The Life Cycles of Black-Hole Jets

Jets from supermassive black holes dramatically affect how galaxies grow and change over
the history of the Universe. Jets transport energy through the interstellar and intergalactic
medium, influencing when and where stars are formed, and controlling the size and
appearance of present-day galaxies. Our team at the OU have pioneered methods of
assessing the impact of jets on their host galaxies, but until recently our understanding of
black-hole/galaxy interplay was greatly hindered by the limits of previous radio surveys that
give a biased view of only the brightest systems, particularly at high redshifts.
The field of radio astronomy is in a period of rapid growth, with new technology enabling very
deep, wide-area views of the radio Universe. Our group at the OU has a leading role in surveys
with the International LOFAR Telescope (www.lofar-surveys.org). The LOFAR telescope spans
all of Europe, with its core in the Netherlands, and stations from Ireland to Poland. As well as
providing the deepest view of jets to date, across a wide range of astrophysical environments,
LOFAR's sensitivity at the lowest radio frequencies provides a unique view of jets at all stages
in their life cycles, because the lowest frequencies enable the detection of older radio plasma.
The most recent data release of the LOFAR Two-Metre Sky Survey contains around 4 million
radio sources, making it the biggest ever survey of the radio sky. We also have access to new
subarcsec imaging that fully benefits from LOFAR's international baselines for samples and
objects of interest. This PhD project will involve using these rich new datasets to construct
samples of thousands of low-luminosity jet populations not detected in previous surveys with
the aim of identifying interesting populations for high-resolution and multi-wavelength follow
up. You will combine careful morphological classification of jet populations, using new
methods we have developed, with information about host galaxy properties and source ages
to determine how typical life cycles of jet activity and environmental impact depend on host
galaxy and black hole mass, large-scale environment, and how these cycles evolve with
redshift. You will be a member of the LOFAR Surveys team, collaborating with researchers in
the UK and across Europe, and will have opportunity to travel to key European partner
institutes

Outside of academia, I have developed professional skills that would also benefit this project. I am employed part-time as a Front of House Manager, this position has pushed me to develop my leadership, time management and organizational skills. I also have some experience coding in Python through my "Computing for Physical Sciences" module and data analysis conducted in my masters project.