Joint IAS Princeton University Astrophysics Colloquium

Much of existing plasma (astro)physics is done hovering in the vicinity of a Maxwellian equilibrium, which is the maximum point of the standard Gibbs entropy and is achieved dynamically by means of two-particle collisions. In this seminar, I would...

A satisfying theory for star or planet formation should not consider these processes in isolation. With the power of recent observational surveys, we are well positioned to test detailed theoretical models of multiple-star formation and orbital...

After decades of preparation, the era of gravitational wave astronomy has begun. The gravitational wave detectors, LIGO and Virgo, have published a catalog of 90 events of coalescing compact objects including black holes and neutron stars. I will...

A primary scientific outcome of the Apollo program was the giant impact theory for lunar origin, in which a collision at the end of Earth’s main accretionary phase creates a disk from which the Moon forms.  In the past decade, the nature of a Moon...

Millimeter-wave surveys of the sky have the potential for yielding a wealth of information about our universe from the first instants of its existence to our own solar system. I will describe how modern measurements of the cosmic microwave...

The discovery of thousands of new planetary candidates over the last decade has revolutionized the field of planet formation. One of Kepler's key findings is that the most abundant planets in our galaxy, observed to date, are larger than Earth but...

Central massive black holes will reveal themselves in a galaxy when they flicker and flare as they feed on gas and stars. We are conducting a systematic study of nuclear transients in the Zwicky Transient Facility alert stream, and have assembled...

Both cosmological simulations and observations of the ultraviolet luminosity function suggest dwarf galaxies are the dominant population at high redshifts and that the galaxy merger rate per unit volume is dominated by low mass galaxies. However...

There has been a surge of interest within the particle-physics and dark matter communities in axions and axion-like particles (ALPs). These particles result from a possible extensions to the Standard Model that may solve the Strong-CP problem, and...

We are the first generation of human beings able to directly observe and study the cosmic era when the first galaxies and black holes formed. Quasars are among the most luminous sources known and can be studied in detail even during the first...