Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are a big puzzle in astrophysics.
Observational evidence and theoretical arguments connect FRBs to
magnetars, yet their emission mechanism is not established. One
popular picture resembles pulsars on steroids, with radio...
Black holes are detected through a variety of methods, each
revealing a different part of their nature. These include
gravitational-wave emissions that detect compact-object binary
mergers, X-ray radiation that captures dramatic accretion
episodes...
Time-domain surveys are finding tens of thousands (and soon
millions) of transient events. But how do we make new
discoveries of rare and exotic events? And how do we figure out
what causes and powers them? I will discuss several approaches
that...
Current pulsar timing array (PTA) projects are galactic-scale
gravitational-wave (GW) detectors whose sensitivity is approaching
the point at which a signal should become clearly detectable.
Despite the strong evidence reported in the literature, I...
Transient surveys and follow up efforts are providing a wealth
of new data on the variety of ways in which tidal disruption events
manifest across the electromagnetic spectrum. Understanding these
light curves and spectra are key to using these...
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is finding earlier and
brighter sources than expected. In this talk I will explore how
these new observations fit (or don’t) within our cosmological and
galaxy-formation models. First, I will discuss the...
The distribution of matter on very large scales - the so-called
large-scale structure - contains clues, hidden within its
statistics, about the origin and evolution of the Universe. While
the gravity-only evolution of dark matter can be modelled...
Supermassive black hole mergers are extraordinary cosmic
phenomena characterized by their immense energy release, producing
gravitational waves that can rival the total light output of all
stars in the universe within a short time frame. These...
How and where do black hole mergers form in our Universe? After
10 years of GW science with LIGO/Virgo/Kagra, there still seems to
be no direct indication of what the underlying astrophysical
formation channels are. I will present ideas and ongoing...
The interstellar medium (ISM) is a turbulent, multi-phase,
magnetic environment. It is home to vastly different gas phases,
from cold, dense clouds to hot, tenuous plasma. Magnetic fields
thread this interstellar environment, helping to sculpt...
