National Center for Supercomputing Applications master calendar

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A forward model of AGN variability for LSST Rubin

Event Type: Seminar/Symposium
Sponsor: Center for AstroPhysical Surveys
Location: NCSA 2100
Date: Jun 3, 2022 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Speaker: Colin Burke
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Originating Calendar: Center for AstroPhysical Surveys; Optical variability is a key probe of the AGN population that will be instrumental for studies of AGN demographics with LSST Rubin. We have developed a phenomenological forward model that generates a mock AGN and host galaxy population and simulates light curves given the survey specifications as input. In this talk, I will show how our model can be used to constrain the local black hole mass function (BHMF) using optical variability with LSST Rubin. The ultimate goal is that this relic BHMF, when probed at low masses, will reveal the signature of how supermassive black holes were seeded at high redshifts.