Jeremy Bradford edited Introduction.tex  over 9 years ago

Commit id: 6911d26a9dd24be42e926c7b066d89bcab30831d

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Using optical spectroscopy from the SDSS, we have systematically assembled the largest sample of dwarf galaxies hosting massive BHs to date (Reines et al. 2013). These dwarf galaxies have stellar masses comparable to the Magellanic Clouds ($M_{\rm stellar} ∼ 10^{8.5} − 10^{9.5} M_{\odot}$) and contain some of the least-massive BHs known in galaxy nuclei ($M_{\rm BH} ∼ 10^5 M_{\odot}$).  To study the properties of the least-massive and physically smallest galaxies known to contain massive BHs, we propose new 21 cm neutral hydrogen (HI) emission observations. These observations will enable us to investigate host galaxy properties and BH HI scaling relations at the sparsely-populated low-mass end. These  results will provide vital information on the demographics of the smallest galaxies hosting massive BHs, with implications for the origin of supermassive BH seeds seeds.