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Paper: The Evidence for an Evolutionary Connection Between Luminous Infrared Galaxies and Luminous Optically-Selected AGN
Volume: 284, AGN Surveys, IAU Colloquium 184
Page: 411
Authors: Sanders, David B.
Abstract: Infrared surveys have demonstrated that a large fraction of all luminous AGN are strong infrared emitters and that previous optical surveys have severely underestimated the true AGN population. Current evidence suggests that a combination of structures including compact dust tori, dust cocoons, and kpc-scale warped dusty disks may all be involved in the obscuration of the active nucleus during the lifecycle of AGN. Galaxy interactions and mergers appear to play a major role in triggering the buildup of large central concentrations of gas and dust that serves as the source of fuel for both powerful nuclear starbursts and the growth of massive black holes.
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