Star-forming radio galaxies: genesis, evolution, and impact

Jets from active galactic nuclei (AGN) are a fundamental, but poorly understood, ingredient in galaxy evolution. My recent work with the novel, pan-European LOFAR radio telescope array has revolutionised our traditional view of radio AGN, showing that host galaxies play a crucial role in shaping the fate of radio jets and regulating black hole accretion, and it has opened new areas of parameter space, unveiling entire populations of sources which are invisible to old, less sensitive radio surveys.

As a Rutherford Fellow I will study newly-discovered radio AGN populations in star-forming galaxies, selecting clean samples two orders of magnitude larger than current benchmarks for these populations, analysing their demographics and duty cycles with LOFAR and WEAVE, the next-generation optical spectrograph at the William Herschel Telescope.

With the proposed research programme I will:

Identify the precursor populations of these new radio galaxies, both with LOFAR/WEAVE and by extending my analysis to early results from the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) surveys.

Establish the fuelling mechanisms and activity cycles of supermassive black holes giving rise to these AGN, through high-resolution IFU data. Chart how host mass and gas availability drive the evolution of black hole accretion and radio jets up to z~4.

Derive new empirical relations linking key parameters (e.g. host mass, star formation rate, black hole accretion rate, radio morphology, jet power) to build probability grid models of possible `ancestors' of these populations.

My work will enable new understanding of jet influence on the energetics and cosmic evolution of galaxies and clusters, and the history of galaxies like our Milky Way.

My results will inform key priorities in next-generation extragalactic surveys with the SKA and the Vera Rubin LSST optical survey, and they will help ensure the UK's strong involvement and leadership in these programmes.