Seminario DAS: Analyzing AGN spectra or how I learned to fit in the Universe

Speaker: Dr. Santiago Bernal
Affiliation: Departamento de Astronomía-FCFM // UNIVERSIDAD DE CHILE 

Abstract: Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are compact regions at the centers of galaxies. AGNs emit significant amounts of energy across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Another characteristic of AGNs is their variability in brightness over a wide range of timescales, from days to years. In this talk, I will give a brief introduction to AGNs and concentrate on properties observed in the UV/optical spectrum. I will present the methodology developed to select AGN candidates using their variability properties, as well as the analysis of AGN UV/optical spectra. In particular, I will present the results of selecting and characterizing AGNs in low-stellar-mass galaxies. Additionally, I will present AMARU, software developed for the automatic fitting and characterization of AGN spectra.