Talk Title: The Evolution of the Dusty Vail around AGN
Abstract: Based on the 'unified scheme' for AGN we develop a model for a clumpy and dusty torus surrounding the growing supermassive black holes in the center of galaxies. A stationary, axissymetric model for a cloud distribution in a geometrically thick accretion flow is presented. Cloud-cloud collisions lead to accretion in the combined potential of black hole and nuclear star cluster and fuel the central engine. For a given ratio of type 1 and 2 AGN successful obscuration of the BLR and central source requires mass accretion rates above the Eddington limit for the black hole itself. The model will be tested in nearby sources like NGC 1068 with upcoming optical interferometers. The scenario, which includes accretion through the torus, a strong outflow along the symmetry axis, and feeding of the central accretion disk, predicts the evolution of the obscuring material during the growth of todays supermassive black holes.
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