The Galaxy Eras Tour: The formative years of star formation and supermassive black hole growth

Event Date:
2026-03-23T16:00:00
2026-03-26T17:00:00
Event Location:
HENN 318
Speaker:
Alexandra Pope, University of Massachusetts
Related Upcoming Events:
Astronomy Colloquia
Intended Audience:
Everyone
Local Contact:

Allison Man (aman@phas.ubc.ca) and Brett Gladman (gladman@astro.ubc.ca)

All are welcome to this event!

Event Information:

Abstract:

While observations of local galaxies tell us that the masses of central supermassive black holes are correlated with the masses of their host galaxies, this seemingly obvious relation is a challenge for galaxy formation models. One way to constrain models is to rewind the clock and measure the relative growth rates of stars and supermassive black holes, and the feedback between the two, in galaxies at different eras in their lifetime. Observational results from JWST are suggesting more numerous and massive populations of active black holes at early times. This exciting result can constrain how black holes initially form, but most of the black hole mass is built up later around cosmic noon, when these processes were tangled in webs of opacity. I will present new results from JWST MIRI aimed at understanding the coevolution of stars and supermassive black holes in galaxies during the formative years of peak growth and the transition period when their growth rates are rapidly declining. The unique infrared tracers of these processes are not impeded by dust obscuration and can quantify even the most heavily enshrouded active galactic nuclei. 

Looking to the future, I will discuss how we can map this coevolution in >100,000 distant galaxies with the transformational capabilities of the new far-infrared probe mission concept PRIMA.

 

Bio:

Alexandra Pope is a Professor in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and chair of the Five College Astronomy Department. She received her PhD from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada and was later a Spitzer Space Telescope Postdoctoral Fellow at NOAO in Tucson. Alex is an observational astronomer focused on understanding dust-obscured star formation and supermassive black hole growth in galaxies. She is the Science Lead for PRIMA, a far-infrared NASA probe mission concept, and she was a member of the NASA STDT for the Origins Space telescope. Alex is the recipient of the 2024 ADVANCE Faculty Peer Mentor Award and the 2018 Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award at UMass.

 

Learn More:

 

Add to Calendar 2026-03-23T16:00:00 2026-03-26T17:00:00 The Galaxy Eras Tour: The formative years of star formation and supermassive black hole growth Event Information: Abstract: While observations of local galaxies tell us that the masses of central supermassive black holes are correlated with the masses of their host galaxies, this seemingly obvious relation is a challenge for galaxy formation models. One way to constrain models is to rewind the clock and measure the relative growth rates of stars and supermassive black holes, and the feedback between the two, in galaxies at different eras in their lifetime. Observational results from JWST are suggesting more numerous and massive populations of active black holes at early times. This exciting result can constrain how black holes initially form, but most of the black hole mass is built up later around cosmic noon, when these processes were tangled in webs of opacity. I will present new results from JWST MIRI aimed at understanding the coevolution of stars and supermassive black holes in galaxies during the formative years of peak growth and the transition period when their growth rates are rapidly declining. The unique infrared tracers of these processes are not impeded by dust obscuration and can quantify even the most heavily enshrouded active galactic nuclei.  Looking to the future, I will discuss how we can map this coevolution in >100,000 distant galaxies with the transformational capabilities of the new far-infrared probe mission concept PRIMA.   Bio: Alexandra Pope is a Professor in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and chair of the Five College Astronomy Department. She received her PhD from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada and was later a Spitzer Space Telescope Postdoctoral Fellow at NOAO in Tucson. Alex is an observational astronomer focused on understanding dust-obscured star formation and supermassive black hole growth in galaxies. She is the Science Lead for PRIMA, a far-infrared NASA probe mission concept, and she was a member of the NASA STDT for the Origins Space telescope. Alex is the recipient of the 2024 ADVANCE Faculty Peer Mentor Award and the 2018 Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award at UMass.   Learn More: See Alexandra's University of Massachusetts faculty webpage View her personal website Read this Astrobites article on Alexandra, covering her experience as a graduate student in PHAS: "Meet the AAS Keynote speakers: Dr. Alexandra Pope" Read this Eureka Alert article on Alexandra's research, "UMass Amherst astronomer leads science team helping to develop billion-dollar NASA satellite mission concept" Watch this astronomy seminar on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-y-X51bTi0    Event Location: HENN 318