Webinar | Unravelling the Mysteries of Black Holes and Neutron Stars with Flashes, Bursts, and Eruptions
The most powerful cosmic engines in our universe are fueled by compact objects such as black holes and neutron stars. These cosmic engines consume large amounts of material and expel matter in the form of jets travelling at near the speed of light. Recent groundbreaking discoveries of gravitational waves from systems harbouring compact objects, and the direct imaging of the black hole shadows with the Event Horizon Telescope, represent major steps forward in our understanding of such systems. However, there exists a huge population of compact objects in our own galaxy, which provide a much more ideal laboratory, offering a real-time view of the behaviour of these compact objects and their dynamic environments. In this talk, Dr. Alex Tetarenko will discuss new experiments leveraging the capabilities of today's state-of-the-art telescopes to observe repetitive, (somewhat) predictable, energetic surges of radiation which allow us to track the path of material from inflow to outflow in these galactic systems.
About the Presenter
Dr. Alex Tetarenko was born and raised in Calgary. She received her B.Sc. in astrophysics from the University of Calgary, and she pursued graduate school at the University of Alberta, obtaining her M.Sc. in 2014 and her PhD in 2018. For her PhD work, Alex received the J.S. Plaskett Medal awarded by the Canadian Astronomical Society for the most outstanding PhD thesis in Canada. Following her PhD studies, Alex worked in the Maunakea Observatories in Hawaii and held a NASA Einstein Fellowship at Texas Tech University. Currently, Alex is an assistant professor at the University of Lethbridge, where she is focused on studying compact objects like black holes and neutron stars in our galaxy.
Brought to you by the Lethbridge Branch. Everyone is welcome to attend.
For any questions about this event, please contact [email protected].