Dynamic Duos: Supermassive Black Hole Pairs in Galaxy Mergers

Tremmel Michael J, New Haven CT

Investigators

Abstract

Michael Tremmel is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct a program of research and education at Yale University. He will perform large-scale cosmological simulations to study how pairs of supermassive black holes (SMBH) are formed during the merger of two galaxies. The simulations will predict observational electromagnetic signatures of galaxy mergers and identify how galaxy formation and mergers are related to the growth of SMBHs. Along with this research, Tremmel will provide an interactive research experience in computational astrophysics to local high school students who are traditionally underrepresented in science. High-resolution simulations performed in this project will include a new physical model and a powerful new algorithm to identify the connections between the assembly history of galaxies and their coevolution with SMBHs. Using two complementary simulation suites, the project will investigate how the masses and mass ratios of galaxy mergers are related to the evolution of SMBHs, as well as the early accretion and merger histories of massive halos and the long term coevolution of their central galaxies and SMBHs. Results from this project will allow astronomers to understand how galaxy assembly influences SMBH formation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.