Jedidah Isler: How I fell in love with quasars, blazars and our incredible universe

TL;DR

In this content, the astrophysicist discusses their love for the night sky and their research on supermassive black holes and blazars.

Transcript

My first love was for the night sky. Love is complicated. You're looking at a fly-through of the Hubble Space Telescope Ultra-Deep Field, one of the most distant images of our universe ever observed. Everything you see here is a galaxy, comprised of billions of stars each. And the farthest galaxy is a trillion, trillion kilometers away. As an ast... Read More

Key Insights

• 🔭 The Hubble Space Telescope Ultra-Deep Field captured one of the most distant images of the universe, revealing galaxies billions of stars each, with the farthest galaxy being trillions of kilometers away.
• ⚫ Supermassive black holes (weighing one to 10 billion times the mass of the sun) that devour materials at an extraordinary rate, making them quasars.
• ⚛️ These black holes produce powerful particle streams called jets, moving at 99.99% of the speed of light, and when pointed directly at Earth, they are called blazars.
• 💥 Blazars are highly efficient particle accelerators, transporting tremendous amounts of energy throughout a galaxy.
• 🌌 The accretion disc, where material falls onto the black hole, and the jet, where material is accelerated to high speeds, are key components of a blazar system.
• 🔬 Studying the highest-energy jet emission in blazars is a hot topic in astrophysics, and the detection of gamma ray light has helped localize these emissions closer to the black hole than previously thought. ⏳ Understanding the localization of gamma ray blobs can shed light on how jets are accelerated and the dynamic processes that form fascinating objects in the universe.
• 💫 Pursuing a love for astrophysics took the speaker from a curious young girl to a professional astrophysicist, deeply connected to the mission of exploring the universe.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the Hubble Space Telescope Ultra-Deep Field, and why is it significant?

The Hubble Space Telescope Ultra-Deep Field is a distant image of our universe, showcasing galaxies comprised of billions of stars. It is significant because it represents one of the farthest images ever observed and provides valuable insights into the vastness and complexity of our universe.

Q: What are supermassive black holes, and why do they captivate astrophysicists?

Supermassive black holes are incredibly massive objects, weighing anywhere from one to 10 billion times the mass of our sun. They captivate astrophysicists due to their ability to devour material at an astonishing rate and emit powerful particle streams known as jets. These phenomena, along with others, make supermassive black holes, and specifically quasars, objects of great interest and study.

Q: What are blazars, and what makes them unique?

Blazars, also known as blazing quasars, are a type of supermassive black hole that exhibit particular characteristics. They are hyperactive and have narrow streams called jets moving at nearly the speed of light, directed towards Earth. These blazars are some of the most efficient particle accelerators in the universe, transporting immense amounts of energy throughout a galaxy.

Q: How do astrophysicists study blazars and localize their emissions?

With the launch of a new telescope in 2008, NASA improved its ability to detect gamma ray light, which is a million times higher in energy than standard x-rays. By comparing variations in gamma ray and visible light data over time, astrophysicists can better localize these high-energy emissions. This research has revealed that these gamma ray blobs form much closer to the black hole than previously believed, helping to understand jet acceleration and dynamic processes involved in the formation of fascinating objects in the universe.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The speaker is an astrophysicist who has a passion for studying supermassive, hyperactive black holes and quasars.

• Blazars, or blazing quasars, are a rare type of black hole that are some of the universe's most efficient particle accelerators.

• The speaker's research focuses on understanding the formation and acceleration of jets in blazars, using data from telescopes that can detect gamma ray light.