Speaker: Razieh Emami Meibody

Host: Dr. Matthew Liska

Title: Unraveling the Multi-Scale Physics of Galaxy Evolution and AGN-Feedback in the Time-Domain Era

Abstract: 

One of the outstanding questions in cosmology and astrophysics is how galaxies form and evolve across cosmic time. Galaxy evolution is inherently a multi-scale process that connects a wide range of physical phenomena, from horizon-scale black hole (BH) astrophysics to baryonic processes operating on galactic and circumgalactic scales across cosmic time.

In this talk, I will present a multi-scale framework for studying galaxy evolution, spanning from horizon-scale supermassive black holes (SMBHs) to the morphological evolution of galaxies and baryonic feedback processes. This approach leverage general relativistic magnetohydrodynamical (GRMHD) simulations, cosmological simulations, and observational data from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), DESI, JWST, as well as other large astronomical surveys to investigate how physical processes across vastly different scales jointly shape galaxy evolution over cosmic time.

At horizon scales, I will introduce a novel E/B-mode polarization correlation framework developed to probe SMBH properties, including BH's spin and magnetic field geometry near the event horizon. I will then move to galaxy scales, where I will discuss how cosmological simulations can be used to study the morphological evolution of galaxies and reveal how stellar distributions encode valuable information about the nature of dark matter and the assembly history of galaxies across cosmic time.I will further present the feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN-feedback) as a key mechanism linking BH physics to galaxy evolution across scales. In this context, I will discuss cosmological simulations with different AGN-feedback prescriptions designed to investigate how feedback regulates galaxy morphology and star formation. Finally, I will address how spectroscopic observations can be used to study metallicity enrichment and baryon cycling in galaxies, unravelling the role of gaseous inflow and outflows in galactic evolution.

Together, these studies aim to provide a more unified understanding of how AGN-feedback and baryonic processes collectively regulate the formation and evolution of galaxies throughout cosmic time.