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arXiv:2505.22567v2 Announce Type: replace Abstract: The recent discovery of a large number of massive black holes within the first two billion years after the Big Bang, as well as their peculiar properties, have been largely unexpected based on the extrapolation of the properties of luminous quasars. These findings have prompted the development of several theoretical models for the early formation and growth of black holes, which are, however, difficult to differentiate. We report the metallicity measurement around a gravitationally lensed massive black hole at redshift 7.04, hosted in a galaxy with very low dynamical mass. The weakness of the [OIII]5007 emission line relative to the narrow Hbeta emission indicates an extremely low chemical enrichment, less than 0.01 solar. We argue that such properties cannot be uncommon among accreting black holes around this early cosmic epoch. Explaining such a low chemical enrichment in a system that has developed a massive black hole is challenging for most theories. Models assuming heavy black hole seeds (such as Direct Collapse Black Holes) or super-Eddington accretion scenarios struggle to explain the observations, although they can potentially reproduce the observed properties in rare cases. Models invoking "primordial black holes" (i.e. putative black holes formed shortly after the Big Bang) may potentially explain the low chemical enrichment associated with this black hole.

Title TBC

Abstract TBC

• Speaker: Prof. Howard Reader
• Tuesday 01 July 2025, 11:15-12:00
• Venue: Coffee area, Battcock Centre.
• Series: Hills Coffee Talks; organiser: Charles Walker.

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arXiv:2409.02172v2 Announce Type: replace Abstract: Dwarf galaxies have historically posed challenges to the cold dark matter (CDM) model and, while many of the so-called 'dwarf galaxy problems' have been mitigated by incorporating baryonic processes, the observed diversity of dwarf galaxy rotation curves remains a contentious topic. Meanwhile, the growing observational samples of active galactic nuclei (AGN) in dwarf galaxies have prompted a paradigm shift in our understanding of dwarf galaxy evolution, traditionally thought to be regulated by stellar feedback. In this study, we explore the potential role of AGN feedback in shaping dark matter distributions and increasing the diversity of dwarf galaxy rotation curves, using a new suite of cosmological zoom-in simulations of dwarf galaxies with the FIRE-3 model. Our findings indicate that the presence of active black holes (BHs) in dwarf galaxies can lead to diverse outcomes, ranging from cuspier to more core-like profiles. This variability arises from the dual role of BHs in providing additional feedback and regulating the extent of stellar feedback. Consistent with previous research, we find that AGN feedback is most impactful when cosmic ray (CR) modelling is included, with CRs from any source significantly influencing dark matter profiles. Overall, our results highlight that the interplay between stellar feedback, BHs, and CRs produces a broad spectrum of dark matter density profiles, which align with observed correlations between rotation curve shapes and baryonic dominance. This underscores the importance of including the full range of baryonic processes in dwarf galaxy simulations to address the persistent 'small-scale challenges' to the CDM paradigm.

Rapid accretion and state changes in strongly magnetised disks

Accretion disks power many of the universe’s most luminous phenomena, acting as intermediaries that enable matter to shed angular momentum and accrete onto stars or compact objects. While angular momentum transport in disks has been extensively studied, especially in the context of magneto-rotational turbulence, significant challenges remain. These include reconciling simulation results with observed accretion rates and understanding state transitions in cataclysmic variables, x-ray binaries, and quasars.

In this talk, I explore how strongly magnetised disks — where azimuthal magnetic fields dominate, with energies exceeding the plasma’s thermal energy — may help resolve these issues. Interest in this regime is motivated by recent “hyper-refined” cosmological simulations, in which such a disk forms self-consistently around a black hole and supports super-Eddington accretion rates. Using local shearing-box simulations, we identify two distinct turbulent states: the previously known “high-β” state with modest accretion stresses (α << 1) and weak magnetic fields, and a new “low-β” state with strong, self-sustaining azimuthal magnetic fields, supersonic turbulence, and rapid accretion (α ≈ 1). The transition between these states is abrupt and occurs when sufficiently strong azimuthal fields are present, allowing the system to sustain a Parker-instability-driven dynamo. While many aspects of this behaviour remain uncertain, it offers a promising pathway to reconcile simulations and observations, with interesting implications for quasars and other rapidly accreting systems.

