8759(  1) - 12/30/99 13:05  - [  1]

    PROPOSAL FOR HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS   ST ScI Use Only
                                                       ID:      8759
                                                       Version: 1
                                                       Check-in Date: 30-Dec-1999
                                                                      12:32:38

1.Proposal Title:
Kinematics of nuclear stellar disks around massive central black holes
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2. Proposal For  3. Cycle
AR               9
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4. Investigators
                                                                                     Contact?
    PI: Monica Valluri                    Univerisity of Chicago
   CoI: Prof. David Merritt               Rutgers University                            N
   CoI: Dr. Charles Joseph                Rutgers University                            N

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5. Abstract

HST imaging has revealed the presence of nuclear stellar disks at the centers of
several early-type galaxies. Simultaneously, spectroscopic studies of galactic
nuclei have yielded dynamical evidence for supermassive black holes with masses of
10^6 - 10^9Msun in about a dozen galaxies. Not an insignifcant fraction of the
quiescent black holes appear to be associated with comparably-massive (~10^8Msun)
stellar disks. The kinematics of these disks provide the most direct route to
determining the masses of the black holes. They may also provide vital clues to the
formation of black holes and establish a more tangible link to the quasar epoch:
nuclear stellar disks may be remnants of more massive gas disks that fuelled the
black holes in quasars. We propose to use archival STIS data obtained for the study
of ``demographics of nuclear black holes'' to carry out a search and analysis of
nuclear stellar disks in 7 galaxies. This study will allow us to determine the
dynamical masses and other properties of disks (where present) and will also help to
put tighter constraints on the masses of central black holes.
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                                                8759(  1) - 12/30/99 13:05  - [  2]

            Summary Form for Proposal  8759

  Item                         Used in this proposal
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  Proposal Category            AR
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