Abstract:
In this talk I will present an overview of the research that my collaborators and I have been working on to try to understand the jets that are launched as stars are destroyed, either when they reach the end of their lives and explode as Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) or are ripped apart by a supermassive black hole in a Tidal Disruption Event (TDE).
Both GRBs and TDEs are the most luminous radio transients that we know of and as such they provide a window onto the high energy Universe, teaching us about the physics of the jets and their environments. I will explain how new radio telescope facilities, such as MeerKAT — a precursor to the Square Kilometre Array — not only help us to learn more about these energetic events but can also revolutionise our understanding of jets launched from black holes both near and far.
Speaker bio:
Lauren Rhodes is a post-doctoral research associate at the University of Oxford, having completed her DPhil there in July 2022. Her research focuses on the study of collimated outflows (jets) launched during the formation and growth of black holes of all masses, both in our own galaxy and those across the Universe. In her research Lauren works with scientists, and uses telescopes, all over the world. She is an active advocate for encouraging women to enter, and remain in, STEM careers.