One of the outstanding mysteries of the workings of the Universe, the apparent regulation of the outskirts of galaxies by their centres, will be the topic of a free lecture on 17 November.
Professor Diana Worrall will be addressing our understanding of the Universe, and the largely uncharted structures that we find when we explore space.
While the massive black holes at the centres of galaxies occupy a very small fraction of that galaxy compared with the gas and stars that surround them, some black holes emit powerful twin jets which plough through their surroundings.
Professor Worrall will describe the appearance of these jets, as seen by telescopes as diverse as those viewing radio and X-ray light, and explain what that tells us about the substance of the jets.
She will describe how it is now believed that these jets over time cut off their own life-support systems, but then the black holes, after they recover, give birth to new generations of jets. This process self-regulates large scale structure in the Universe.
Diana Worrall is a Professor in the Astrophysics Group at the University of Bristol, with special interests in the X-ray properties of active galaxies and the large-scale effects that they have on their environments.
After gaining her PhD from the University of Durham, she held research posts at leading centres of X-ray astronomy in the United States NASA/Goddard Space Flight Centre, the University of California at San Diego, and the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics.
The lecture will be held in Lecture Theatre 8 West 1.1 at 7pm on 17 November.
Admission is free. For tickets contact Gail Gillespie, Events & Ceremonies Office, East Building University of Bath, 01225 383659.