Dartmouth Events

Physics and Astronomy Cosmology Seminar - Dr. Akshay Ghalsasi, Harvard

Title: Growing large SMBH at early times with dark atoms

9/16/2026
2 pm – 3 pm
Wilder 202 and Zoom
Intended Audience(s): Public
Categories: Lectures & Seminars, School of Arts and Sciences

Abstract: Observations by JWST have indicated the presence of large SMBH within the first 500 Myr of the universe. The existence of these black holes require the BH seeds to grow faster than allowed by the Eddington limit. In this talk I will consider the growth of these black holes if a small component of dark matter was dissipative in nature. Using dark atoms as a concrete example of dissipative dark matter, we show that it is possible to grow large BHs in the early universe through accretion of dark atoms or by starting out with larger seeds.

Hosted by Assistant Professor Devin Walker

Zoom meeting Link: https://dartmouth.zoom.us/j/97811652265?

For more information, contact:
Samantha Marcotte
samantha.j.marcotte@dartmouth.edu
Permanent URL to this event: https://physics.dartmouth.edu/events/event?event=82663

Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.