College of Arts & Sciences

Kayley DiPaolo

College of Arts & Sciences Physics

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Gordon Richards Physics

Probing UV-X Ray Correlations in Quasars

Quasars, or luminous active galactic nuclei (AGN), can exhibit characteristics such as strong/weak accretion disk winds based on their X-ray properties; therefore we are attempting to categorize species of them. Accretion disks are rotating disks of matter that surround a large gravitational body, and radiate in the X-ray part of the electromagnetic spectrum. This research lays the foundation for a better understanding of how X-rays influence quasar disk winds and how the UV emission lines reflect those winds. Our project includes running a data set of quasars through a digital database of previously recorded objects, known as the Chandra archive. This allows us to see which objects have associated X-ray properties. Our project also allows for the confirmation of unbiased targeted selection, with the goal of improving the Chandra archive as a whole. If we find the Chandra archive to be biased, we will add observing times to address this issue.