, as has been suggested, Type 2 QSOs are the progenitors of Type 1 sources, we expect the Type 2s to be more gas (dust) rich, and perhaps have higher star formation rates, than the Type 1s. For objects at the mean redshift of z = 0.2, we can constrain the mass of warm (virgul60 K) and cold (virgul25 K) dust down to 3E+5 and 3E+7 solar masses, respectively, similar to levels found in the Milky Way. These data will provide a fundamental dataset for testing the evolutionary link between Type 1 and Type 2 QSOs, and the broader relationship between black hole growth and galaxy formation. The goals of this proposal mesh well with one of Herschel.s main mission statements: Unveiling hidden details of star and galaxy formation and evolution. |
