EPSCoR Research Fellows: NSF: Listening to Multimessenger Sirens: Monitoring & Modeling of Blazar Jets Across the Electromagnetic Spectrum

Blazars are relativistic jets of plasma launched from spinning supermassive black holes. They emit across the entire electromagnetic spectrum and are examples of multimessenger objects that persistently shine throughout the Universe. Multimessenger astronomy refers to the coordinated observation of signals carried by different “messengers”: electromagnetic radiation, gravitational waves, and neutrinos.

The lead researcher will establish a research collaboration between The University of Mississippi Center for Multimessenger Astrophysics (UMCMA) and the Boston University (BU) Blazar Group. The goal is to equip the researcher’s group with the training and expertise necessary to advance and expand BU's efforts in multimessenger monitoring and modeling of blazars.

The researcher will compare UM jet simulations to BU blazar observations, and UM students will receive on-site training in conducting blazar observations at BU's Perkins Observatory. This fellowship will provide travel and training opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable to the researcher’s group. These opportunities will help connect UM students to black hole jet research in a U.S. state where access to radio and optical astronomy is not common.

Increasing scientific exposure for Mississippians aligns with the NSF's mission to promote the progress of science across the United States.

During the two summer fellowship periods, the lead researcher will work to establish a new research collaboration between the University of Mississippi Center for Multimessenger Astrophysics (UMCMA) and the Boston University (BU) Blazar Group. The aim is to provide the researcher’s group with the training and expertise needed to advance and extend BU's efforts in multimessenger monitoring and modeling of blazar jets.

The researcher will compare UM jet simulations to BU blazar observations in the radio and optical spectra. UM graduate students will receive on-site training in conducting blazar observations at BU's Perkins Observatory. To further our understanding of black hole jets, the researcher will test whether 3D relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (RMHD) jet simulations can replicate time-domain blazar observations in both the radio and optical spectra.

This work will lead to breakthroughs in our understanding of blazar jet morphology and flaring. Very few models of blazar jets can simultaneously mimic: (1) the morphology and evolution of the large-scale radio jets observed with Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), (2) the higher-energy optical flares, currently being monitored at Perkins Observatory, and (3) the optical and radio polarization properties of the jet's plasma.

A key innovation in this project will be the development and refinement of radiative transfer calculations, enabling more direct comparisons between plasma jet simulations and the extensive data sets in the VLBA-BU-BLAZAR Multi-Wavelength Monitoring database. This collaboration will help advance our understanding of how magnetic field structure, jet acceleration, and particle acceleration contribute to blazar flaring.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.