TAP Colloquium: TRINITY: the Dark Matter Halo—Galaxy—Supermassive Black Hole (SMBH) Connection from z=0-10

Abstract: Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) exist in many galaxies. Their growth is accompanied by strong energy output, which is capable of regulating host galaxy evolution. Understanding SMBH growth is thus critical for studying galaxy formation and evolution. However, it has been difficult to quantify SMBH growth in different galaxies and cosmic epochs. In this talk, I will present TRINITY, a new empirical technique to determine the typical SMBH mass and growth rate in different galaxies and dark matter halos from z=0-10. I will discuss how the galaxy—SMBH connection from TRINITY will help theoretical astronomers to create better simulations of galaxy evolution. In addition, I will show that the latest JWST-detected SMBHs match TRINITY’s predictions, in terms of their SMBH masses and growth rates. Finally, I will talk about how observations with next-generation telescopes will enable a better understanding of the galaxy—SMBH connection.

Bio:

Haowen Zhang is currently a finishing graduate student at the Department of Astronomy. After getting his Bachelor’s degree in China, Haowen joined Steward Observatory to study the connection between galaxies and supermassive black holes (SMBHs) with Prof. Peter Behroozi. During his Ph.D., Haowen has developed the empirical TRINITY model to determine how fast SMBHs are growing in different galaxies and cosmic epochs. In addition, Haowen is also interested in modeling selection effects in SMBH data, as well as the evolution of galaxy morphology and kinematics.