Award Abstract # 1454816
CAREER: Probing the Demographics of Supermassive Black Holes with Time-Domain Observations of Tidal Disruption Events

NSF Org: AST
Division Of Astronomical Sciences
Recipient: UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK
Initial Amendment Date: February 25, 2015
Latest Amendment Date: September 14, 2017
Award Number: 1454816
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Sarah Higdon
shigdon@nsf.gov
 (703)292-2541
AST
 Division Of Astronomical Sciences
MPS
 Direct For Mathematical & Physical Scien
Start Date: May 1, 2015
End Date: April 30, 2021 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $808,004.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $808,004.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2015 = $808,004.00
History of Investigator:
  • Suvi Gezari (Principal Investigator)
    sgezari@stsci.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: University of Maryland, College Park
3112 LEE BUILDING
COLLEGE PARK
MD  US  20742-5100
(301)405-6269
Sponsor Congressional District: 04
Primary Place of Performance: University of Maryland College Park
Department of Astronomy
College Park
MD  US  20742-2421
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
04
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): NPU8ULVAAS23
Parent UEI: NPU8ULVAAS23
NSF Program(s): CAREER: FACULTY EARLY CAR DEV
Primary Program Source: 01001516DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 1045, 1206, 1207
Program Element Code(s): 1045
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.049

ABSTRACT

Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are not just rare and exotic; recent observations of nearby galaxies have demonstrated that SMBHs are a central component of almost all galaxies. Based on these observations, the best evidence suggests that both the SMBHs and the galaxy grow in mass over time. How does this happen? The researcher has a plan of observations that will show the connection between these central beasts (SMBHs) and their host galaxies. However the observations are difficult. Most SMBHs in the Universe are hidden from view: too distant to measure the gravitational pull on the stars by the SMBH, or too dim from the lack of gas falling onto the SMBH.

The researcher plans to use optical telescopes, which look at the sky automatically and repeatedly every night, to find rare transient events: when stars pass too close to SMBHs. A 'starved' (dormant) black hole will reveal itself when an unlucky star passes close enough to be torn apart by tremendous tides expected near the SMBH. Based on the brightness of the flare, when the Tidal Disruption Event (TDE) happens, they will be able to weigh the central SMBH, estimate the black hole spin, as well as constrain the mass, radius, and internal structure of the disrupted star.

The project has several major intellectual merits: 1) The researcher clearly lays out the status of measuring intermediate-mass and supermassive black hole properties with tidal disruption events and convincingly details how to find thousands of TDE candidates. 3) They plan to increase the sensitivity of Pan-STARRS 1 (PS1) Medium Deep Survey with stacking analysis and using the dataset to classify transients of all flavors is the step towards efficiently filtering observations with the new Large Synoptic Survey Telescope. 3) The researcher will help other scientists' research by sharing their machine-learning algorithms.

