Institute for Advanced Study Informal Astrophysics Seminar

Although quasar activity is believed to be associated with galaxy mergers, at least one of the progenitor galaxies must host a pre-existing massive black hole (MBH). Furthermore, mergers make spheroids, yet there are galaxies lacking classical bulges that host AGN. I present a path, grounded in established galaxy dynamics, to form MBHs during galaxy assembly that also causes them to become quiescent at later times.