Nottingham Astronomer Secures £1M Leverhulme Award for Groundbreaking Black Hole Research
Dr. Helen Russell, an astronomer from the University of Nottingham's School of Physics and Astronomy, has been awarded a Leverhulme Award of almost £1 million. This significant funding will support her research project titled 'the physics underpinning feedback from supermassive black holes.'
Pioneering Research with the XRISM Satellite
Dr. Russell will conduct her research using the newly launched XRISM satellite, a collaborative effort between NASA and the Japanese Space Agency. The XRISM satellite is equipped with an advanced X-ray spectrometer, crucial for her observations.
She is the only UK-based astronomer granted observing time in the initial call for science programs.
The insights gained from these observations will shed light on how supermassive black holes profoundly influence the galaxies that surround them. With the backing of the Leverhulme Trust, Dr. Russell plans to assemble a dedicated team to analyze the forthcoming data, thereby deepening our comprehension of black hole feedback.
Unravelling the Mystery of Black Hole Feedback
Over the past three decades, 'feedback' has emerged as a crucial discovery in understanding the Universe's structure. While gravity is known to aggregate mass, forming stars and galaxies, theoretical models relying solely on gravity predict galaxies that are disproportionately large and form an excessive number of young stars.
Energetic outbursts from supermassive black holes, known as black hole feedback, are considered the missing component in this understanding.
The XRISM satellite is expected to reveal the mechanisms by which these powerful outbursts efficiently heat and expel gas from galaxies, ultimately regulating their growth across cosmic time.
Future Endeavors: The AXIS Mission
Beyond her current project, Dr. Russell is also actively involved in development research for the proposed Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite (AXIS). This next-generation X-ray satellite is anticipated to launch in the early 2030s. AXIS aims to explore the origins of supermassive black holes, the prevalence of feedback across various galaxy populations, and the explosive conclusions of stars.
She leads the Galaxies science working group, which is tasked with developing AXIS's scientific and observational programs. These programs are focused on stellar and black hole feedback in nearby galaxies, as well as metal enrichment within the hot, diffuse Universe.
The Prestige of the Leverhulme Award
Leverhulme Awards are bestowed upon researchers in the early stages of their careers whose work has garnered international impact and whose future research prospects are deemed exceptionally promising.