Erlangen 2026 – scientific programme

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T: Fachverband Teilchenphysik

T 65: Invited Topical Talks IV

T 65.4: Invited Topical Talk

Thursday, March 19, 2026, 15:15–15:45, MED 00.915

Supermassive black holes and their relativistic jets: a beacon into the early universe — •Lea Marcotulli — Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen, Germany

About 10% of accreting supermassive black holes (AGN) at the center of galaxies are capable of launching extreme relativistic jets. Shining as bright as a hundred trillion Suns and detected at the dawn of time, these AGNs and their jets have been studied for decades, from radio up to gamma-rays. However, many open questions still remain about* these powerful monsters. When, in the history of the universe, were the most luminous jets more numerous, and what is their connection with rapid supermassive black-hole growth at early cosmic times? Is there an evolutionary sequence linking jets of different power? How can we find and identify more of these extreme jets in the very early universe? In this talk, I will highlight how we can tackle some of these open issues through means of multi-wavelength and time-domain studies, in particular exploiting the capabilities of current and future X-ray and gamma-ray missions.

Keywords: jets; black holes; reionization; gamma-rays; X-rays