The presence of massive black holes in the first galaxies has been predicted theoretically for many years. Until the launch of the space telescope JWST the bulk of observational data hinged on very bright sources — luminous quasars — detected about one billion years after the Big Bang. Now a large number of fainter sources, candidate active massive black holes, have been identified, some at much earlier cosmic times. The extent of the population as well as their peculiar properties in terms of spectral distribution and compactness of the host galaxies challenge standard approaches. I will discuss the challenges of interpreting these observations and comparing them to theoretical models.
Marta Volonteri is world leading expert in massive black holes formation and evolution through the cosmic history. She was awarded silver medal of CNRS and recently was elected as a member of the Academy of science.
Marta Volonteri is world leading expert in massive black holes formation and evolution through the cosmic history. She was awarded silver medal of CNRS and recently was elected as a member of the Academy of science.