Gone with the Wind: Black Holes and their Gusty Influence on the Birth of Galaxies

Galaxies are the visible building blocks of the Universe, astrophysical laboratories that have ­profoundly informed our knowledge of cosmology and nature. Black holes—once a bizarre ­mathematical ­consequence of Einstein’s relativity theory—are now ­mainstream astronomy, thanks to studies of the ­centers of nearby galaxies in which these exotic objects are ­routinely found. Galaxies and black holes form together under the influence of gravity until the powerful winds fueled by black holes snuff out the candle of star formation. In this lecture, Nadia Zakamska, Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins University and former Member in the School of Natural Sciences, gives a ­comprehensive ­description of galaxy formation and shares insight into the complex ­interrelationship between ­supermassive black holes and their host galaxies.

This lecture is sponsored by the Association of Members of the Institute for Advanced Study (AMIAS).