Assigned ID: 618 ----- Attempting Submission 1 (Fri Feb 25 20:53:45 GMT 2011) ----- We propose to use newly available WFC3/IR data in the CANDELS fields to study AGN and their host galaxies at the peak epoch of supermassive black hole growth. Analysis of AGN+host galaxies probes the nature of the co-evolution of black holes and galaxies; for z > 0.5 this requires high-resolution observations with HST, but ACS optical filters are limited to z < 1.25, beyond which their rest-frame UV wavelengths make determination of host morphologies unfeasible. Near-infrared filters on the WFC3 instrument capture high-resolution rest-frame optical images of galaxies at z ~ 2, when galaxies are rapidly evolving and black holes are rapidly growing. Recent observations of local AGN hosts indicate a correlation between morphology and black hole growth rate; investigation of this correlation in the era where large galaxies are being assembled as their central supermassive black holes are strongly accreting (z ~ 2) has only recently become possible. We propose to create the first ever statistically significant (~ 200 objects) sample of rest-frame optical AGN host galaxy morphologies at this epoch of peak co-evolution of black holes and galaxies. This analysis will additionally produce stellar masses and SEDs of host galaxies and bolometric luminosities of obscured AGN. All analysis products will be made publicly available.

AGN/QUASARS 12 Small false 0.0 0.0 false false false false SUPPORTED