The Toroidal Obscuration of Active Galactic Nuclei

TL;DR

This paper reviews the toroidal obscuration model of active galactic nuclei, discussing the properties, clumpy structure, and possible dynamic origins of the dusty torus that explains observational unification schemes.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive summary of the torus properties, addresses its clumpy nature, and explores theories about its dynamic origin in active galactic nuclei.

Findings

Support for the unification scheme of AGN via toroidal obscuration

Clumpy dust clouds are key to understanding obscuration

Speculations on the dynamic origin of the torus

Abstract

Observations give strong support for the unification scheme of active galactic nuclei. The scheme is premised on toroidal obscuration of the central engine by dusty clouds that are individually very optically thick. These lectures summarize the torus properties, describe the handling and implications of its clumpy nature and present speculations about its dynamic origin.