About the project
How are black holes born in supernova explosions? In this project, you will take a leading role in analysing data from a world-leading study of the Milky Way's black hole population, investigating their space densities, kinematics and growth rates. By understanding these properties, you will help reveal the characteristics of black holes not only in our galaxy, but across the wider universe.
Black holes hold the key to understanding extreme physical processes which cannot be replicated in Earth laboratories, and are the gateway to the invisible universe of gravitational waves. But their birth, growth, evolution and deaths all remain hotly debated.
This project aims to substantially advance our understanding of the Milky Way population of black holes, and use this to infer the wider properties of black holes in other galaxies. The student will work at the interface of observational and theoretical astrophysics, analysing state-of-the-art data from survey facilities such as Gaia, the Vera Rubin Observatory (LSST), eROSITA/SRG, and VISTA/4MOST.
Key goals include:
- constraining the demography of black holes in the Milky Way, pushing sensitivity limits by orders-of-magnitude beyond previous studies
- exploring machine-learning methods to accelerate parameter inference
- identifying and characterising new black hole candidates, including follow-up spectroscopy for dynamical mass and kinematic measurements
- using these results to predict signals for next-generation gravitational-wave detectors and to inform models of supermassive black hole growth in other galaxies
The project offers fully-rounded astrophysics training and skill development in:
- data analysis and coding (including high-performance computing, if desired)
- observational techniques using world-class astronomical facilities
- critical evaluation of theoretical models
- scientific communication, presentation, and publication
Training will be provided in all aspects of observational astronomy and data science. You should be comfortable with some scientific computing.
The School of Physics and Astronomy is committed to promoting equality, diversity inclusivity as demonstrated by our Athena SWAN award. We welcome all applicants regardless of their gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or age, and will give full consideration to applicants seeking flexible working patterns and those who have taken a career break. The University has a generous maternity policy, onsite childcare facilities, and offers a range of benefits to help ensure employees’ well-being and work-life balance. The University of Southampton is committed to sustainability and has been awarded the Platinum EcoAward.
