Gas accretion onto massive black holes at high fractions of the Eddington limit may produce galaxy-altering feedback, in the form of ionizing radiation and powerful winds. We cannot image these accretion flows in the UV and X-ray wavelengths that are natural to them, but we can utilize spectroscopy and variability to reveal the geometry and physical mechanisms that are at work. The X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (or, XRISM) is a joint venture of JAXA, NASA, and ESA. Launched in Fall 2023, it flies an X-ray microcalorimeter with a resolution of 4.5 eV, achieving a line sensitivity that is nearly two orders of magnitude better than Chandra in the Fe K band. After two years of operation, XRISM is delivering on its promise to produce an architectural blueprint of the central engine, reveal the fastest and most powerful gaseous winds, and explain how such outflows are driven. This talk will provide a brief introduction to XRISM, summarize some emerging trends in observations of AGN, and comment on some of the most productive scientific avenues for its next decade.
Jon Miller, Professor, University of Michigan
Host: Fred Rasio
CIERA ASTROPHYSICS
(847) 491-8646
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