Supermassive, Intermediate & Stellar Mass Black Holes, White Dwarfs, Neutron Stars, Pulsars, Tidal Disruption Events
Image Credit: Aaron Geller/CIERA
Supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies, elusive intermediate mass black holes, and dead stars in the form of black holes, neutron stars, or white dwarfs, are the densest objects in the Universe. They are central players in much of modern astrophysics, but we have only been aware of and studying these objects for less than a century. Our observational record is less than five decades long. As such, there are still many unanswered questions about how these systems form and evolve over cosmic time. CIERA is home to a broad group of researchers in theory, simulation, and observation that study these exotic objects.
Research at CIERA
Few things in the Universe are as dramatic as the death of a star. Transient events like supernovae, gamma ray bursts, and tidal disruptions of stars encountering massive black holes, are all astoundingly bright and carry information about the star that died, how it tore itself apart, and the fragments that remain.
Professor Fong observes short gamma ray bursts to learn about the neutron star and black hole mergers that give rise to these intense explosions.
Professor Miller observes Type Ia supernovae to understand the conditions and environments under which white dwarf stars explode.
Opportunities
Deadline: 11:59pm, December 15, 2023
The Northwestern Astronomy PhD is designed to provide students with a broad training in astronomy while enabling them to get started quickly with their graduate research. The Astronomy PhD is a flexible program that allows students to complement their astronomy training with a selection of physics courses or courses from other quantitative disciplines such as
Deadline: 11:59pm, December 15, 2023
The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers two different PhD degrees designed to best train students in their chosen discipline. For most branches of physics, students should enroll in the Physics PhD. Students interested in astronomy or astrophysics may apply for either the Physics PhD or the Astronomy PhD. GRE score submission is optional for the
Deadline: 11:59pm, March 22, 2024
Funded by an educational grant awarded by NASA to Northwestern University through the Illinois Space Grant Consortium, Northwestern offers a College Summer Research Program for outstanding undergraduates. The program provides an opportunity for college students to work with a professor in one of several areas of space sciences and astrophysics. It is open to students
News
Gallery
Black holes eat faster than previously expected
Black holes eat faster than previously expected
Simulated image of an accretion disk, the violent whirlpool of gas that encircles a supermassive black hole, broken apart into inner and outer rings. According to new high-resolution 3D simulations, spinning black holes twist up the surrounding space-time, ultimately ripping apart the violent whirlpool of gas (or accretion disk) that encircles and feeds them. This
A. Tchekhovskoy/Nick Kaaz/Northwestern University
- Science
Black holes eat faster than previously expected
Black holes eat faster than previously expected
Simulated image of an accretion disk, the violent whirlpool of gas that encircles a supermassive black hole, broken apart into inner and outer rings. According to new high-resolution 3D simulations, spinning black holes twist up the surrounding space-time, ultimately ripping apart the violent whirlpool of gas (or accretion disk) that encircles and feeds them. This
A. Tchekhovskoy/Nick Kaaz/Northwestern University
- Science
Black holes eat faster than previously expected
Black holes eat faster than previously expected
Simulated image of an accretion disk, the violent whirlpool of gas that encircles a supermassive black hole, broken apart into inner and outer rings. According to new high-resolution 3D simulations, spinning black holes twist up the surrounding space-time, ultimately ripping apart the violent whirlpool of gas (or accretion disk) that encircles and feeds them. This
A. Tchekhovskoy/Nick Kaaz/Northwestern University
- Science
Black holes eat faster than previously expected
Black holes eat faster than previously expected
Simulated image of an accretion disk, the violent whirlpool of gas that encircles a supermassive black hole, broken apart into inner and outer rings. According to new high-resolution 3D simulations, spinning black holes twist up the surrounding space-time, ultimately ripping apart the violent whirlpool of gas (or accretion disk) that encircles and feeds them. This
A. Tchekhovskoy/Nick Kaaz/Northwestern University
- Science
Unprecedented gamma-ray burst explained by long-lived jet
Unprecedented gamma-ray burst explained by long-lived jet
Last year, Northwestern University researchers uncovered new observational evidence that long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) can result from the merger of a neutron star with another compact object (either another neutron star or black hole) — a finding that was previously believed to be impossible. Now, another Northwestern team offers a potential explanation for what generated
Ore Gottlieb/Danat Issa/Alexander Tchekhovskoy/CIERA/Northwestern
- Science
Unveiling the origins of merging black holes in galaxies like our own
Unveiling the origins of merging black holes in galaxies like our own
A 31.5 solar-mass black hole with an 8.38 solar-mass black hole companion viewed in front of its (computer generated) stellar nursery prior to merging. The distant band of the Milky Way can be seen toward the lower-left of the black hole pair. Light is warped nearby the black holes due to their strong gravity. The
Aaron M. Geller / Northwestern CIERA & NUIT-RCS; ESO / S. Brunier
- Data Science & Computing,
- Interdisciplinary,
- Science
People
Core Faculty
Vicky Kalogera
Daniel I. Linzer Distinguished University Professor, Director of CIERA
Shane L. Larson
Research Professor, Associate Director of CIERA
External Faculty
Diego Muñoz
Visiting Scholar, Professor at University of Arizone
Postdocs
Research Staff
Graduate Students
