English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Observations have shown that the Eddington ratios (the ratio of thebolometric luminosity to the Eddington luminosity) in QSOs/active galacticnuclei (AGNs) cover a wide range. In this paper we connect the demography ofAGNs obtained by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey with the accretion physics aroundmassive black holes and propose that the diversity in the Eddington ratios is anatural result of the long-term evolution of accretion disks in AGNs. Theobserved accretion rate distribution of AGNs (with host galaxy velocitydispersion sigma~70-200 km/s) in the nearby universe (z<0.3) is consistent withthe predictions of simple theoretical models in which the accretion ratesevolve in a self-similar way. We also discuss the implications of the resultsfor the issues related to self-gravitating disks, coevolution of galaxies andQSOs/AGNs, and the unification picture of AGNs.Comment: 18 pages, 2 figures; revised, main conclusions not changed; to appear  in ApJ, Oct., 200

Evolution of Accretion Disks around Massive Black Holes: Constraints from the Demography of Active Galactic Nuclei