• Speaker: Jonathan Squire [Otago, New Zealand]
• Thursday 05 June 2025, 12:00-13:00
• Venue: MR12 DAMTP and online.
• Series: DAMTP Astrophysics Seminars; organiser: Loren E. Held.

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Prebiotic Chemistry, Exoplanets and Stellar Flaring

Nitroprusside is an important prebiotic molecule, thought to contribute to reaction pathways that lead to the production of amino acid chains (Mariani et al. [2018]). Nitroprusside can be made from Ferrocyanide photochemically. It has been found that the timescales for this reaction on Early Earth would have been between an order of days to months , making this route of abiotic production very useful in further prebiotic reaction networks and an important factor to consider when discussing the viability of life to evolve on a planet (Rimmer et al. [2021]). Here we investigate this reaction with a focus on constant and time varied radiation, meaning experimental runs involving the sample being subjected to a constant flux of UV light and runs with UV flux changing over time. FlareLab makes use of a broad band UV-Vis Laser Driven Light Source (LDLS), to experimentally simulate stellar irradiation and stellar flaring activity. The reasoning behind investigating flares is based on recent findings that have shown that M-dwarves are prone to flaring (G¨unther et al. [2020]). Flaring for M-dwarves is also shown to be the best way to get enough UV to an exoplanet’s surface for good yield of photochemical products (Ranjan et al. [2017]). With M-dwarves seen as the best stars to look at to detect small rocky planets, it is important to consider how flaring could effect the production of Nitroprusside and if there’s a discrepancy between assuming a constant irradiation of the surface or taking into account flaring.

We show that FlareLab can be used as a means of detecting the production of Nitroprusside in-situ during the irradiation period. We also compare the constant flux and variable flux regimes, and discuss the implications of these findings.

• Speaker: Lukas Rossmanith
• Tuesday 03 June 2025, 11:15-12:00
• Venue: Martin Ryle Seminar Room, Kavli Institute.
• Series: Hills Coffee Talks; organiser: David Buscher.

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Title TBC

Abstract TBC

• Speaker: Prof. Natasha Hurley-Walker (Curtin University)
• Thursday 12 June 2025, 11:15-12:00
• Venue: Martin Ryle Seminar Room, Kavli Institute.
• Series: Hills Coffee Talks; organiser: Charles Walker.

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Geometric mixing models as a tool for investigating the ice shell of Europa

The presence of liquid water is vital to the understanding of a planetary body’s climate, geological history, and habitability. The use of ice-penetrating radar as a probe for subsurface hydrology has been demonstrated across Earth and nearby planetary bodies. Radar sounding has uncovered hundreds of subglacial lakes across the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, while a recent mission to Mars (MARSIS) found anomalously bright reflectances suggesting the presence of a subglacial lake at the South Polar Layered Deposits. The recently launched Europa Clipper is similarly equipped with an ice-penetrating radar instrument, REASON , which will search for evidence of liquid water on Europa as an indicator of habitability.

However, the uniqueness of reflectivity as an identifier for subglacial water bodies has recently been called into question: conductive sediments and brine inclusions in ice have been proposed as alternate hypotheses for the origin of water-like radar signals at Mars and the Devon ice cap. Conventional approaches to studying the effective permittivity of such mixtures assume an isotropic distribution; here we apply geometric mixing models to account for realistic, anisotropic brine geometries. We demonstrate how geometric mixing models can provide more exact constraints on the presence and geometric distribution of liquid water in Europa’s ice shell. We further discuss the detectability of the eutectic zone in the ice shell and its implications for its thermal structure.

• Speaker: Annie Cheng / Stanford University
• Wednesday 04 June 2025, 13:15-13:40
• Venue: The Hoyle Lecture Theatre + Zoom .
• Series: Institute of Astronomy Seminars; organiser: .

