Yale professor speaks about black holes

New research says black holes are key factors in how galaxies form and evolve.

Meg Urry, the Israel Munson Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Yale University, presented her research on black holes to IU faculty and students as a part of the astronomy and physics departments’ joint colloquium speaker
series.

Urry spoke about her findings from the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey, a collaborative effort with members of several other astronomy and physics facilities.

She presented statistics and graphics and took questions from the audience.

The project allowed researchers to create a more accurate count of the number of black holes in the universe and to compare the changes occurring in black holes throughout time.

Caty Pilachowski, Astronomy Department chair, said every galaxy started with a black hole at its center.

By studying black holes in nearby galaxies and comparing them to black holes from farther galaxies, scientists can examine how black holes and galaxies change over time.

“I wanted to use X-rays and infrared light to do a census of black holes,” Urry said.

Because many black holes are difficult to detect, the project required the use of advanced telescopes like the Hubble Telescope.

Urry explained her findings to attendees through graphs and diagrams.

She showed the audience photographs taken by the Hubble Telescope, pointing out the differences between black holes, quasars and other items in space.

She also discussed her findings from another project, which analyzed the interaction of active galactic nuclei and galaxies.

“Her work is appealing to both departments,” Pilachowski said. “It’s a fascinating topic that really gets imaginations going.”