Title: Variability of binary AGNs Abstract: I will discuss recent results from numerical modeling of the electromagnetic (EM) variability signatures of accreting supermassive black hole (SMBH) binaries. Orbiting SMBH binaries produce both periodic, and stochastic, variability with potentially tell-tale signatures, especially in the shape of the power spectral distribution (PSD) of the optical continuum emission. … Continue reading "CRA Seminar – Dr. Jonathan Zrake [Prof. Tamara Bogdanovic]"

Title: Ultralight to Heavy: Production Pathways of Axions and Dark Photons as Dark Matter Abstract: In this talk, I will review the motivation for axions (and alike particles) and dark photons as dark matter candidates. I will then briefly discuss some popular detection strategies in the ultralight mass regime. Next, I will present two production mechanisms: … Continue reading "CRA Special Seminar – Prof. Paola Arias [Prof. John Wise]"

Title: Quasi-periodic Eruptions Abstract: Quasi-Periodic Eruptions (QPEs) are a newly discovered type of recurring X-ray transient originating from supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in nearby, low-mass galaxy nuclei. They are thought to be the first observed counterparts to extreme mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs), a long-anticipated gravitational wave source class detectable by future space-based interferometers (e.g. LISA). About a dozen … Continue reading "CRA Special Seminar Joheen Chakraborty (Host Dr. Matthew Liska)"

Title: Coronal Heating and Feedback from Luminous Accretion Flows: Challenges and Insights from Local and Global Simulations Abstract Radiatively efficient accretion represents a frontier problem for computational astrophysics. Through leveraging … Continue reading "CRA SEMINAR Dr. Christopher Bambic [Prof. John Wise]"