The researcher will enhance the Maryland GRAD-MAP program, which encourages women and under-represented groups in STEM fields. She will leverage established success of GRAD-MAP in improving retention rate among physics majors at local minority serving institutions. Her previous experience in GRAD-MAP is significant. PS1 database offers a useful source of data for short research projects as part of the winter workshop. Their experience with PS1 will ensure that the use of this database is maximized. The GRAD-MAP program has evidence of success with five of seven participants following through with research programs during the summer. There is the potential to take 5 success stories and turn them into many more new success stories.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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(Showing: 1 - 10 of 20)
Gezari, S., Chornock, R., Lawrence, A., Rest, A., Jones, D. O., Berger, E., Challis, P. M. & Narayan, G. "PS1-10jh Continues to Follow the Fallback Accretion Rate of a Tidally Disrupted Star" Astrophysical Journal Letters , v.815 , 2015 , p.5 10.1088/2041-8205/815/1/L5
Palaversa, L., Gezari, S., Sesar, B., Stuart, J. S., Wozniak, P., Holl, B. & Ivezi?, Z "Revealing the Nature of Extreme Coronal-line Emitter SDSS J095209.56+214313.3" Astrophysical Journal , v.819 , 2016 , p.151 10.3847/0004-637X/819/2/151
Gezari, S., Hung, T., Cenko, S. B., Blagorodnova, N., Yan, L., Kulkarni, S. B., Mooley, K., Kong, A. K. H., Cantwell, T. M., Yu, P. C., Cao, Y., Fremling, C., Neill, J. D., Ngewo, C.-C., Nugent, P. E., Wozniak, P. "iPTF Discovery of the Rapid "Turn-On' of a Luminous Quasar" The Astrophysical Journal , v.835 , 2017 10.3847/1538-4357/835/2/144
Hung, T., Gezari, S., Jones, D. O., Kirshner, R. P., Chornock, R., Berger, E., Rest, A., Huber, M., Narayan, G., Scolnic, D., Waters, C., Wainscoat, R., Martin, D. C., Forster, K., and Neill, J. D. "The GALEX Time Domain Survey. II. Wavelength-Dependent Variability of Active Galactic Nuclei in the Pan-STARRS1 Medium Deep Survey" The Astrophysical Journal , v.833 , 2016 10.3847/1538-4357/833/2/226
Blagorodnova, Gezari, et al. "iPTF16fnl: A Faint and Fast Tidal Disruption Event in an E+A Galaxy" ApJ , v.844 , 2017 , p.46 10.3847/1538-4357/aa7579
Gezari et al. "iPTF Discovery of the Rapid ?Turn-on? of a Luminous Quasar" ApJ , v.835 , 2017 , p.144 10.3847/1538-4357/835/2/144
Gezari, Cenko, and Arcavi "X-Ray Brightening and UV Fading of Tidal Disruption Event ASASSN-15oi" ApJ Letters , v.851 , 2017 , p.47 10.3847/2041-8213/aaa0c2
Hung, Gezari, et al. "Revisiting Optical Tidal Disruption Events with iPTF16axa" ApJ , v.842 , 2017 , p.29 10.3847/1538-4357/aa7337
Wevers, van Velzen, Jonker, Stone, Hung, Onori, Gezari, and Blagorodnova "Black hole masses of tidal disruption event host galaxies" MNRAS , v.471 , 2017 , p.1694 10.1093/mnras/stx1703
Graham, M., et al. "The Zwicky Transient Facility: Science Objectives" PASP , v.131 , 2019 arXiv:1902.01945
Hung, T., Gezari, S. et al. "Sifting for Sapphires: Systematic Selection of Tidal Disruption Events in iPTF" Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series , v.238 , 2018 , p.15 10.3847/1538-4365/aad8b1
(Showing: 1 - 10 of 20)

PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT

Disclaimer

This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.

This NSF CAREER grant supported the systematic selection and uniform multiwavelength characterization (from radio to X-ray wavelengths) of a statistically significant sample of tidal disrurption events (TDEs) from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) Northern Sky Survey.  This effort yielded the largest sample of TDEs from a single survey, and enabled the following: 1) a measurement of the relative rates of spectroscopic subclasses of TDEs, 2) identification of correlations between spectroscopic subclass and flare properties, 3) measurerment of a preference for TDEs in green, centrally concentrated host galaxies, 4) revelation of dramatic flaring and brightening in the soft X-rays in contrast to the slowly fading optical flare, and 5) the association of a TDE with a very high energy neutrino detected by the IceCube neutrino observatory.  Finally, our systematic study of nuclear transients revealed two new classes of extreme AGN behavior that challenge our understanding of AGN accretion physics: changing-look LINERs and flaring Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxies.  Importantly, the work supported by this program lays the groundwork for exploring nuclear transients with the upcoming Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST).  This program also supported the mentoring of GRAD-MAP Summer Scholars in research projects in time domain science related to AGN and TDEs.


Last Modified: 07/30/2021
Modified by: Suvi Gezari

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