Physical Society Colloquium

Rise of the Titans: The Biggest Black Holes in the Universe

Julie Hlavacek-Larrondo

Département de Physique
Université de Montréal

Imagine a black hole the size of the entire solar system. Is this even possible? Can such a monstrous object really exist? The answer is simple: yes.

In fact, such black holes, known as supermassive black holes, are common fact in the night sky. They are the most powerful objects in the Universe and are all but quiet: we now believe that supermassive black holes have a profound impact on their environment, and hence, their host galaxies. This impact is known as black hole feedback, and during the talk, I will review the current state of this field while concentrating on the most massive black holes in the Universe, those that lie at the centres of clusters of galaxies. We will see just how massive these black holes can become, and just how important of an impact they can have on galaxies and clusters of galaxies.