Speaker: Dr. Jason Hinkle, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Abstract: Optical transient surveys have ushered in the golden era of time-domain astronomy and exposed an unexpected diversity of transient phenomena, including nuclear transients: flares powered by accretion onto supermassive black holes (SMBHs). These transients provide a means to identify and study otherwise quiescent SMBHs across a range of masses and redshifts. This complements the longstanding study of actively-accreting SMBHs, or active galactic nuclei (AGNs). In this talk, I will discuss the physics underpinning these transients, the role of the surrounding nuclear environment in setting their observable signatures, and their utility as probes of SMBHs. I will conclude with a look towards the future of nuclear transients in the era of deep surveys like LSST and Roman.