CAREER: Massive Black Holes in Dwarf Galaxies

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Essentially every giant galaxy, including our own Milky Way, harbors a supermassive black hole at its center. These black holes have masses of millions or even billions of times the mass of our Sun. Sometimes black holes feed on surrounding gas or consume stars, ripping them apart along the way. These processes can release enormous amounts of energy, which can have a significant effect on the host galaxy. Despite the importance of supermassive black holes, their origin is far from understood. We do not know how the initial “seed” black holes formed in the early Universe, how massive they were originally, or in what types of galaxies they formed. We do know, however, that larger galaxies host more massive black holes, suggesting galaxies and black holes grow together. Therefore, finding and studying the smallest “dwarf” galaxies hosting supermassive black holes can provide clues to the origin of supermassive black holes. The investigator will study the properties of supermassive black holes in dwarf galaxies, leading to a better understanding of black hole formation and galaxy evolution. The research activities will directly relate to the investigator’s educational efforts to inspire Montana youth to engage in STEM and empower K-12 teachers to offer space-related activities in their classrooms. The investigator is a leader in the Montana Space Public Outreach Team (SPOT), which reaches 10,000 students each year in Montana. SPOT is a science ambassador’s program in which undergraduates are trained to help teachers present science topics in high schools.The investigator will (1) systematically search for supermassive black holes in dwarf galaxies using untapped multi-wavelength observations and a variety of techniques, (2) characterize the least-massive galaxies that can form a massive black hole, (3) estimate masses of the smallest black holes to constrain seed masses, (4) determine the accretion and radiative properties of low-mass black holes in dwarf galaxies, and (5) probe black hole feedback in dwarf galaxies to inform galaxy formation models at low masses. Finding and characterizing these systems is important for a holistic understanding of dwarf galaxy evolution and feedback, as well as advancing our understanding of the birth and growth of the first black holes in the earlier Universe.This project is jointly funded by the Astronomy and Astrophysics Grant Program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.