The "Active Galactic Nuclei XVI: A Sea of Discoveries" conference continues a three-decade-long tradition of bringing together experts to share and discuss the latest research in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). Held in Brindisi, in the heart of Puglia, this meeting serves as an invaluable opportunity for experts to not only review the current status of the field, but also to exchange ideas, forge new collaborations, and push the boundaries of AGN research.
The Italian AGN community is growing and highly active, with its interests expanding across a wide range of astrophysical topics. This meeting will not only showcase the community's established expertise but also its burgeoning involvement in new research areas.
The scientific program will cover the following key topics:
1. Black Hole Accretion and Outflows: Focusing on the physics of accretion disks, the mechanisms driving high-velocity winds, and the geometry of circumnuclear regions.
2. Relativistic Jets and Particle Acceleration: Investigating the launching, collimation, and energetic processes within relativistic jets, including their composition and impact.
3. Black Holes Across the Mass Scale and Time-Domain Probes: Exploring the accretion and ejection coupling through analogies and differences between supermassive black holes, intermediate and stellar-mass compact objects and through transient sources (TDEs, QPEs, Changing-look, etc.).
4. Binary and Dual AGN Systems: Studying the observational signatures, dynamics, and gravitational wave implications of closely separated and merging black hole systems.
5. Multi-Messenger: Leveraging variability studies, gravitational waves, and high-energy neutrinos (multi-messenger astronomy) to understand the immediate vicinity of the central engine.
6. AGN Feedback and the Host Galaxy: Analyzing how AGN energy output (kinetic and radiative feedback) impacts star formation and gas distribution within the host galaxy and its surrounding dark matter halo.
7. The Early Growth of Supermassive Black Holes: Examining the formation, growth rates, and census of SMBHs in the high-redshift universe (z > 6) and their role in cosmic reionization.
8. Cosmological Implications and Large-Scale Environment: Discussing the role of AGN in structure formation and galaxy evolution models, including the effect of the large-scale environment on AGN activity.
9. Current and Future Facilities for AGN Science: Discussing the implementation and scientific exploitation of major current and future space-based and ground-based facilities with Italian involvement, focusing on maximizing their impact on AGN studies.
