All galaxies more massive than ours are thought to be harbouring giant black holes at their center, although much less is known about their smaller relatives. It is hotly debated to what extent the nuclei of low-mass galaxies are populated by massive black holes. Typical searches find them through optical spectroscopy or X-ray or radio observations, but very little is known about how these different selections relate to one another. Recent work has found a sample of MBHs selected through optical and infrared variability to be systematically X-ray weak. Not many of these MBHs have sensitive (or pointed) archival radio data. Working together with Dr Riccardo Arcodia from MIT, who has X-ray observations of each of the galaxies in the sample, in this project, you will reduce VLA and ATCA radio observations of a sample of low-mass galaxies to constrain the presence of MBHs in these galaxies via their radio emission properties.
| Student attributes | |
| Academic background | Yes |
| Computing skills | Basic coding skills |
| Project timeline | |
| Week 1 | Inductions and project introduction
CASA tutorials |
| Week 2 | Initial presentation |
| Week 3 | Download VLA data and begin data reduction |
| Week 4 | Data reduction |
| Week 5 | Data reduction |
| Week 6 | Finalise data reduction |
| Week 7 | Download ATCA data if time |
| Week 8 | ATCA data reduction / Overall results interpretation |
| Week 9 | Final presentation Report writing |
| Week 10 | Final report Report writing |