Institute for Advanced Study / Princeton University Joint Astrophysics Colloquium

There is a revolution afoot in our understanding of supermassive black holes (SMBHs), that is reshaping our view of their formation, growth and influence on cosmic architecture. This talk will spotlight three recent breakthroughs that have enriched our knowledge of their origins, mass assembly histories and coupling to the larger scale galactic environments. These include: (i) unveiling black hole seed formation via direct collapse illuminated by the synergistic capabilities of NASA's JWST, Chandra, and Hubble telescopes; (ii) groundbreaking evidence for the collective gravitational wave signals from merging SMBHs, captured by the global network of pulsar timing arrays, including NANOGrav; and (iii) the advent of cutting-edge computational methods enabling us to integrate the dynamics of SMBH accretion with their extended cosmic environments. These advancements signify a major leap forward in tackling the key open questions in black hole physics. The talk will conclude by exploring the horizons of this scientific renaissance, and prospects for the future including the upcoming LISA mission.