Max Planck Institutes and Experts

We have successfully tested the performance of a new method for determining the masses of extreme black holes in quasars, called spectroastrometry, for the first time through observations. It measures radiation coming from gas in the vicinity of supermassive black holes. Compared to other weighing techniques, it is relatively straightforward and efficient to perform using modern large telescopes. Its high sensitivity makes it possible to study the surroundings of luminous quasars and supermassive black holes in the early Universe.

From the data of the THOR survey led at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA), we have identified one of the longest known structures in the Milky Way, stretching some 3900 light years and consisting almost entirely of atomic hydrogen gas. This filament, called Maggie, could represent a link in the stellar matter cycle. Our analysis suggests that locally the atomic gas binds to molecular hydrogen there. Compressed in large clouds, this material ultimately forms stars.

13 billion years ago, the radiation of the first galaxies transformed the Universe, ionizing the hydrogen between galaxies in a process called cosmic reionization. Despite their intimate connection, the formation of the first galaxies and the reionization process are typically studied separately. A team led by an MPA researcher has now produced the first suite of simulations that simultaneously capture these processes, as well as their connection, called THESAN.

Intermediate-mass black holes (IMBH) should be linking stellar black holes and supermassive black holes, but their formation mechanisms are uncertain. Young massive star clusters (SCs) are promising environments for the formation of such objects. An international team led by MPA researchers, has realized realistic simulations of SCs, where these missing links form by stars - black holes mergers.

This research project provides an analysis of the different cinematic representations of Neapolitan urban space across the first half of the XXth Century – from Fascist Cinema up to the Early Sixties. The analysis focuses on how the image of the city has been constructed by films throughout these decades. The recurrent features of Cinematic Naples have been identified and analysed under the categories of temporality and spatiality in order to attest how Naples can be considered a unique setting for Italian cinema.