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arXiv:2502.03085v2 Announce Type: replace Abstract: The shape of the Ly-$\alpha$ transmission in the near zone of the redshift $z=5.9896$ quasar ULAS J0148$+$0600 (hereafter J0148) is consistent with a damping wing arising from an extended neutral hydrogen island in the diffuse intergalactic medium (IGM). Here we use simulations of late-ending reionisation from Sherwood-Relics to assess the expected incidence of quasars with Ly-$\alpha$ and Ly-$\beta$ absorption similar to the observed J0148 spectrum. We find a late end to reionisation at $z=5.3$ is a necessary requirement for reproducing a Ly-$\alpha$ damping wing consistent with J0148. This occurs in $\sim3$ per cent of our simulated spectra for an IGM neutral fraction $\langle x_{\rm HI}\rangle=0.14$ at $z=6$. However, using standard assumptions for the ionising photon output of J0148, the a priori probability of drawing a simulated quasar spectrum with a Ly-$\alpha$ damping wing profile and Ly-$\alpha$ near zone size that simultaneously match J0148 is very low, $p<10^{-3}$. We speculate this is because the ionising emission from J0148 is variable on timescales $t<10^{5}\rm\,yr$, or alternatively that the Ly-$\alpha$ transmission in the J0148 near zone is impacted by the transverse proximity effect from nearby star-forming galaxies or undetected quasars. We also predict the IGM temperature should be $T\sim 4\times 10^{4}\rm\,K$ within a few proper Mpc of the Ly-$\alpha$ near zone edge due to recent HI and HeII photo-heating. Evidence for enhanced thermal broadening in the Ly-$\alpha$ absorption near the damping wing edge would provide further evidence that the final stages of reionisation are occurring at $z<6$.

Gravitational Wave Signatures of Dark Matter in Neutron Star Mergers

Binary neutron star mergers provide insights into strong-field gravity and the properties of ultra-dense nuclear matter. These events offer the potential to search for signatures of physics beyond the standard model, including dark matter. We present the first numerical-relativity simulations of binary neutron star mergers admixed with dark matter, based on constraint-solved initial data. Modeling dark matter as a non-interacting fermionic gas, we investigate the impact of varying dark matter fractions and particle masses on the merger dynamics, ejecta mass, post-merger remnant properties, and the emitted gravitational waves. Our simulations suggest that the dark matter morphology – a dense core or a diluted halo – may alter the merger outcome. Scenarios with a dark matter core tend to exhibit a higher probability of prompt collapse, while those with a dark matter halo develop a common envelope, embedding the whole binary. Furthermore, gravitational wave signals from mergers with dark matter halo configurations exhibit significant deviations from standard models when the tidal deformability is calculated in a two-fluid framework neglecting the dilute and extended nature of the halo. This highlights the need for refined models in calculating the tidal deformability when considering mergers with extended dark matter structures. These initial results provide a basis for further exploration of dark matter’s role in binary neutron star mergers and their associated gravitational wave emission and can serve as a benchmark for future observations from advanced detectors and multi-messenger astrophysics.

• Speaker: Violetta Sagun, University of Southampton
• Friday 30 May 2025, 13:00-14:00
• Venue: MR9/Zoom https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/87235967698.
• Series: DAMTP Friday GR Seminar; organiser: Xi Tong.

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Rapid accretion and state changes in strongly magnetised disks

Accretion disks power many of the universe’s most luminous phenomena, acting as intermediaries that enable matter to shed angular momentum and accrete onto stars or compact objects. While angular momentum transport in disks has been extensively studied, especially in the context of magneto-rotational turbulence, significant challenges remain. These include reconciling simulation results with observed accretion rates and understanding state transitions in cataclysmic variables, x-ray binaries, and quasars.

In this talk, I explore how strongly magnetised disks — where azimuthal magnetic fields dominate, with energies exceeding the plasma’s thermal energy — may help resolve these issues. Interest in this regime is motivated by recent “hyper-refined” cosmological simulations, in which such a disk forms self-consistently around a black hole and supports super-Eddington accretion rates. Using local shearing-box simulations, we identify two distinct turbulent states: the previously known “high-β” state with modest accretion stresses (α << 1) and weak magnetic fields, and a new “low-β” state with strong, self-sustaining azimuthal magnetic fields, supersonic turbulence, and rapid accretion (α ≈ 1). The transition between these states is abrupt and occurs when sufficiently strong azimuthal fields are present, allowing the system to sustain a Parker-instability-driven dynamo. While many aspects of this behaviour remain uncertain, it offers a promising pathway to reconcile simulations and observations, with interesting implications for quasars and other rapidly accreting systems.

• Speaker: Jonathan Squire [Otago, New Zealand]
• Thursday 05 June 2025, 14:00-15:00
• Venue: MR12 DAMTP and online.
• Series: DAMTP Astrophysics Seminars; organiser: Loren E. Held.

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