Project description
Characterising growth spurts in supermassive black holes
Black holes are 'black' because they are areas in space where a huge amount of matter is squeezed into very small regions, producing such a tremendously large pull of gravity that not even light can escape them. Even more massive are supermassive black holes (SMBHs). Astronomers think SMBHs might be at the centre of almost all large galaxies, and were likely formed together with the galaxies in which they are found. Just how SMBHs accrete all this mass is still a mystery. Data suggest that short periods of powerful growth activity may be interspersed with long periods of quiet. The EU-funded ExSMBHs project is conducting a comprehensive observational study to better characterise extreme accretion modes in SMBHs and shed light on their co-evolution with the galaxies they call home.
Objective
How do supermassive black holes (SMBHs) turn their accretion “on” and “off”? How fast can they grow? How is this related to their circumnuclear environments? What are the consequences for the emergence of the first SMBHs and their co-evolution with galaxies? The key to answering these and other questions is found in understanding SMBH accretion, in all possible modes and cosmic epochs. Recent progress in both theory and observations strongly support “extreme” modes of SMBH accretion, namely abrupt changes seen on timescales of weeks and the possibility of (also long-lived) super-Eddington accretion. Both of these sorts of extreme accretion are not yet well understood. Here I propose to change this, by leading a multi-faceted observational program that will reveal, survey, and characterize extreme modes of SMBH accretion. Some of the efforts I will lead include: (1) Responsive, multi-wavelength, and spectroscopic follow-up observations of hyper-variable and flaring accreting SMBHs, to provide new insights as to what starts or stops SMBH accretion, and a new way to study super-Eddington accretion; (2) Proprietary multi-epoch SDSS-V spectroscopy will allow me to determine how common these dramatic events are, and to look for trends with BH and host galaxy properties; (3) A complete, detailed survey of highly accreting SMBHs in the local universe; and (4) An exploratory survey of super-Eddington, advection-dominated SMBHs at significant redshifts. These and other new insights will be combined with newly established, highly complete distributions of the black hole masses and accretion rates at both low and high redshifts, to understand the role of extreme accretion modes in the general SMBH population and to help guide future surveys. This research has to be done now, as we try to complete our understanding of (cosmic) SMBH accretion and (co-)evolution; before we are flooded with millions transients; and before the next generation facilities and surveys are finalized.
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.
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.
- natural sciences biological sciences evolutionary biology
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy astrophysics black holes
- natural sciences physical sciences optics spectroscopy
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
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.
-
H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
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-STG - Starting Grant
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
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-2020-STG
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
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.
69978 Tel Aviv
Israel
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.