Project description
Shedding light on black holes
Black holes are involved in extreme astrophysical phenomena, such as particle acceleration. The EU-funded SPAWN project will model black hole magnetospheres using global ab initio particle-in-cell simulations where the fields, particles and radiation evolve in a self-consistent manner. The project will produce the first fully consistent modelling of black hole magnetospheres and will allow for an accurate interpretation of current and upcoming horizon-scale observations of the Galactic Centre and nearby supermassive black holes by the VLTI-Gravity instrument and the Event Horizon Telescope.
Objective
Black holes are involved in extreme astrophysical phenomena such as accretion, launching of relativistic jets and particle acceleration. The origin of this activity is still poorly understood, but plasma processes within the magnetosphere of the black hole are most likely involved. Thanks to high-performance computing, it is now possible to probe this region. The current state-of-the-art numerical simulations have been focusing on a fluid description of the plasma surrounding black holes. This approach is not sufficient to understand how the plasma is generated and how particles are accelerated near black holes. Here, we propose to model black hole magnetospheres using global ab-initio particle-in-cell simulations where the fields, particles and radiation evolve in a self-consistent manner. Our project will produce the first fully consistent modeling of black hole magnetospheres and allow for an accurate interpretation of current and upcoming horizon-scale observations of the Galactic center and nearby supermassive black holes by the VLTI-Gravity instrument in the infrared and the Event Horizon Telescope in radio. This project will also lead to the prediction of the electromagnetic signal from black-hole neutron star binaries prior to the merger in coincidence with gravitational waves events detected by LIGO-VIRGO instruments.
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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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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.
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
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.
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.
ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant
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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-2019-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.
75794 PARIS
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.