GALACTIC CENTERS AS TRACERS OF GALAXY EVOLUTION: Zooming from galaxy large-scale properties into their central massive black holes

Abstract

During the workshop ''Galactic Centers as tracers of galaxy evolution'' (Lorentz Center, Leiden), we reviewed one of the most debated questions in the field of galaxy evolution: the connection between galactic central regions and the evolution of galaxies at a global scale. We gathered different research communities to reveal the connection channels between central massive black holes (MBHs), nuclear structures, and evolutionary processes at a global scale, such as gas inflows and outflows and galaxy-galaxy interactions. Special focus was dedicated to MBH seeding, formation and growth, active galactic nuclei feedback, and the formation of nuclear stellar structures, without missing a global perspective. Participants from these different fields introduced us to the state of the art in numerical simulations, as well as cutting-edge observational techniques. In addition to achieving a deep understanding of these topics, we set up plans to exploit future facilities such as the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). In this paper, we briefly summarize the highlights of the workshop, identify the open questions that emerged during the workshop discussions, and discuss what observations and simulations will be needed to address them.