Motivation to Simulate AGN

In order to understand the accuracy of studies of AGN host galaxies, extensive simulations of host galaxy morphology are required.
This is discussed in great more in two paper Pierce et al. 2010 (http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010MNRAS.408..139P) and Simmons & Urry 2008 (http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2008ApJ…683..644S).

In the previous studies, the presence of a central brightness from an AGN does affect the measured properties of the AGN host galaxy, when that central point source becomes too bright. As Simmons and Urry wrote, “Results of these simulations are intended to inform data analysis of AGN host morphologies, to better infer intrinsic host galaxy shapes from fitted morphological parameters in the presence of a central point source”. In other words, by carefully modeling that effect we are able to use the information from the computer’s fits to study the host galaxy properties.

Stay tuned for more details about this from Brooke Simmons!