[Previous] | [Session 141] | [Next]
M. Lacy (IGPP, LLNL and UC Davis), S.E. Ridgway (Johns Hopkins University)
The past couple of years have seen renewed attempts to build a grand unification scheme for AGN. Recent work on AGN hosts and environments suggests that neither plays a definitive role in determining the nature of an AGN. It now seems most likely that variations in the basic properties of AGN (black hole mass, accretion rate and probably black hole spin), combined with orientation to the line of sight, may explain the entire AGN zoo, and even be applicable to stellar-mass black hole systems. The relative importance of each of these properties in determining the nature of the AGN is still in doubt,however. Also unclear is whether any further parameters are required. In this talk I shall discuss progress so far and possible tests of a grand unified scheme.