Redefining the torus: A unifying view of AGN in the infrared and sub-mm
  The advent of high-angular resolution IR and sub-mm interferometry allows for
spatially-resolved observations of the parsec-scale environment of active
galactic nuclei (AGN), commonly referred to as the "torus." While molecular
lines show the presence of large, massive disks, the IR observations appear to
be dominated by a strong polar component that has been interpreted as a dusty
wind. This paper aims at using characteristics shared by AGN in each of the
wavebands and a set of simple physical principles to form a unifying view of
these seemingly contradictory observations: Dusty molecular gas flows in from
galactic scales of ~100 pc to the sub-parsec environment via a disk with small
to moderate scale height. The hot, inner part of the disk puffs up due to IR
radiation pressure and unbinds a large amount of the inflowing gas from the
black hole's gravitational potential, providing the conditions to launch a wind
driven by the radiation pressure from the AGN. The dusty wind feeds back mass
into the galaxy at a rate of the order of ~0.1-100 $M_\odot$/yr, depending on
AGN luminosity and Eddington ratio. Angle-dependent obscuration as required by
AGN unification is provided by a combination of disk, wind, and wind launching
region.
