ESAC Science Workshop Series #2

The Starburst-AGN Connection under the Multiwavelength Limelight

European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC-ESA)

Workshop rationale

Since the discovery of a tight relation between supermassive black hole masses, the bulge luminosity, and the stellar velocity dispersion in the local universe galaxies, mounting experimental evidence has been collected pointing to a connection between nuclear activity and star formation over a wide range of redshifts. Although a growing number of galaxies from different samples exhibit simultaneous starburst and AGN phenomenology, it is still a matter of debate whether this is the smoking gun of a causal relation between them, and, if so, with which trend. Basic issues in modern astrophysics, such as the evolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes, AGN feeding and feedback to the interstellar and intergalactic medium, as well as the role played by the environment on the star formation history are related to this "Starburst-AGN Connection".

This Workshop aims at gathering observational and theoretical astronomers so as to answer the following questions:

• The "Starburst-AGN Connection": A causal relation?
• "Starburst-AGN Connection" at low and high redshift: any evidence for evolution?
• Is there a connection between AGN obscuration and star formation?
• In which way are the star formation and AGN phenomena affected by the environment?
• Do stars contribute to AGN fueling?

Multiwavelength observations in the last decade have given a paramount contribution to improve our understanding in this field. The Workshop will build on this panoptic view, and aims at contributing to the scientific case of future ground-based and space large observatories.

More then 100 astronomers attended the three-day workshop.

Scientific Program

The program of the scientific sessions, as well as the list of accepted posters include links to the PDF file of each contribution. The abstract booklet is also available.

Invited speakers

Danielle ALLOIN (OHP-CNRS, Marseille), Marcella BRUSA (Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching),  Richard DAVIES (Max Planck Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching), Paola di MATTEO (GEPI, Observatoire de Paris), Timothy HECKMAN (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore), Roberto MAIOLINO (INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma), Sylvain VEILLEUX (University of Maryland)

Science Organizing Committee

Dave M. Alexander (Durham U., UK), Danielle Alloin [Chair] (OHP-CNRS, France), Almudena Alonso Herrero (CAB-CSIC/INTA, Spain), Rosa María González Delgado (IAA-CSIC, Spain), Timothy M. Heckman (JHU, USA), Dieter Lutz (MPE-MPG, Germany), Alessandro Marconi (U. Firenze, Italy), Pedro M. Rodríguez Pascual [co-Chair] (ESAC-ESA, Spain), Michael Rowan-Robinson (Imperial College, UK) , Thaisa Storchi-Bergmann (UFRGS, Brazil), and Sylvain Veilleux (U. Maryland, USA).

Local Organizing Committee

B. Altieri, G. Bélanger, M. Cadolle Bel, J.M. Castro Cerón, M. Guainazzi [Chair], M.R. Kidger, A. Labiano, N. Loiseau, J.M. Mas Hesse, G. Miniutti, R. Pérez Martínez, R.D. Saxton, and I. Valtchanov.