Astrophysics

Astrophysics is broadly characterized as the physics of non-terrestrial objects. This could include small objects in our solar system or, through cosmology, the study of the entire universe. At present most projects here study extreme astronomical objects such as black holes, neutron stars and accretion disks.

For queries about this topic, contact Ian Hawke.

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Projects

Cosmological evolution of supermassive black holes in the centres of galaxies

Anna Kapinska (Investigator)

Radio galaxies and quasars are among the largest and most powerful single objects known and are believed to have had a significant impact on the evolving Universe and its large-scale structure. Their jets inject a significant amount of energy into the surrounding medium, hence they can provide useful information in the study of the density and evolution of the intergalactic and intracluster medium. The jet activity is also believed to regulate the growth of massive galaxies via the AGN feedback. In this project, through the use of numerical simulations, I explore the intrinsic and extrinsic physical properties of the population of Fanaroff-Riley II (FR II) objects, i.e. their kinetic luminosities, lifetimes, and central densities of their environments. This allows one to investigate evolution of these radio sources across cosmic time, and to discuss the significance of the impact of these sources on the evolving Universe.