The Structure and Energetics of Active Galactic Nuclei

The black-hole/accretion-disk paradigm for active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is now reasonably secure, but there are still important unresolved issues, some of which will require the capabilities of an 8 to 10-m class UV/optical space-based telescope. Imaging spectroscopy with a diffraction-limited large telescope will be required to measure AGN black-hole masses from stellar dynamics for direct comparison with reverberation mapping-based masses. High spectral resolution in the UV is required to determine the mass and kinetic energy of the outflows observed in the absorption spectra of AGNs and to understand the energetics of the accretion process. As with ground-based astronomy, however, effective use of a large UV/optical space telescope requires complementary smaller facility instruments; a meter-class UV spectroscopic telescope, for example, can fit into a Medium Explorer budget.