The Realm of Supermassive Black Holes - Lecture 13

The Realm of Supermassive Black Holes - Lecture 13

Explore the fascinating realm of supermassive black holes in this comprehensive lecture by G. Srinivasan from the Raman Research Institute. Delve into the history of quasar discovery and their incredible luminosity, learn about radio galaxies with powerful relativistic jets, and understand how observations led to the conclusion that active galactic nuclei are powered by supermassive black holes. Examine the evolution of our understanding of these cosmic giants, from early radio astronomy techniques to modern very long baseline interferometry. Discover the physics behind relativistic jets, superluminal motion, and accretion onto supermassive black holes. Investigate the evidence for their existence in various galaxies, including our own Milky Way. Gain insights into the groundbreaking work of the Event Horizon Telescope and its imaging of the M87 black hole shadow. Discuss the formation and stability of supermassive black holes, and contemplate future prospects in X-ray interferometry and gravitational wave detection. This pedagogical talk assumes no prior knowledge and concludes with a Q&A session. Read more