What causes the brightest eruptions from supermassive black holes? in Southampton

Supervisory team: Dr Philip Wiseman

The most energetic, luminous events in the Universe seem to come from supermassive black holes. This PhD project will use cutting‑edge telescopes to uncover the cause of these flares, test extreme gravity, map the gas and dust in the centre of galaxies, and ultimately understand how black holes grow.

Only around 20 of these flares, ambiguous nuclear transients (ANTs), are known, including the most energetic cosmic event ever observed which was discovered by the Southampton group, but the reason they are so bright is a mystery. One explanation is that a massive star, several times the size of the sun, gets shredded by tidal forces from the black hole, but how and why the star gets there is difficult to explain. Curiously, most of the events have echoes caused by light illuminating and sublimating a shroud of warm dust. Perhaps some of this dust is what is fueling black hole.

To answer these mysteries, this project make use of the Southampton group’s leading position in two of the most exciting new telescopes in the world: the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) will discover millions of new astrophysical transients like supernovae, tidal disruptions of stars, and hundreds or thousands of ANTs, dwarfing any previous survey by orders of magnitude.

Southampton is a core member of the TiDES survey which will obtain a spectrum of every ANT discovered by LSST.

You will compare theoretical models with the LSST light curves and TiDES spectra to measure the energy, the black hole mass, and the chemical composition of ANTs.

You will also have the opportunity to use other world‑class facilities such as the Very Large Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope.

You will work in an international research team with great opportunities for travel and worldwide collaboration.

You will receive training in data analysis and statistical techniques, as well as transferable skills such as presenting, paper writing, and peer review.

The School of Physics & Astronomy is committed to promoting equality, diversity inclusivity as demonstrated by our Athena SWAN award. We welcome all applicants regardless of their gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or age, and will give full consideration to applicants seeking flexible working patterns and those who have taken a career break. The University has a generous maternity policy, onsite childcare facilities, and offers a range of benefits to help ensure employees’ well‑being and work‑life balance. The University of Southampton is committed to sustainability and has been awarded the Platinum EcoAward.

Entry requirements

You must have a UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent.

Fees and funding

We offer a range of funding opportunities for both UK and international students. Horizon Europe fee waivers automatically cover the difference between overseas and UK fees for qualifying students.

Competition-based Presidential Bursaries from the University cover the difference between overseas and UK fees for top-ranked applicants.

Competition-based studentships offered by our schools typically cover UK-level tuition fees and a stipend for living costs for top-ranked applicants.

Funding will be awarded on a rolling basis, so apply early for the best opportunity to be considered.

For more information, please visit our postgraduate research funding pages.

Contact us

Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

If you have a general question, email our Doctoral College (doctoralcollege-admissions@soton.ac.uk).

Project leader

For an initial conversation, email Dr Phil Wiseman (p.s.wiseman@soton.ac.uk).

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