How Supermassive Black Holes Ignite the Intergalactic Medium - Tales from the Low Redshift Lyman-alpha Forest

Explore the impact of supermassive black holes on the intergalactic medium in this 31-minute lecture by Blakesley Burkhart from Rutgers University. Delve into the low redshift Lyman-alpha forest and discover how these cosmic giants influence the vast spaces between galaxies. Learn about the application of astrostatistics and machine learning tools in galaxy formation and evolution studies, and understand the potential of current and future Integral Field Unit surveys in producing extensive spectral data across thousands of galaxies. Gain insights into the use of data science tools for linking observations with theoretical models, including cosmological hydrodynamical simulations and dark matter-only simulations. Examine the role of statistical and machine learning-powered outlier detection algorithms in identifying anomalous galaxies that challenge current paradigms. Understand the significance of this research in the context of upcoming astronomical projects such as Rubin, DESI, Roman, Euclid, and the SKA. This talk is part of a conference organized by the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, aimed at exploring data-driven tools to enhance our understanding of galaxy formation physics.