10:00 – 10:40am         “Studying Galaxy Formation with Modern Cosmological Simulations”  

Dr. Paul Torrey is a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research (MKI)

Abstract:  Numerical simulations have been playing an increasingly large role over the past two decades in developing our understanding of cosmology and galaxy formation.  Modern cosmological simulations evolve large volumes of the Universe from soon after the Big Bang until the present day while reproducing realistic galaxy populations.  We use these simulations as “numerical experiments” to probe the impact of various physical effects on the growth of galaxy populations that otherwise cannot be tested in earth-based laboratories or through extragalactic observations.  In this talk I will outline the approach that is used to build cosmological simulation codes, identify areas of unique progress made in recent years, discuss some major outstanding questions, and explore the computational approaches and resources that are required.

This will be a 30-minute presentation followed by 10 minute Q&A

10:45 – 11:25am         “Looking for Black Holes” 

Dr. Victoria Grinberg is a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research (MKI)

Abstract:  Black holes are perhaps the most mind-boggling objects ever conceived by physicists and there is hardly any science fiction series today that will not feature them in some capacity. However, black holes are also very much observable and one of the major topics of today’s X-ray astronomy. In this talk, I will give a very short overview of what black holes are, where we find astrophysical black holes and how we observe them. In particular, I will show why we need X-ray astronomy and thus satellite-based telescopes such as Chandra to improve our understanding of black holes and their role in our Universe.

This will be a 30-minute presentation, followed by 10 minute Q&A

11:30 – 12:10pm        “Illuminating the Dark ages and the Cosmic Dawn with Radio Interferometers”

Mr. Aaron Ewall-Wice is a physics graduate student in MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research (MKI)

Abstract: A critical chapter in the Universe’s history, known as the Dark Ages, remains nearly entirely unobserved. During this time period, our universe underwent a dramatic transformation from a relatively uniform mixture of hydrogen, helium, and dark matter filaments, into the luminescent and chemically complex realm of stars and galaxies that we live in today. The time period over which the first luminous sources turned on is known as the cosmic dawn. In this talk, I will discuses how the observational technique known as 21cm tomography which will allow us to observe the dark ages and the cosmic dawn, allowing for us to learn about the formation and evolution of the first galaxies.    

This will be a 30-minute presentation, followed by 10 minute Q&A