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Article Contents

ABSTRACT

1.INTRODUCTION

2.AGN FUELING THROUGH DENSE NUCLEAR STAR CLUSTERS

2.1.Fueling: why is there a problem?

2.2.Are stars a possible fuel?

2.3.Characteristic radii

2.4.Black hole growth by star accretion

2.5.Formation of a cusp of stars around the black hole

2.6.Stellar Collisions

3.LARGE-SCALE INSTABILITIES

3.1.Gravitational stability

3.2.Feedback on the dynamics

4.BARS

4.1.Orbits and resonances

4.2.Gas flow in barred galaxies

4.3.Angular momentum transfer

4.4.Fueling nuclear activity

4.5.Decoupling of a nuclear disk

4.6.Bars within bars

4.7.Bar destruction

4.8.Nuclear Spirals in Disk Galaxies

4.9.Bars in early- and late-types

4.10.Evolution along the Hubble sequence and growth of the black hole

5.m = 1 PERTURBATIONS

5.1.Physical nature of instabilities

5.2.Lopsidedness and m = 1 asymmetries

5.3.Counter-rotating components

5.4.Stability

5.5.Counter-rotation with gas

6.INTERACTIONS AND MERGERS

6.1.Physical processes

6.2.Gas flow and starburst/AGN triggering

7.OBSERVATIONAL EVIDENCE

7.1.Search for correlations between bars and AGN

7.2.Galaxy interactions and nuclear activity

7.3.Radio-galaxies

7.4.Conclusion

8.BLACK HOLE EVOLUTION

8.1.Black hole growth and activity life-time

8.2.Binary black hole formation

8.3.Hierarchical merging scenario

9.CONCLUSIONS

REFERENCES