Sara Issaoun pH Lecture: "Toward a Precision Laboratory for Black Hole Studies"

Sara Issaoun (Center for Astrophysics) - the pH Lecture

"Toward a Precision Laboratory for Black Hole Studies"



Using a network of eight radio telescopes at six geographic locations spanning the Earth, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) produced the first images of supermassive black holes in 2019 and 2022, launching the field of direct horizon-scale study of the spacetime and environments around black holes via direct imaging. The expansion of the capabilities of the EHT, through a denser network and an extension to space, will enable studies of black holes on unprecedented scales. In the next decade, the EHT will have the capability to make detailed high-dynamic range millimeter and sub-millimeter polarimetric movies of M87, Sagittarius A*, and other black hole targets – tracing the dynamical processes underlying black hole accretion and jet launching while zeroing in on stationary horizon-scale features that reveal the imprint of black hole spin. In this talk, I will discuss the journey to imaging black holes and my role in the various efforts to bring us to the era of high-definition black hole cinema.

We understand that the refreshments will return this Tuesday to the excellent fare we have enjoyed over the years. Please arrive early so that we may begin promptly.