Omer Bromberg (Tel Aviv University)
Black-holes are like the genie of the lamp, as they can store vast amounts of energy within an extremely compact region. Under the right conditions, this energy can be harnessed to power some of the most luminous and energetic phenomena in the universe, like quasars and gamma-ray bursts. Current theoretical understanding suggests that the energy release is facilitated by the black-hole’s rotation and its interaction with magnetic fields supplied by accreted matter. Yet, how the black-hole magnetosphere responds to the energy extraction and by what processes this energy is ultimately converted into the observable emission is still debated. In this talk, I will discuss the necessary conditions near the event horizon that can sustain a stable energy extraction. I will trace the path of the outflowing energy that gives rise to relativistic jets and examine the mechanisms responsible for converting the energy into the observed light. These processes may offer insights into recent observations of core emission from black hole-powered systems.
Abbas Askar (CAMK, Warsaw)
Black holes with masses ranging from a few hundred to hundreds of thousands of solar masses, known as intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs), remain elusive, and their formation pathways are still not fully understood. Dense star clusters have long been proposed as promising environments for both the formation and subsequent growth of IMBHs. In this talk, I will discuss the dynamical formation channels of IMBHs based on results from detailed Monte Carlo and direct N-body simulations of star clusters. I will describe how runaway stellar collisions, followed by tidal disruptions, can lead to the early formation and gradual growth of IMBHs, and how these processes depend sensitively on the initial properties of the host cluster. I will also discuss the observational implications of these growth channels, particularly for gravitational wave sources and electromagnetic transients. The long-term evolution of IMBHs within massive clusters will also be addressed, including their potential migration toward galactic centers and their role as seeds for the eventual formation of supermassive black holes.
Swadesh Chand (to be confirmed) (Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, India)
Maciek Wielgus
Sudhagar Suyamprakasam (CAMK, Warsaw)
Luke Dones (Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado)
