Project description
Unveiling the cosmic weather of black holes
Most of the ordinary matter in the Universe exists as a tenuous gas within galaxies and clusters, influenced by complex thermo-hydrodynamical processes. At the centre of this cosmic weather lies the black hole (BH), acting as a cosmic thermostat, regulating vast scales. In this context, the ERC-funded BlackHoleWeather project seeks to unify the astrophysics of BH feeding and feedback in cosmic structures. By leveraging high-performance simulations, fundamental gas physics, and multi-wavelength observations, it aims to solve key astrophysical challenges, including the origin of cosmic precipitation and how matter is cycled through BHs. This ambitious project promises to shape our understanding of galaxy formation, with invaluable data for the broader astronomical community.
Objective
BlackHoleWeather aims to unify the astrophysics of black-hole (BH) feeding and feedback within cosmic structures, in one comprehensive theory that leverages novel high-performance simulations, fundamental gas physics, and timely multiwavelength observations.
Most of the ordinary matter in the Universe is in the form of a tenuous gas which fills galaxies, groups, and clusters of galaxies (circumgalactic, intragroup, and intracluster medium). Such cosmic atmospheres are shaped by complex thermo-hydrodynamical processes - akin to Earth weather - with the central BH acting as cosmic thermostat over scales of 9 orders of magnitude. We have entered a Golden Age of multiphase gas detections continuously discovering ionized filaments (optical/UV), neutral gas (IR/21cm), and molecular clouds (radio) which condense out of the hot X-ray halos or that are ejected via BH feedback.
We will tackle key challenges of modern astrophysics: what is the origin and evolution of the macro precipitation; how the multiphase rain (or chaotic cold accretion) is fed down through the BH horizon; how matter/energy is re-ejected back by the BH and deposited via multiphase outflows, jets and radiation; what is the role of dust, turbulence, stars, and cosmic rays; and how the self-regulated BH feeding-feedback loop shapes galaxies throughout cosmic time.
Bridging BH feeding and feedback via ab-initio, multi-scale (mpc to Mpc), and first-principle physics (magnetohydrodynamics, transport, chemistry, cosmology) is ambitious, yet it is a zero-to-one leap that current astrophysics must undertake, and whose public datasets will provide invaluable legacy for many astronomical communities. BlackHoleWeather is a frontier yet feasible project, exploiting the timely convergence of our groundbreaking massively-parallel GPU code (GAMER2) and our ongoing multifrequency observing programs (e.g. Chandra, XMM, HST, ALMA, MUSE, JWST, SOFIA, MeerKAT).
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2022-COG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
41121 MODENA
Italy
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