What Powers the Centers of Luminous Infrared Galaxies

26 April 2025 A major, persistent question about galaxies, particularly infrared-bright galaxies, is: does star formation or supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth dominate the luminosity? This can be a difficult question to answer as the gas and dust that fuels both types of activity can also obscure our view of what is happening in the centers. In practice, this means that trying to address this…