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Past Events

  • 2017 Mar 02

    ITC Colloquium - Laura Blecha (U Maryland)

    11:00am to 12:00pm

    Location: 

    Pratt

    Uncovering the Signatures of Obscured AGN in Mergers

    Galaxy mergers have long been implicated as drivers of supermassive black hole (BH) and galaxy co-evolution, but the relative importance of mergers for fueling active galactic nuclei (AGN) is still uncertain. In large part, the ongoing debate stems from strong selection effects that are inherent to empirical studies of the merger/AGN connection. The most luminous AGN are often obscured by dust in late-stage mergers; infrared (IR) and hard X-ray selected AGN are much more likely to be hosted in...

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  • 2017 Mar 01

    ITC Pizza Lunch - Luke Kelley (CfA)

    11:00am to 12:00pm

    Location: 

    Phillips

    A Stochastic GW Background from Massive Black Hole Binaries

    Abstract:  I will present our models of MBH Binary (MBHB) evolution using the population of black holes and galaxies from the Illustris simulations.  Environmental hardening processes like dynamical friction and stellar scattering are required for most binaries to coalesce within a Hubble time.  These environmental effects reveal characteristic signatures on the resulting stochastic, Gravitational Wave Background (GWB).  Our recent results show the effects of both environment and eccentric evolution on...

    Read more about ITC Pizza Lunch - Luke Kelley (CfA)
  • 2017 Feb 27

    ITC Seminar - Christopher Spalding (Caltech)

    12:00pm to 1:00pm

    Location: 

    Phillips

    A Primordial Origin for Extrasolar Stellar Obliquity and its Role in Sculpting the Kepler Dichotomy

    ABSTRACT: The Solar System planets possess orbital planes differing by only a few degrees, inspiring the centuries-old hypothesis that planets form in disks, with the Sun's spin axes misaligned by a further 6 degrees. Only very recently has it been possible to observationally determine whether extrasolar planetary architectures typically share this coplanarity. Through analysis of planetary transit data, it has emerged that many, mostly hotter, stars hosting hot Jupiters possess...

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  • 2017 Feb 23

    ITC Luncheon February 23, 2017

    12:30pm to 1:30pm

    Location: 

    Phillips

     

    * Casey Law (UC Berkeley): "The First Interferometric Localization of an FRB"
    * Lyndsay Fletcher (U of Glasgow): "EUV Line Spectroscopy and Non-thermal Ions in Solar Flares"
    * Deirdre Shoemaker (Georgia Tech): "Detecting IMBHs with Gravitational Waves"
    * Federico Marinacci (MIT): "First Results from the IllustrisTNG Simulations: Radio Haloes and Magnetic Fields"
    ...
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  • 2017 Feb 23

    ITC Colloquium - Deirdre Shoemaker (Georgia Tech)

    11:00am to 12:00pm

    Location: 

    Pratt

    Numerical Relativity and the first Detection of Gravitational Waves

    Abstract: For decades, both the gravitational wave and numerical relativity communities have worked to prepare for the era of gravitational wave astronomy. With the first observation of two black holes merging (GW150914), the new era of gravitational wave astronomy has begun. I will present the role that numerical relativity played in the unveiling of the gravitational wave sky and anticipate how it might improve our understanding of astrophysics.

    ...
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  • 2017 Feb 22

    ITC Pizza Lunch - Dan D'Orazio (CfA)

    11:00am to 12:00pm

    Location: 

    Phillips

    Massive Black Hole Binaries and the Low Frequency Gravitational Wave sky: Electromagnetic Signatures

    Abstract:  The inspiral and merger of massive black holes binaries (MBHBs) in galactic nuclei makes up a dominant component of the low frequency (nHZ to HZ) gravitational sky, soon detectable by the Pulsar Timing Arrays and space based interferometer LISA. Characterization of the MBHB population will shed light on the environments of galactic nuclei and also on the mutual growth of galaxies and their central black holes. This talk addresses the electromagnetic tracers that are...

    Read more about ITC Pizza Lunch - Dan D'Orazio (CfA)
  • 2017 Feb 21

    ITC Seminar - Fani Dosopoulou (Northwestern)

    12:00pm to 1:00pm

    Location: 

    Phillips

     

     Dynamical friction and the evolution of Supermassive Black hole Binaries: the final hundred-parsec problem

    ABSTRACT: Dynamical friction is a fundamental process in astrophysics and its understanding is arguably the most important contribution of Chandrasekhar to stellar dynamics. In this talk I will discuss the results of analytical models and N-body simulations that describe the evolution of a massive black hole binary due to dynamical friction. I will show that the standard Chandrasekhar's theory leads to erroneous conclusions about the evolution of the massive...

    Read more about ITC Seminar - Fani Dosopoulou (Northwestern)

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